TikTok

TikTok

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What Music Goes Viral On TikTok?

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Got bass? Here's how songs go viral on the wildly popular new app and how musicians can take full advantage of the craze
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Nov 6, 2019 - 9:31 am

By now, you've probably heard Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road Remix" a few times over. The song's viral moment—culminating on its record-breaking run on the Billboard Hot 100—was inescapable for the better part of 2019.

Yet before the young rapper rode his way into the spotlight, he uploaded a clip of the original song, along with a "challenge," to the popular social media video app, TikTok. Users, the bulk of whom are Gen Zers, can upload and view 15-second videos set to music, with the song title/artist displayed.

Consequentially, an ever-growing handful of catchy songs have gained fame within the app and, in the case of Lil Nas X, Lizzo (her #DNATest Challenge recently helped catapult her 2017 bop "Truth Hurts" to the charts) and a few others, in the greater popular culture and pop music landscapes. A recent story on Haulix's blog looks at last month's biggest hit songs on TikTok to unpack the trends behind the trends, to help more artists take a shot at getting their viral moment.

Haulix points to several key elements of songs that have gained traction on the app recently, highlighting the importance of "memorable lyrics," especially ones TikTokers can act out in their videos, as well as a danceable beat and a bass drop.

Watch: AJR On Their Dream Lil Nas X Collab, Their Favorite Thing About Festivals & More

Since the video clips can only be 15 seconds long, the app only plays a short segment of the featured song. The audio content of TikTok videos is the song itself and not the user singing, rapping or talking over it, meaning songs with clever or quotable lyrics tend to be the most popular.

While some tracks that make waves on the platform may be fun and catchy and continue to gain traction in its whole form on streaming platforms and the like, what is most important in successful TikTok hits are the catchy bars that hook people in and allow them to use their bodies and facial expressions—from dance moves, costume changes, creative makeup and more—to put themselves in the song.

Read: Lil Nas X's No. 1 Run Began With TikTok, Now The Music Industry Is Taking Notice

As Haulix pointed, "The greatest songwriters from previous generations made an impact on culture with songs and albums that told elaborate, sprawling stories of the human condition. Some of those tracks may find an audience on TikTok as well, but most users are seeking out 4-16 bars that make an immediate impression on listeners. Lyrics that may seem silly or outright ridiculous to average music consumers often take TikTok by storm."

They point to user @schmidtyqueen's video to Yung Gravy's song "Magic" about as an example of how she used his outlandish lyrics ("Heard my voice now she trying to have whoa. / Flexing ain't too complex, baby./ Ala-ka-f***ing-zam") to create a cute, engaging and simple clip.

The article also points to the popularity of rap, EDM and anything with heavy bass on the platform—anything with a catchy trap beat or a big bass drop is likely to get users attention, and find them inspired to try out their dance moves in hopes of gaining other users attention, likes and shares.

Haulix includes a 7-minute compilation video of some pretty fun TikTok clips set to bbno$ & y2k's viral hit "lalala," which features a simple trunk-rattling bassline and nonsensical lyrics with a humorous opening line ("Did I really just forget that melody?"). The video currently has over 39 million views on YouTube alone and found its way to the top of Spotify's Viral 50 chart in June.

Similar to bass drops, drastic beat changes or chord shifts (not unlike the journey of Travis Scott and Drake's GRAMMY-nominated 2018 No. 1 hit "SICKO MODE") can also inspire creative videos and viral moments on the platform. Haulix points to Kesh Kesh's "Vibin" as a popular example of this, where the beat itself (the only words in the clip are "One, two, three / let's switch this up.") leads, switching from banjo-led chords to a spacey G-funk beat.

In summary, if you're trying to give your music an extra push, make sure it's a trunk-slapper, one that could get the club going up or at least has funny, catchy lyrics, you can try your luck and viral fame and upload it to TikTok. It's always time for new challenges!

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"WE ARE ALL WINNERS": 2020 GRAMMY Award Nominees React On Social Media

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From first-time nominees Lizzo, Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X to GRAMMY winners James Blake, H.E.R., Ariana Grande and The Chemical Brothers, current nominees are filling their social media with messages of gratitude and joy
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Nov 20, 2019 - 1:06 pm

With the full 62nd GRAMMY Award nominations dropping bright and early this morning, the music industry is now wide awake and celebrating on social media.

Read on to share in the excitement with some of the 2020 GRAMMY nominees: Lizzo, James Blake, Billie Eilish, H.E.R., Yola, Lil Nas X, Ariana Grande and more!

