5.12.2021

TikTok Treats, Week of May 10th

DJ Khaled Vibes to His Album, Coldplay Previews New Music, and Viral Rap Songs Take the App By Storm

The News:

TikTok is a powerful medium for music, providing the framework for fans to discover new favorite songs and enabling emerging and established artists to make meaningful connections with their followers. The app encourages unique, authentic expression, and the emotional connections forged with music help songs that gain traction on the app find success off-platform. In the past week, TikTok has helped new and established artists score hits on the app and beyond. Check out some of the most notable recent music trends tearing up TikTok:

DJ Khaled is a social media savant, and during the rollout of his recent album Khaled Khaled, he’s decided to make TikTok his next world to conquer. Leading up to and immediately following the album’s release, Khaled relentlessly promoted it on TikTok. Catch Khaled vibing in his convertible to “Big Paper” ft. Cardi B, eating a seafood feast to the tune of “Body In Motion” ft. Bryson Tiller, Roddy Ricch & Lil Baby, and jumping in the pool to celebrate scoring vocals from Justin Timberlake for “JUST BE.” Fueled by his boisterous personality and an promotional campaign that saw some of his TikToks projected onto buildings all over the world, Khaled’s latest star-studded affair debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, becoming his third chart-topping album.
British rockers Coldplay leveled up their TikTok presence in recent weeks, posting nine videos and generating millions of views. The group previewed their single “Higher Power” as a sound on TikTok, encouraging fans to create videos to the sound. After two weeks and 80k+ video creations, the inspirational and propulsive “Higher Power” is a trending sound on TikTok, as users turn to the song for positivity in dark times, celebrating their friends, and more.
Eurodance had a moment in the late ’90s and early ’00s, and now one of the most recognizable jams from that era is finding a second life on TikTok. Alice Deejay’s impossibly energetic 1999 hit “Better Off Alone” (nearly 200k video creations) is adding a jolt to the platform, soundtracking freeze frame poses, dachshund dances, cat DJ sets, and myriad other ways to show off your adorable pets. The most-viewed videos using the sound, however, come from @poolpromj, a professional pool cleaner who built a following of over 1 million on TikTok by posting his oddly fascinating videos about turning dirty pools into summertime paradises.
Following in the footsteps of viral rap stars like Mooski and WhoHeem, Texas rapper Cico P rose from TikTok to the pop charts this week off the strength of his single “Tampa.” Cico’s drawly delivery over spritely, bass-heavy production sets an instant vibe, adding a serene quality to even the wildest of videos. The song generated over 110k video creations (a number that is currently growing by over 1k creations per hour), powered in part by a trend that takes inspiration from Cico’s lyric “that boy bad news, he a menace to society,” as creators point out behaviors and people that fit Cico’s description, including but not limited to star football defensive linemen, people who add an extra line when writing the number seven, and people who bite directly into KitKat bars. The TikTok success of “Tampa” has crossed over to the charts, as the song reached #43 on Spotify’s U.S. Top 50 chart, #53 on the Rolling Stone’s singles chart, and #97 on this week’s Billboard Hot 100.
Rising rapper YungManny is taking over TikTok with his new single “Clap For Em,” a collaboration with TikTok favorite Flo Milli and “Whole Lotta Choppas” (5.1M+ creations) hitmaker Sada Baby. The song’s booming 808s make perfect for a hot new dance trend, created by @taymarquise. The user-generated version of “Clap For Em” has amassed over 2M creations, including an enthusiastic rendition of @taymarquise’s dance from Flo Milli herself. The official versions of the sound have garnered a combined 74K+ creations and have inspired videos from TikTok creators who are more than ready for school to end and others who are aiming to have endless summer action like Phineas and Ferb. In addition to its TikTok virality, “Clap For ‘Em” is gaining traction on streaming services as well: it’s currently #31 on Spotify’s U.S. Viral 50 chart.
Finishing up a big week for rising rappers on TikTok is Atlanta rapper Retro Messiah, who is tearing up the platform with his hypnotic single “Addicted To Finessin” (120k video creations). The song is becoming a motto for sly dishonesty, whether sending texts with ulterior motives, or trying to get close to a crush. The song inspired a dance, sometimes filmed from the neck down with focus on the dancer’s removed shoes, that emphasizes the subterfuge apparent in the lyrics. Recently, “Addicted To Finessin” found its way into videos by Lizzo and Kehlani, who both performed the viral dance with aplomb.

Since debuting in March with a one-of-a-kind interview with Demi Lovato, TikTok has continued its Headstream series, which takes fans inside the minds of their favorite artists. The most recent installment of Headstream starred Aly & AJ, who trended on TikTok in the Fall with their 2007 hit “Potential Breakout Song.” Stay tuned for future installments featuring the likes of Blake Shelton and P!nk.

Last week, the Song Exploder podcast produced an episode about girl in red, a 2020 TikTok breakout star, focusing on her song “Serotonin,” which she first revealed to the world on TikTok last March. The new episode takes a deep look inside girl in red’s creative process and is available to stream here: https://songexploder.net/girl-in-red

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/en-us

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Another One? DJ Khaled, Lizzo, and More Highlight the Week in TikTok