10.7.2020
TikTok Treats, Week of October 5th
The “Dreams” Challenge Highlights a Big Week for Rock Music on TikTok
The News:
From virtuosic musicians covering their favorite songs, to users choosing their favorite classic rock anthem to soundtrack their lives, rock music thrives on TikTok. Rock music benefits from the TikTok community’s knack for isolating and highlighting a memorable moment in a song, creating an entire universe around a few seconds of sound. Whether it’s a tempo change, piercing riff, or heroic vocal performance, TikTok has a knack for zeroing in on what makes a rock song special and presenting the art and artist in a whole new life. Below, check out some of the most notable recent rock music stories currently unfolding on the app:
- The week’s biggest story comes courtesy of @420doggface208, whose laid-back TikTok set to Fleetwood Mac’s enchanting and poignant classic “Dreams” has taken the internet by storm. Skating down a lonely road as he sips cranberry juice straight from the bottle, @420doggface208’s “morning vibe” racked up over 26 million video views, inspiring imitators that range from political candidates, French bulldogs, and Ghost Face from the Scream film franchise. Most notably, his infectious enthusiasm reached the eyes and ears of Mick Fleetwood, the song’s drummer, who joined TikTok to offer his own version of the challenge (7.3 million video views). The TikTok success of “Dreams” led to a renewed fascination with the song, which generated over 8 million on-demand streams in the past week, dwarfing the song’s previous record of 3.83 million streams, and propelling the former #1 hit back onto the charts (#27 on the UK Chart, #39 on Billboard’s Streaming Songs Chart).
- An active TikTok user who danced to Fleetwood Mac before it was cool, Rivers Cuomo helped kick off TikTok’s #AltRocktober with a live stream last Friday, performing covers of songs like “Fade To Black” by Metallica and “Today” by Smashing Pumpkins. The Weezer frontman was the ideal choice t okick off TikTok’s month-long celebration of the alt rock community, considering his propensity for engaging with TikTok trends, weaving in Weezer hits to the “men only have four moods” trend, playing along with La Roux’s resurgent TikTok hit “Bulletproof,” and soundtracking a montage of his most emotional moments to “Sometimes” by Britney Spears.
- A musical chameleon who constantly toys with her image, Miley Cyrus has recently used TikTok to chart her transformation into glam rock goddess. In late-September, Miley unleashed a scorching cover of Blondie’s “Heart Of Glass” at the iHeart Music Festival, replacing Debbie Harry’s soft and seductive vocal with a guttural and passionate howl. The performance struck a chord with TikTok users, who obsessed over Miley’s performance, creating over 30k videos in less than one week. The song’s TikTok success prompted Miley to release the cover on streaming services like Spotify, where it racked up over 6 million streams in its first seven days.
- There’s nothing TikTok users like more than a beat switch, and lately, they’ve seized upon the abrupt mood shift in “When The Sun Goes Down,” a 2006 hit for British band Arctic Monkeys. Starting as a gentle ballad, “When The Sun Goes Down” turns on a dime after the lyric “said he’s a scumbag don’t you know,” transforming into a ferocious punk rocker. Uploaded as a user-generated sound, “When The Sun Goes Down” inspired over 45k creations in the past week, chronicling girl’s nights out, highlighting unexpected twists in stories, soundtracking transformation transitions, and offering alternatives to manspreading.
- “All I Wanted,” the butt-kicking belter by mall-punk giants Paramore, has joined “When The Sun Goes Down” as an on-fire 00s alt rock song invading users’ For You pages. The song reaches a climax when the band stops playing and lead singer Hayley Williams unleashes a life-affirming wail that touches the upper edges of her range. This moment inspired the #AllIWantedChallenge (5.1 million video views), or the #ParamoreChallenge (10.3 million video views), in which TikTok users, ranging from spirited amateurs to pop-punk savants, attempt to hit Hayley’s high notes. TikTok’s Paramore appreciation reached its zenith with a comedy sketch created by @TheTinzman, who imagined a scenario where Williams’ soaring vocals woke him from a coma, inspiring Williams herself to Duet her reaction from her @GoodDyeYoung account.
Taking the time to salute the rock and alternative artists that create such a vibrant community, TikTok celebrates #AltRocktober, featuring special in-app events and content throughout the month of October. Offering an official #AltRocktober playlist and partnering with artists for LIVE streams, #AltRocktober salutes rock artists that’ve had success on the app, such as Wallows and Kid Sistr, and welcomes veterans, like Mick Fleetwood, who are looking to see what TikTok is all about. Keep your eyes peeled throughout the month for special #AltRocktober events, and be on the lookout for new trends, as the platform salutes the musical community that makes TikTok rock.
This week, Alt-Rocktober continues with Jasiah, an artist who blurs the distinctions between punk, rap, and metal, who will go live on his @Jasiah account on 1pm PT on Friday October 9th.
Check TikTok’s newsroom for more noteworthy stories: newsroom.tiktok.com
Check out TikTok’s recent blog post about the results of Dua Lipa’s #Levitating Challenge: https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/dua-lipa-land-levitating-video-with-help-from-tiktok
For more info, please contact:
Michelle McDevitt, Andrea Higgins, Erin Ryan, Audible Treats
Leah Linder, TikTok
The Background:
TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. Their mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy.
TikTok has global offices including Los Angeles, New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Mumbai, Singapore, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.
Links:
TikTok’s Newsroom: https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us
Check out previous editions of TikTok Treats, a weekly newsletter about the most interesting music happenings on TikTok:
Pop Smoke, 24kGoldn, Flo Milli, and Others Have Scored Multiple TikTok Hits
TikTok Salutes Its #FamiliaLatina: Music Stories from Latinx Heritage Month
Big Sean, Charlie Puth, Classical Harp, and More From TikTok
David Guetta, Sada Baby, and Rick James Are Having a Moment on TikTok
BTS Hits #1, Kendrick Plants Money Trees, and More From TikTok
Dua Lipa Levitates, J. Cole Soundtracks Glow-Ups and More TikTok Stories
TikTok: The “WAP” Dance Challenge, Folklore, La Roux, and More Provide Joy and Catharsis
Charlie Puth, Pop Smoke, and More Trending TikTok Stories
Artists Unite to Say #SaveTikTok
How TikTok Users Use the App to Boost Their Musical Careers
TikTok Doesn’t Just Mint New Hits…It Revives Old Ones
These International TikTok Artists and Hits Eliminate Language Barriers
Who’s Hot on TikTok? Jason DeRulo, Rod Wave, and More
TikTok Success = Chart Success and the Hot 100 Proves It
TikTok Users and Artists Celebrate #MyPride Through Music
TikTok Promotes a Vibrant Artistic Community with #BlackMusicMonth