Chloe Johnson is a contributor to GRAMMY.com.
Going into 2022, there was no denying that TikTok had changed the music scene irrevocably. It has arguably become the most prominent way for new artists to emerge — and this year proved to be the most fruitful one yet. Several of the songs on Billboard's year-end charts started as viral sensations on TikTok, including Nicky Youre's "Sunroof" and Em…
"Girls like girls like boys do/nothing new," Hayley Kiyoko, affectionately known as "Lesbian Jesus" by her fans, sings on her second EP, This Side of Paradise. The accompanying music video for "Girls Like Girls," released in June 2015, features two gal pals falling in love while a violent boyfriend looms in the background. The reception was so encouraging that…
In the past several years, China-born social media video app TikTok, has influenced millennial and Gen-Z lifestyles in a variety of ways — including the creation of new hits as well as careers. From Olivia Rodrigo to Conan Gray, TikTok's influential algorithm has the power to elevate talent from obscurity or low-level fame, and has made a significant impact on…
