2.15.2023
TikTok Treats, Week of February 13th
Skrillex Gets Ready to Rumble, Philly Rapper 2RARE Welcomes Fans to His High-Energy World, New Hits From Rising Singer-Songwriters Lizzy McAlpine and Mae Stephens, Plus More
The News:
Each week, the TikTok Treats newsletter gives a snapshot of the state of music on TikTok, touching on trending hits, emerging artists, superstar moves, ascendant memes, and much more. Check out this week’s trends below: :
- The love for club music continues to grow on TikTok, inspiring artists like Coi Leray and NLE Choppa to release club-infused bangers. Philly riser 2RARE helped usher in the club wave on TikTok with songs like “Back It Up” (29K+ total creations) and “Cupid” (173K+ creations), and now he’s back trending with “Rare’s Room.” Previewed on TikTok in late December, “Rare’s Room” garnered over 286.9K total creations since its official release in February. The upbeat track finds creators showing off their best Philly club moves in a dance choreographed by creator @jakewestt. Later named the #raresroomchallenge, creators show off their renditions in class, at the airport, and in an arcade. Rapper Lakeyah also hopped on the trend, dancing to 2RARE’s verse, which mentions her by name. 2RARE did his part to keep the trend going on his TikTok, doing the viral dance as he shows off his shoe collection, teaching Ghanaian residents how to do Philly’s signature blicking dance, and vibing out in the crowd at the Super Bowl.
- Iconic electronic DJ and record producer Skrillex has another hit on his hands with “Rumble,” his collaboration with British producer Fred again.. and British rapper Flowdan. It’s soundtracking many of the most high-energy, creative, and cool creations on TikTok, including intense indoor cycling classes, intricate clay designs of Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes, and even home laser shows. Skrillex is ready to “Rumble” on his own account, adding himself to the sound’s 33K+ creations as he uses it to do everything from teasing the song at the beginning of the year to showing off fun nights in the club with Flowdan.
- Alternative singer-songwriter Lizzy McAlpine joins the array of artists who have a trending sped-up song under their belt, courtesy of TikTok. Almost a year after the initial release of the original version, the sped-up version of her song “ceilings” has won over the hearts of the TikTok community. The heartfelt ballad has inspired over 46K creations, and has sparked a trend in which creators put their romance film-inspired theatrics to the test as the song’s instrumental builds. The song and trend are perfect for those ready to tap into inner drama queens and kings at Galentine’s brunch with friends, in front of a stunning night skyline, and during the sunset at the beach. Lizzy embraces the sped up-sound as well, sharing behind the scenes footage of the video shoot and revealing the official video stars her actual boyfriend.
- Latin music has long thrived on TikTok, with recent songs like Shakira & Ozuna’s “Monotonía” (406.6K+ total creations) and Rosalía’s “BIZCOCHITO” (2.1M+ total creations) sparking trends. A new Spanish-language hit is rising up TikTok’s trending charts–Puerto Rican rapper Peso Pluma and Mexican rapper Natanael Cano keep creators grooving with their collaboration, “PRC.” Boasting over 80.7K creations, the song finds creators doing a dance by creator @whoisbarbarag. Creators remake the dance with their best friends, show off before a girls’ night out, and pause in the middle of their tasks to dance. In other recent videos, “PRC” soundtracks creators’ bottle decorating tutorials and attempts to record their gym workouts.
- Being single on Valentine’s Day is never easy, but resilient TikTok creators have turned to an upbeat anthem to prove how their relationship does not define them. British singer Mae Stephens teased her song “If We Ever Broke Up” on TikTok throughout 2022, first revealing it as a voice note in August and bringing it back as a demo in mid-December. The snippet was an immediate TikTok sensation, generating over 48k creations on the original audio in two months. The official audio racked up over 186k creations, soundtracking relationship quirks, couples’ determination to be together forever, unexpected icks, separation anxieties, and much more. The TikTok success of “If We Ever Broke Up,” which Mae called the funkiest song she’s ever written, drew the attention of major record labels, eventually earning her a record deal and an official release date for the song–February 10th. With over 4 million Spotify streams in its first four days of release, Mae’s Anti-Valentine’s Day anthem has a real chance to make an impact on the pop charts in the coming weeks.
- Years into its reign as an engine for global hits, TikTok can still surprise–a TikTok hit can come from any region, era, or artist. The latest surprising TikTok smash is “Ameyatchi,” a spritely 1996 song by Ivorian singer Mathey, which generated over 302k video creations on the platform. The bouncy banger inspired a dance challenge that first took hold in Latin America, reaching prominent influencers like Kimberly Loaiza, TikTok’s top global artist of 2022. “Ameyatchi” and its corresponding dance challenge is used to soundtrack moments when a loved one hurts a creator’s feelings, when being a mom means working multiple jobs, when it’s time to meet a significant other’s family, and much more.
This week, TikTok announced a new partnership with Snoop Dogg and Death Row Records to bring the iconic record label’s catalog to TikTok through SoundOn, TikTok’s all-in-one distribution platform for music creators. The new deal marks Death Row’s first digital distribution deal since Snoop purchased the catalog in 2022, and allows TikTok creators to use songs from classic albums like Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle in their videos. With the catalog comes a new AR filter, called “What Dogg Are You?,” inspired by Snoop’s song “Who Am I? (What’s My Name)” and its classic music video. Head to TikTok’s music hub to find a playlist of Death Row’s greatest hits, available for creators to use in their videos, in advance of its wider release next week, and check out more details about the new partnership at TikTok’s newsroom.
Check TikTok’s newsroom for more noteworthy stories: newsroom.tiktok.com
For more info, please contact:
Michelle McDevitt, Annjie Houston, Destiny Riley, T’Keyah Hayes, 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/
Check out previous editions of TikTok Treats, a weekly newsletter about the most interesting music happenings on TikTok:
Miley and Shakira Get Petty, Miguel’s “Sure Thing” Revival, and More TikTok Music Stories
Blink 182, Lil Yachty, Cardi & GloRilla, and More from Music On TikTok
Taylor Track Reveals, Sam Smith + Kim Petras, and More From Music on TikTok
Omar Apollo, The Throne, and More TikTok Trends to Watch This Week
BLACKPINK, Steve Lacy, and The Smashing Pumpkins Lead a Busy Week of Music on TikTok
On TikTok: ‘Yonce, Yeat, Lizzo, SZA and More
Britney & Elton, Snoop Dogg & Ice Spice Lead This Week’s TikTok Trends
Latin Pop, Celebrity Nemeses, and More From TikTok Music
Teenage Dirtbags and Super Freaks Take Over on TikTok
On TikTok: Beyoncé Strikes Back, Rosalía Returns, and More
“BILLIE EILISH,” Oklahoma Smokeshows, and K. Michelle Heat Up on TikTok
Rising Stars, Latin Pop Queens, and More From Music on TikTok
Step 1: Beyoncé, Ryan Tedder, Steve Lacy, & More on TikTok
Metallica, Flo Milli, Avril Lavigne, and More From Music on TikTok
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