4.7.2021
TikTok Treats, Week of April 5th
Soulja Boy Takes Over TikTok, Charli XCX and Tinashe “Unlock It,” and Natasha Bedingfield Loves Flash Mobs
The News:
TikTok has solidified itself as a platform that can turn songs, both new and old, into bona fide hits. Whether it’s TikTok creators showing love to artists or vice versa, the platform has fostered a space for artists to witness the TikTok community embrace and propel their music to new heights right before their eyes. Check out some sounds that have seen major success on TikTok and beyond this week below.
- Kicking off today, and continuing over the next several weeks, TikTok is launching six new music-powered video filters for the ever-creative TikTok community to use on the app. The various filters will directly synchronize with music and sounds being used in real time and will be in the Effects Tray on the shooting page with its own dedicated “Music” effects tab. The first of these new filters is the Music Visualizer, which runs real-time beat tracking to animate a retro greenscreen landscape that will move to the beat of any sound in the app’s sounds library. AREA21 has created the first video with the Music Visualizer filter while teasing their latest track “La La La.”
- One of rap’s first viral stars, Soulja Boy is having a major moment on TikTok with his tracks “She Make It Clap” (1.0M+ creations) and fan-uploaded “Yahhh!” (370.7K+ creations) taking over the platform. The whistle-filled, 808-heavy “She Make It Clap” has inspired a chill dance, while the high-energy “Yahhh!” has inspired a lively dance that many TikTok users have enjoyed turning up to. No stranger to popular dance trends, Soulja Boy took to his own page to put his own spin on the “She Make It Clap” dance. With rapper Amine, cute cats, best friends, and baseball dads emphatically joining in on the dance trends, the momentum of the songs is unlikely to slow down anytime soon.
- With a mashup of two of their biggest songs leading the way, pop stars Charli XCX and Tinashe have recently been making waves on TikTok. Over the past few weeks, the fan-created “Unlock It (Ctrl Superlove),” a mashup remix of Charli XCX’s electric “Unlock it” and Tinashe’s 2016 tune “Superlove,” has garnered over 2.9M+ video creations. From Khalid dancing with his friend in the sun to uncles practicing the dance with babies, the sound has seen many fun, hip-popping creations throughout the TikTok community. Charli XCX and Tinashe have both shown the mashup tons of love and even joked about how they both claim this new remix as their own.
- Grammy-nominated British singer Natasha Bedingfield recently received the viral dance remix treatment courtesy of @escoupp. His high-octane, ad-libbed rendition of “Unwritten” has been used over 495k times in flash mob-style dances. The challenge has made its way to dancers around the world, Quen Blackwell (who called it the “BEST REMIX OF ALL TIME”), and even your local Target. Natasha herself showed her appreciation for the track, dueting some of the standout videos on her own page. With the sound quite literally taking over the streets, we’re going to be hearing it for a while.
- Frankie Jonas and countless others have been using the catchy Caterina Valente track “Bongo Cha-Cha-Cha” to illustrate how things in life don’t often go as planned. This new version of “expectation vs reality” has also been joined by a side-trend of people using the sound to show off their childhood stuffed animals. Both trends are paired with a hip-swaying dance and have helped the official sound reach over 519k video creations.
- One of TikTok’s biggest success stories just went #1 on Billboard…again. Lil Nas X‘s new track “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” has taken the world by storm and it all started on TikTok. The “Old Town Road” artist has been teasing the track on the app for months, beginning with a hilarious Grammys flex and continuing nonstop until its release on March 26th. Since then, users have made over 238k creations with the official sound, along with countless videos to the fan-uploaded audio. Lil Nas X has taken notice as well, reposting some of the highlights. He’s continued to make his own videos with the track, including this viral duet with Miley Cyrus poking some fun at Hannah Montana.
Last week, TikTok premiered its first ever Headstream, a new LIVE series that invites artists to introduce their new music, interact with fans, and, ironically, self-reflect with their toughest interviewer yet—themselves. The series kicked off with Demi Lovato discussing her new album Dancing With The Devil…The Art Of Starting Over. This week Headstream is back with Lil Tjay, who is promoting the release of his newest album Destined 2 Win which dropped on April 2nd. Tune in on Friday April 9th at 4pm PT/ 7pm ET to see the epic new interview.
Check TikTok’s newsroom for more noteworthy stories: newsroom.tiktok.com
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/
Check out previous editions of TikTok Treats, a weekly newsletter about the most interesting music happenings on TikTok:
Bieber Tops The Charts, Young Thug Premieres New Music, and More TikTok Stories
Demi Lovato Kicks Off TikTok’s New Livestream Series Headstream
Rock Music Thrives on TikTok, Just Ask Yungblud, Beach Bunny, and More
Shania Hops On Board, Kid Cudi Tosses and Turns, and More TikTok Stories
On TikTok: Kali Uchis and Coi Leray Hit the Charts as Bobby Shmurda Comes Home
Rihanna, Brent Faiyaz, and Giveon Lead TikTok’s R&B Moment
T-Pain, Hyperpop, and Anti-Valentine’s Anthems Take TikTok By Storm
Cardi Goes Up, Uzi Goes Down (to Sleep), and More TikTok Stories
Black History Month Kicks Off, Mark Ronson Duets, and More Music Stories From TikTok
Cardi Goes Up, Uzi Goes Down (to Sleep), and More TikTok Stories
Dave Grohl, Migos, Miley, and More Happenings on TikTok
This Week on TikTok: Olivia Rodrigo Hits #1 as Memes & Mashups Flourish
New Year, New TikTok Trends: Alicia Keys, Remembering MF DOOM & More
Paul McCartney, Holiday Celebrations, and New Year’s Eve Live on TikTok
TikTok Releases First U.S. Music Report: Here Are Some Key Insights
How TikTok’s Top 10 Songs of 2020 Impacted the Industry
On TikTok: Lil Nas X Brings “Holiday” Cheer, Shawn Mendes Welcomes Us to His World & More
Run-DMC, MGMT, and More Noteworthy TikTok Stories
Billie Eilish and Queen Join the Party, New Viral Hits Take Flight, and More From the World of TikTok
Ariana Grande, Rick Astley and More TikTok Stories
Elton John, Tim Burton, Liam Payne and More Add Some Pumpkin Spice to the Week in TikTok
John Lennon, Oasis, George Michael, and More Score Trending Hits on TikTok
Stevie Nicks, Jason Derulo, and More Highlight a Big TikTok Week
Now Here You Go Again, You Say You Want Your TikToks
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