A new year means endless possibility for everyone’s favourite procrastination tool TikTok. Which bedroom songwriter will be plucked from relative obscurity and catapulted to brief international stardom? Who will be behind the most cursed mash-up to grace our For You Page? What 1970’s B-side will gain Gen-Z recognition, to the dismay of gatekeepers everywhere?
With another year of public dance routines, miming to Drake lyrics and DIY music videos ahead, TikTok’s relationship with music is bound to develop in even more unpredictable ways. But, if your New Year’s Resolution is to reduce screen-time, read on to discover what you’re missing as you abandon those eight hours of daily scrolling.
Coldplay - Sparks
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@afraidofbeingok #coldplay #sparks ♬ original sound - 🤪🖕🏽
Coldplay announcing their impending breakup coincided with TikTok teens stumbling upon their early discography, to find the acoustic guitar drenched, post-britpop universe of Parachutes that propelled the band to fame in the early '00s. Turns out the simple yet heartfelt lyricis resonate with a Gen-Z audience who previously associated Coldplay with the K-pop collaborations, spiritual messaging and EDM-tinged tracks of recent years. Most beloved are the lyrics “I promise you this: I’ll always look out for you” proving their debut still stands the test of time.
Mac Miller - Love Lost
@adam.hze 🐐#macmiller ♬ original sound - Adam
Mac Miller’s unique ability to trigger serotonin with his poetic takes on the tribulations of his generation made him an artist that truly embodied his era. Today, each scrap of music he created is deeply enamoured, with the underlying acceptance that there won’t be any more. On TikTok, his legacy is evident, as the algorithm sweeps his music into the consciousness of new fans every day. 2011’s ‘Love Lost’ is officially unreleased, uploaded to Spotify as a podcast for fans desperate to include it in their playlists. The track is built upon a slightly slowed The Temper Trap sample, over which Miller vents his broken hearted woes that are endlessly relatable to the app’s adolescent audience.
Edison Lighthouse - Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)
@laraadkins This trend is so cute 🥺
♬ Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) - Edison Lighthouse
52 years on from release, ‘Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)’, follows the Bee Gees’ ‘More Than A Woman’ as the latest anthem for the main character syndrome that is rife on the app. Resurrected by the algorithm, the rock'n'roll song spurred a wholesome trend surrounding the lyrics “She ain’t got no money, her clothes are kind of funny, her hair is kind of wild and free”, which play as background music to a curated reel of selfies and posed insta-worthy snapshots. Of course this is the internet, so it didn’t last long before descending into chaos with the parody “She’s got lots of money, her clothes are really normal, her hair was recently blown out”—a commentary on the clear contrast between the woman described in the song and the pristine images used by many for the TikTok trend.
Stormzy x Leo Sayer - the wejustnakibop anthem x boppagaming
@boppagaming this is my anthem from now on. @wejustnakibop ♬ original sound - boppagaming
Soundcloud user wejustnakibop orchestrated the unlikely collision of Stormzy’s ‘Vossi Bop’ and Leo Sayer’s ‘You Make Me Feel Like Dancing’, creating a mash-up that transforms the former into something reminiscent of a rom-com ending credits. Now, the track dominates the For You Page, with users utilising the remix to romanticise early-morning McDonald’s trips or Christmases spent in Covid isolation. It seems like it shouldn’t work, but it does.
Goya Menor & Nektunez – Ameno Amapiano (Remix)
@berdox24 You want to bamba?? #fyp#foryoupage#viral @kadirx24 ♬ Ameno Amapiano - Remix - Goya Menor & Nektunez
TikTok’s global influence means music can access international audiences in a way regular charts can’t facilitate. This is evident with ‘Ameno Amapiano’, a song that combines an emerging South African house genre, an Italian chorus and Nigerian talent, amassing huge success with millions using the track. Goya Menor and Nektunez celebrate the song’s TikTok virality by featuring clips from users in the official music video. The lyrics “You want to bam ba, you wanna chill with the big boys”, soundtrack New Years resolutions on TikTok, utilised by a plethora of subculture in the app to encourage new recruits into their hobby.
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