First-time nominee Lizzo is "feelin' good as hell" about her momentous eight nods, which include Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year and Best New Artist. She took to her Twitter bright and early, not long after the news went live to share the big mood. "THIS HAS BEEN AN INCREDIBLE YEAR FOR MUSIC AND IM JUST SO THANKFUL TO EVEN BE PART OF IT," she beamed in her second tweet, followed by "WE ARE ALL WINNERS." Congrats, queen!

Billie Eilish is another first-time nominee who's also up for Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year Best New Artist and more. The young anti-pop star, whose older brother FINNEAS produces her music, wrote "BETWEEN ME & MY BROTHER ITS 11 NOMINATIONS thank u grammyyys this is an honor." Talk about a sibling power duo!

Another first-time nominee and Best New Artist contender, Yola, is reveling in this big day. "I'm trying to find the right words for the @RecordingAcad nominations this morning, this is an absolute dream!!" the rising Queen of Country Soul first wrote on Twitter this morning.

Two hours later, the British songstress came up with a few more words to summarize her joy: "To be be nominated for four @RecordingAcad #GRAMMYs in the 10th month of my debut year is beyond a dream come true. Thank you to my incredible team and everyone who has supported and believed in me along the way. I'm truly honoured to be in the category with every artist nominated."

Country/trap king Lil Nas X also joined the first-time nominee rodeo with six nods, including for Best New Artist, Album Of The Year—for his debut EP, 7—and Record Of The Year for "Old Town Road."

"NO F***ING WAY" he wrote on Twitter. Yee-haw indeed, cowboy.

GRAMMY-winning alt-electro crooner James Blake, who was a Best New Artist nominee back at the 56th GRAMMY Awards, also took to social media to share the weight of this prestigious peer recognition. "Assume Form nominated for best alternative album! This one meant a huge amount to me. ahhhhhhhhh! LOVE YOU ALL," he wrote on Instagram.

Rising R&B powerhouse H.E.R., won her first two GRAMMYs at the 61st GRAMMY Awards, where she was a Best New Artist nominee. She is understandably thrilled about her five nominations this year, and gave her tweet the all-caps, multiple-exclamation-point treatment: "5 NOMINATIONS!!!! WHAAAAAT. THATS CRAZY!!!! AGAAAAAINNNNNN. AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. GOD IS GREAT."

Pop queen Ariana Grande may have won her first GRAMMY earlier this year, for Sweetener, but she was still blown away by today's news. She is up for five awards this year, including for Album Of The Year and Best Pop Vocal Album (the gramophone she snagged in 2019) for her 2019 follow-up, thank u, next.

In one of her excited tweets this morning she wrote, "thank u for acknowledging this music my beautiful best friends and i created in just a few weeks together. the acknowledgement is truly enough on its own for me and my heart."

GRAMMY-winning alt-rock stalwarts Cage The Elephant were stoked to earn another Best Rock Album nod, the category they won at the 59th GRAMMY Awards. The band wrote, "Such a blessing and honor to wake up this morning and see we're nominated for a GRAMMY!!! BIG LOVE!!!! @RecordingAcad #GRAMMYs2020 #GrammyNominations #GRAMMYs."

First-time nominees and Brit-rock experimenters The 1975 are celebrating their Best Rock Song nomination, sharing, "// B E S T R O C K S O N G - N O M I N A T I O N // @RecordingAcad L O V E #GRAMMYs," along with a picture featuring lyrics from the nominated song, "Give Yourself A Try."

Nigerian Afro-fusion artist Burna Boy also received his first GRAMMY nomination this year, as his major 2019 album, African Giant, is up for Best World Music Album. He joined in the conversation, retweeting a plethora of fan congrats, as well as his own post, which simply read, "African Giant #GRAMMYs @RecordingAcad!!"

Young rapper YBN Cordae officially joins the ranks of GRAMMY-nominated artists with his two first-ever nods (Best Rap Song and Best New Rap Album) for his 2019 debut LP, The Lost Boy. He shared his excitement with a tearful video of gratitude on his IG stories, as well as several tweets, one of which read, "Bro my DEBUT album got nominated for BEST RAP ALBUM..... this sh*t crazy."

He also tweeted a video of himself from just two years ago, prophesizing more was on the horizon ("This is just the beginning…give me two years"). "Don't let nobody tell you can't do whatever the f**k you put your mind too," this tweet read. Dayum, word.

