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A song that made its debut on TikTok is now the UK number one. Seventeen-year-old singer-songwriter GAYLE knocked Adele’s ‘Easy On Me’ off the top spot with her brutal break-up single ‘Abcdefu’—created after a commenter requested she write a song that includes the alphabet.

The teenager’s meteoric rise to fame almost mirrors that of Olivia Rodrigo, who vented her heartbroken woes to the internet in early 2021, triggering a domino effect that would catapult her to household name status months later. 

@gaylecantspell Reply to @nancy_berman definitely not based off personal experience... #orginalsong #newmusic #plslikethisaccount #hastagsworkapparently #acoustic ♬ abcdefu - GAYLE

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However, the news of GAYLE’s chart success exists alongside new accusations that she’s an ‘industry plant’, following internet sleuthing that link the commenter to a marketing manager at her label. Users are now questioning if the rags-to-riches success story is as organic as it initially seemed.

Whether there’s truth behind the allegations, there’s no doubt TikTok harnesses huge power as a music marketing tool. And with a once trending song achieving the ultimate form of traditional music industry success, there’s no telling who will be next.

CupcakKe x Maroon 5 - CPR x Misery (remix by @natcakke_spam)

@user140720077 cpr remix by @natcakke 💪 #cpr #fyp #fypシ #foryou #foryoupage #misery #maroon5 #cupcakke #edit #sounds #viral ♬ misery x cpr - jada<3

TikTok’s community of young minds unite in their collective goal of weaving Chicago rapper CupcakKe into every pop song, and Maroon 5’s ‘Misery’ is the latest selected to spread the gospel.

While Adam Levine spent years altering the band’s entire sound in a grasp for relevancy, internet teens accomplished it in minutes with free editing software and explicit lyrics. It’s as if the evolution of technology and pop-culture culminated in this genre collision, forever altering ‘Misery’’s legacy in its inability to be un-heard (just check the YouTube comments on the original).

Gesaffelstein & The Weeknd - Lost in the Fire

@abelsstuff lost in the fire 😩 #fyp #theweeknd #fypシ #foryoupage #fypシ゚viral ♬ original sound - abelsstuff

Passing it’s three-year-anniversary this month, ‘Lost in the Fire’ is trending again, reigniting both streaming figures and the controversies surrounding the lyrics.

Sonically it glitters with The Weeknd’s signature falsetto and the anticipation of moody midnight drives. Lyrically it straddles a dangerous line between lust and predatory homophobia. The song’s resurgence is surprising given that TikTok is riddled with PG-friendly censorship and a target demographic defined by their progressive attitudes towards sexuality.

Labrinth - Still Don’t Know My Name

@abbyroberts SO EXCITED FOR THE NEW SEASON #cassie #euphoria ♬ Still Don't Know My Name - Labrinth

Once preceded by ‘Labyrinth, come in,” the London singer’s voice needs no introduction for Gen-Z, now it’s synonymous with cult TV show Euphoria. With Season 2 is airing after a long pandemic-fuelled hiatus (that saw much of its audience grow older than the characters), the show’s unofficial theme song has sprung back into TikTok relevancy.

Euphoria’s extensive soundtrack (29 songs crammed into Episode one) has predictably left its mark on the For You Page, with ‘Dead of Night’ by Orville Peck also trending, alongside ‘Dirty Work’ by Steely Dan. Perhaps an embodiment of the generation it celebrates, Euphoria’s score almost mimics the experience of scrolling on TikTok, with an eclectic musical mix of old and new. At this point, a song being selected for inclusion in the show is the equivalent of winning the streaming lottery.

Material Girl - Saucy Santana

@foreignfreckles OOOOPSSS #foryou #fypシ #fyp #rentdue ♬ Material Girl (Bass Boosted) - Saucy Santana

Make-up artist turned rapper Saucy Santana’s voice is bound to be conjured in your mind with each contactless card payment in 2022. No stranger to TikTok fame, ‘Material Girl’ is his second viral song, following the immense success of ‘Walk’ last year.

A bass-heavy remix dominates the FYP, punctuating your daily scroll with choruses of “Material Gworll”. Undeniably the manifestation anthem of the new year, Saucy Santana modernises the sentiment Madonna popularised in the 80s, allowing users to relish in their ‘extra-ness’.

Caroline Polachek - So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings

@k.aila.n

The show must go on!

♬ So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings - Caroline Polachek

@carolineplz

oops it’s me ♡

♬ So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings - Caroline Polachek

The popularity of Caroline Polachek’s ‘So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings’ on TikTok further proves the app’s refusal to follow traditional music industry timelines that obsess over the brand new. Instead, algorithmic success often follows a period of marination, providing surprise traction once a song’s promotional campaign is over. Two-and-a-half years on from release, Polachek’s critically-acclaimed single is finally gaining momentum on the FYP.

Though this sound is often accompanied by comments of “I thought this was a Haim song”, it’s triggered mass appreciation of the simple choreography in the music video, which has been replicated by thousands in recent weeks.

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More about: newmusiceditforyoufypviralforyoupageorginalsongplslikethisaccounthastagsworkapparentlyacousticcprmiserymaroon5cupcakkesoundstheweekndcassieeuphoriarentdue