It’s 2020 and the way people are finding and listening to their music is changing. Enter Tiktok, a social media video app that currently has over 800 million monthly active worldwide users according to HubSpot. If you’re unfamiliar with this app don’t worry. The app first entered the social space in 2014 as Musical.ly and it was primarily a lip-synching app. It focused on users making small music videos and it launched the career of a few social media stars such as Loren Gray and Ariel Martin (BabyAriel). Musical.ly was purchased by the Chinese app TikTok in 2018 which is owned by ByteDance and has quickly grown to be one of the world’s most top trending apps. As of February 4th, it was currently at the #1 position for free apps on the Apple App Store.
If you’re still unfamiliar, think of TikTok as the late 2000’s Vine, It has a compilation of music videos, dancing videos and comedy videos that range from 5 – 60 seconds. Since its popularity has risen, it has introduced many new trends and become a huge player in the social media marketing space. It has even become a huge player in the music space. It has become a platform to grow and promote new and upcoming singers and even re-surface older songs. The app causes songs to become viral from popular users as well as popular challenges. Today, I’ll be breaking down 8 songs you have probably heard while scrolling.
Say So – Doja Cat
"Say So" by Doja Cat is currently receiving a lot of popularity after user @yodelinghaley created a viral dance to it. Users have made over 13.5 million videos to this song and it has also been remixed to create different versions of the dance. The dance has been referred to as the ‘Obsessed’ Dance and has been performed by popular users such as Charli D'amelio, Avani, Noeneubanks, James Charles and even former Disney star Skai Jackson. The song also entered the Billboard top 100 in early January.
Roxanne – Arizona Zervas
"Roxanne" is probably one of the most popular songs to come off of TikTok. The song was originally released in October of 2019 and quickly rose to fame on TikTok. With over 2.2 million videos made, this song has quickly become a favorite. It currently sits at #8 on the Billboard Top 100 and has been on the charts for 13 weeks! I have to admit that this is one of my favorite songs to come off this platform, it’s a very catchy song and I’ve heard it play on the radio a few times since first hearing it on TikTok!
The Box – Roddy Rich
Another song that has blown up substantially is "The Box" by Roddy Rich. This song blew up through yet another dance trend and has since grabbed the top spot on the Billboard Top 100. Teenagers are dancing their hearts out on TikTok and giving this song and Roddy Rich lots of popularity. The song has been on the top 100 for 8 weeks now and is currently taking the top spot over Drake, Post Malone, Lewis Capaldi and Maroon 5. Once again proving that TikTok and its powerful reach can skyrocket songs to the top of the charts.
Break My Stride – Matthew Wilder
As I noted previously, TikTok has also become a platform that has resurfaced older music and made it come back into the light and the charts with trends. The biggest song I’ve seen resurfaced is "Break My Stride" by Matthew Wilder. The song originally released in 1983 and has since resurfaced for the #BreakMyStrideChallenge.
The wildest thing about this is that the majority of TikTok users are under the age of 18. This means that they were born in the 2000s, almost 35+ years after the release of the song. It has become a way for users to connect with parents/friends and family and either fool them or test their knowledge. Users will send the lyrics of the song or pictures, starting with ‘last night I had the strangest dream’ and continue until the person on the receiving end has figured out the prank. According to the official charts, as of January 30th, the song had been streamed over 1.6 million times, causing it to hit the charts once again. Break My Stride re-entered the Hot 100 for the first time in over 36 years at #100. Matthew Wilder even made a response video to the viral trend. Needless to say, he’s happy.
Lottery (Renegade) - K Camp
If you’ve been on TikTok at all in the past 2 months, then you’ll know this song without me even needing to describe it. The Renegade dance has taken over TikTok and has become one of the most recognized dances on the app. I’ve seen little girls make TikToks in public with this song and I’ve seen it consistently across all platforms. This song has taken over the social space. The dance originally came from user @_.xoxlaii on Instagram and then was brought to TiktTok by user @global.jones and once again made popular by Charli D’amelio. As of yesterday, the song had been used to make over 21.3 million videos on TikTok, making it the most popular song on this list. Have you tried the dance yet?
All I Want – Olivia Rodrigo
If you also binge-watched High School Musical: The Musical The Series, then you’ve 100% heard this song, if not, you might have heard it on TikTok. This song blew up from lots of popular users creating videos and users discussing their beauty after breakups. There is also another side of this trend where users are discussing unrequited love or making it comedic. This song has been interpreted in different ways and its crazy to see how far its come on the app. When the song first released at the beginning of January, it debuted #18 on the Billboard Emerging Artists charts and by the end of January, it had earned its place at #90 on the Hot 100. Needless to say, it’s pretty popular and a lot of it has stemmed through TikTok.
Opaul - Freddie Dredd
This song gained popularity after popular user Charli D'amelio made a viral dance trend. Her video now has 7.5 Million likes and has inspired lots of other users to do the dance or create videos of their own. The most interesting about this song is that 90% of it isn’t actually in English, the song is actually in Portuguese. When hearing it, it sounds like ‘love I know’, but the lyrics are actually ‘Oh Davi / não vai não / Agora que esse som tá ficando bom’ which roughly translates to ‘Oh Davi, don’t go / Now that this song is getting good.’
A lot of the TikToks being made are currently saying the lyrics as ‘love I know’ or ‘no / now I know’ and incorporating incorrect lyrics/meanings to the song. The song itself has been used in over 1.6 Million videos and several users who speak Portuguese have commented on this. We will see what happens and if these dance challenges continue.
Young Thug ft. Future – Relationship
Last but certainly not least is 'Relationship' by Yung Thug. This song is actually from 2017 and was made popular once again from a TikTok dance challenge. The song originally released almost 2.5 years ago and peaked on the Hot 100 back in October 2017. It resurfaced on Tiktok and has since been used to make over 12.8 million videos. It has been spread virally by popular users such as Addison Rae, Danielle Cohn, Charli D’amelio and Lil Huddy. I’m not 100% sure who started this dance but it has traveled around the app and truly become a viral hit.
Feel free to let us know if you’ve tried any of these dances or heard any of these songs by tweeting us @welcomehomemag!
Written by Mallory!
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