While there are far too many nominees to share in this article, let's go out with pivotal U.K. electronic duo The Chemical Brothers, who are up for three GRAMMYs this year, including Best Dance/Electronic Album. They were first nominated (and won) back at the 40th GRAMMY Awards, for their classic 1997 track "Block Rockin' Beats."

"Joyful about today's 3 Grammy @RecordingAcad nominations for Best Dance/Electronic Album (No Geography), Best Dance Recording (Got To Keep On) & Best Music Video (We've Got To Try)! Love & gratitude to all that made it possible! #NoGeography #GRAMMYNoms #GRAMMYs #ChemicalBrothers," they shared.

Stay tuned to GRAMMY.com, our YouTube page, our social channels (follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) and our newsletter (sign up below) for the latest on all things 62nd GRAMMY Awards. And don't forget to tune in on Jan. 26, 2020 to catch the Biggest Night In Music to find out who takes home the golden gramophones!

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2020 GRAMMY Awards: Complete Nominees List

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Find Out Who Just Made History With Their GRAMMY Nominations: 2020 GRAMMYs By The Numbers

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Lizzo, Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X, Ariana Grande, H.E.R. and FINNEAS are the top-nominated artists this year, and the first three are all first-timers
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Nov 22, 2019 - 3:20 pm

Let's be real—the 2020 GRAMMYs have been on our mind lately, especially with all the excitement that came with artists finding out about their nominations on Wednesday. Let's take a look at the 62nd GRAMMY Awards by the numbers to find out who made history and other big takeaways from the expansive nominee list.

This year's top-nominated artists, in order of most nods, are Lizzo, Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X, Ariana Grande, H.E.R. and FINNEAS. As a first-time nominee, Lizzo leads the pack with eight total nominations—her fellow top-three artists, who both earned six nods, are also first-timers and all Best New Artist nominees.

Related: Record Of The Year Nominees Revealed | 2020 GRAMMY Awards

Eilish and Lizzo make history as the first time two artists have been nominated in all four General Field categories (Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Best New Artist). At just 17, the "bad guy" singer is the youngest nominee to ever receive nominations in these four all-genre categories. Last year, these four categories were expanded to include eight nominees.

Another Best New Artist contender, Barcelonan nu-flamenco queen Rosalía, also makes history as the first nominee in the category that performs completely in Spanish. The "Malamente" singer also has a nomination in Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album, for her Latin GRAMMY-Album-Of-The-Year-winning LP, El Mal Querer.

One of her fellow category contenders, Puerto Rican Latin trap king Bad Bunny, is competing against himself; his Latin GRAMMY-winning debut album, X 100PRE, and his 2019 J Balvin-collab project, Oasis, are both nominated.

Read More: Find Out Who's Nominated For Best New Artist | 2020 GRAMMY Awards

FINNEAS, Eilish's older brother and producer, is also being nominated for the first time, and earned five nods. He shares three with her (Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year and Song Of The Year) and also is in the running for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical and Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical.

Grande and H.E.R. snagged five more nods each this year, following both of their first-ever GRAMMY wins at the 61st GRAMMY Awards. This past show was H.E.R.'s debut year—she was a Best New Artist contender and took home wins for Best R&B Album and Best R&B Performance, the latter of which she is nominated for again.

Watch: H.E.R. Wins Best R&B Album

As for Ari, she won Best Pop Vocal Album for Sweetener last year and is in the running for this award again for her follow up, thank u, next. Her prior two albums, 2014's My Everything and 2016's Dangerous Woman, were also nominated for the same pop award. The 62nd GRAMMY Awards is the first time the "7 rings" singer is contending for Record Of The Year and Album Of The Year.

To decide who is nominated and, in the second round, take home the golden gramophones, approximately 11,000 Recording Academy voting members—music professionals across genres and disciplines, including recording artists, songwriters, producers and engineers—participate in the voting process.

2020 GRAMMY Awards: Complete Nominees List

This year, over 20,000 submissions were entered for GRAMMY consideration this year. Eligible music was released between Oct. 1, 2018 and Aug. 31, 2019.

In just 64 days, ton Jan. 26, 2020, the nominees will walk the red carpet into Staples Center in Downtown Los Angeles! Stay tuned to GRAMMY.com, our YouTube page, our newsletter (sign up below) and our social channels (follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) for all things 2020 GRAMMYs, and make sure to catch the show live on CBS.

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Poll: Who Will Win Best Pop Vocal Album At The 2020 GRAMMYs?

Tower Records 1999 Hong Kong

Tower Records 1999, Hong Kong

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Poll: Which 1999 Album Have You Had On Repeat This Year?

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From Dr. Dre to Destiny's Child and Britney Spears to Moby, a lot artists released amazing albums back in 1999—we want to know which classic LP you're still jamming out to
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Sep 11, 2019 - 1:18 pm

If you miss the days of going to Tower Records, browsing through the new releases rack and leaving with a stack of shiny CDs to pop into your indestructible Discman, this is the poll for you! Even if you born too late to truly understand the extreme wave of 1999 music nostalgia currently taking place, 20 years later, perhaps you've attempted to relive the '90s through your own musical streaming journey.

Either way, we want to know which classic 1999 album you still can't get enough of, which you can tell us by taking our poll below. Make sure to read on to travel with us back to 1999, with an overview of the albums and a selection of their songs to listen to.

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Which 1999 Album Have You Had On Repeat This Year?

 

Let's take a quick trip back to the turn of the 21st century, when crop tops and ringer tees were having a major moment and iMacs came in five fun candy colors. On Nov. 16, 1999, West Coast hip-hop king Dr. Dre released 2001, his long-anticipated follow-up to his 1992 debut album, The Chronic. His 68-minute opus brought us classic G-funk records like "Still D.R.E." and "Next Episode," both featuring Snoop Dogg and "Forgot About Dre" with Eminem, the Compton icon's then newly signed protégée. The latter song would earn the pair a GRAMMY win for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group at the 43rd GRAMMY Awards.

Over on the East Coast side of hip-hop, in Philadelphia, The Roots released their breakout third album, Things Fall Apart earlier in the year, on Feb. 23. The dynamic LP earned the group widespread acclaim and their first two GRAMMY nominations, including for Best Rap Album. The memorable, ultra-smooth "You Got Me" featuring Erykah Badu and Eve, earned The Roots their second nomination and first-ever GRAMMY win, for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group.

Elsewhere in Los Angeles, the Red Hot Chili Peppers returned with their seventh studio album, Californication. The Rick Rubin-produced 15-track LP included classics like "Otherside," "Californication" and "Scar Tissue." The last song, still an alt-rock radio staple, earned the group the second of two nods at the 42nd GRAMMY Awards, where they also received a nomination for Best Rock Album.

Read: Blink-182's 'Enema Of The State' Will Never Actually Turn 20

In another, albeit less serious, moment from the radio-friendly SoCal rock glory days, Blink-182 gave us Enema Of The State, along with hits "What's My Age Again?" and "All The Small Things."

Making our way over from pop-rock to bubblegum pop, America's sweetheart Britney Spears started 1999 right with the release of her debut album, …Baby One More Time on Jan. 12. The choreography, fashion and lyrics of both the videos for the title track and "(You Drive Me) Crazy" will live on in our '90s time capsules. If you forgot to "E-Mail My Heart," don't worry, the AOL inbox is still up and running somehow.

Fellow pop icons Backstreet Boys were ready to take us boldly into Y2K with their all-white getups and fierce poses/dance moves, as immortalized in the iconic "I Want It That Way" video and on the Millennium cover art. "Larger Than Life" was an appropriate opening track for the their third LP, the best-selling album of 1999. The beloved boy band earned four GRAMMY nominations that year, including for Album Of The Year and Record Of The Year, for "I Want It That Way."

Over in Atlanta, three powerful women known as TLC were also channeling a big Y2K mood on their GRAMMY-winning third studio album, FanMail. It featured the eternally empowering anthems "No Scrubs" and "Unpretty," and earned the trio two GRAMMYs and six total nominations.

More: Why The Millennium Tour Matters in 2019

A year and a half after releasing their self-titled debut, another powerful squad, Houston's Destiny's Child, followed up with the sophomore album, The Writing's on the Wall. With catchy-as-hell hooks on "Bills, Bills, Bills," "Jumpin', Jumpin'" and "Say My Name," the album is still one that can still turn the club up. The former track earned the group their first GRAMMY nod in 1999. The latter track, released as the album's third single, earned them two more nominations at the 43rd Annual GRAMMY Awards, along with their first win, for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal.

Over in the New York rave scene, DJ/producer/singer Moby moved from the underground to the global spotlight with his fifth studio album, Play. The eclectic GRAMMY-nominated LP became the best-selling electronica album with instant-classic moody house tracks like "Porcelain," "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?" and "South Side."

Related: Ace Of Base's "The Sign" Turns 25: How America Fell Back In Love With Swedish Pop

Puerto Rican heartthrob Ricky Martin led another major music moment in 1999 with his GRAMMY-nominated self-titled fifth studio album, his first LP sung primarily in English. The album offers both English and Spanish versions of "Livin' la Vida Loca," while two of the other singles, "María and "The Cup Of Life," are offered as singular Spanglish versions. "Livin' la Vida Loca" earned Martin his first No. 1 hit on the Hot 100, as well as nominations for Record Of The Year at both the 42nd GRAMMY Awards and the inaugural Latin GRAMMYs in 2000. Along with him came the first major boom of Spanish-language artists, like Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, into the U.S. pop landscape.

Don't forget to let us know which 1999 album you still love the most in the poll above, and to share it with your friends as well. As you finish watching the videos below we're only left to wonder, which 2019 bops will still slap in—gasp—2039?

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Lil Nas X

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Lil Nas X's No. 1 Run Began With TikTok, Now The Music Industry Is Taking Notice

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"We get 10 to 15 inquiries a day from artists and labels wanting to pay us to use their song," Devain Doolaramani, who manages over 20 TikTok users, recently told Rolling Stone
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Aug 26, 2019 - 2:22 pm

Whether or not you've ever downloaded the app, it's likely you've been hearing about TikTok more and more this year. Though it may be most popular among teens and pre-teens, the short-form video app is not one to brush off as a mindless youth trend. Its users upload 15-second videos set to music (denoted in text at the bottom of the clip) onto the platform, offering the chance for both the uploader and the artist of the song to gain viral fame. And while striving for your moment—however brief—in the spotlight is nothing new, teens' obsession with the year-old app is already making waves in the music industry.

Last month, 20-year-old Lil Nas X broke records as his viral Billy Ray Cyrus-assisted "Old Town Road" took the longest run ever at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100, holding its reign on the all-genre chart for 17 weeks in a row. Back in February, the then-unknown rapper, two months after self-releasing the original version of the country-trap song, uploaded it to TikTok along with a "challenge": to change into Western garb before the drop. The song went viral on the app as users like Michael Pelchat, a.k.a. NiceMichael, added their own versions. A month later, Lil Nas X signed to Colombia Records and in April they released the record-breaking remix.

Lil Nas X is not the only notable artist to effectively harness the power of TikTok. Lizzo joined the platform in June and offered the #DNATest challenge, featuring her 2017 bop "Truth Hurts"—she opens the song with "I just took a DNA test, turns out I'm 100% that bitch." This month, the two-year-old song became her first top 10 track on the Hot 100, hitting No. 4 on Aug. 10. "Juice," from her latest LP Cuz I Love You, is her only other song to date to make the all-genre chart, reaching No. 9. The newfound viral moment of "Truth Hurts," similar to that of Lil Nas X, led Lizzo to release a new remix, featuring DaBaby.

A recent Rolling Stone feature examining the app's rapid growth and impact on the music industry highlights the move for labels and artists to push their music on the platform. "We get 10 to 15 inquiries a day from artists and labels wanting to pay us to use their song," Devain Doolaramani, who manages over 20 TikTok users, recently told the outlet. The article explains that the Chinese company Bytedance purchased the lip sync video app Musical.ly in late 2017, and, in August 2018, shut it down and migrated its user base to the new TikTok, giving it a starting point of 500 million monthly global users.

Speaking to both active uploaders and people who support its uploaders, like Doolaramani, Rolling Stone found that the algorithm better supports the chance for 15 seconds of fame, as it "is constantly searching for new clips, rather than just pushing out the latest videos from already popular users." The algorithm also seems to push videos and challenges—and their featured songs—that are already doing well to the next level. Doolaramani noticed that songs featured in around 3,000–5,000 videos seem to get more a bigger boost once they reach that point.

The platform even offers "creator partner managers" for popular users invited into their Creators Program. Pelchat, whose profile says he has over 922,400 fans, is part of the program. As he told Rolling Stone, his manager can help push his videos with lower views to the next level.

"Within the hour, [the video] had 80,000 more likes than what it had before. They have some magical button that they can press and just promote [a video] to the world," Pelchat said, when describing what happens after he reaches out about a video. He added that managers "have a very key part in pushing what [TikTok] wants to do."

Yet, while record labels are currently paying popular TikTok-ers to promote their songs, they could require the platform to pay for the rights to use their music in the future. The article points to a recent Bloomberg report that Universal, Sony and Warner are all renegotiating their existing deals, which expire soon, with the platform.

While it's not clear exactly what the future of TikTok will look like, it is clear that the way young people consume music is ever-changing, and the short-form video app is a major part of that.

Watch: Lizzo & Missy Elliott Turn Up The "Tempo" In Brand-New Video