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Lil Durk, Jack Harlow, Demi, and Fergie Inspire TikTok Music Trends
Each week, the TikTok Treats newsletter gives a snapshot of the state of music on TikTok, touching on trending hits, emerging artists, superstar moves, ascendant memes, and much more. Songs can trend on TikTok for a multitude of reasons, ranging from a popular remix, to a new dance, to a comedic trend, or an artist-initiated open verse challenge. Other times, songs bubble up due to organic enthusiasm from the app’s eager community of music lovers. Check out how some of this week’s songs grew to trending status:
- Spring only just started, but the TikTok Community has their sights on an even warmer (or cooler?) time of year. A smash hit in 2015, Demi Lovato’s breezy “Cool For The Summer” resurfaced on TikTok this year, with multiple versions of the song reaching trending status. With over 2.9 million video creations to date, the most popular remix (slightly sped up from the original) first appeared alongside a dance by user @iamhibryda, who choreographed a gyrating motion that has been mimicked by countless users. Inspired by the song’s resurgent success, TikTok DJ @kuyamagik combined “Cool For The Summer” with Ginuwine’s “Pony,” creating a mashup that rivals this year’s trending “Toxic Pony” mashup in popularity. “Cool For Summer x Pony” has over 1.6 million video creations, soundtracking evil pranks, frisky pets, and more. The “Cool For The Summer” takeover eventually reached the ears of Demi Lovato themself, who announced last weekend that the sped up “Nightcore” remix would be available to stream on all platforms
- Rap star and TikTok favorite Jack Harlow is tapping into TikTok’s appreciation for past hits with a new song of his own, one that samples an older hit with a modern twist. He’s begun teasing his upcoming single “First Class” which samples Fergie’s 2006 pop hit “Glamorous” and the TikTok community is loving it, driving the sound of the studio clip to over 22K creations ahead of the song’s release. Creators have been using the sound to admit they can’t get the video of Jack out of their head, display their excitement about the song’s upcoming release, and even to share the perfect drink recipe for getting ready for a night out. Along with teasing the song in the clip of him listening to it in the studio, Jack also used the sound on a recent behind-the-scenes clip into his GRAMMYs performance rehearsal with Lil Nas X and renowned celebrity choreographer Sean Bankhead.
- Jack Harlow’s Fergie flashback is surprisingly not the only trend featuring the contributions of the former Black Eyed Peas singer. This week, creators of the TikTok community are putting their best lip-syncing chops on full display to belt out the lyrics of Fergie’s 2006 chart-topper, “Big Girls Don’t Cry” (501K+ platform and user-generated creations combined). The throwback inspired two trends, as creators invite one another to hold hands using Fergie’s emphatic lyrics, “Yes, you can hold my hand if you want to/’Cause I wanna hold yours too.” Other videos find creators unable to fight the urge to sing the catchy hook, “I hope you know, I hope you know/That this has nothing to do with you…” Whether they’re hilariously interrupting their girlfriend’s nap with their vocals, sharing their personal connection with the song, or simply singing during a solo car ride, these creators use the song to show the world how they are optimistic about healing from their past hardships.
- Fresh off the release of his Billboard 200 chart-topping album 7220, Lil Durk is having a major moment on TikTok with his heartfelt track “What Happened To Virgil” ft. Gunna. With over 34.7K creations, the song is tugging at the heartstrings of TikTok users, as the title references the passing of iconic fashion designer and entrepreneur Virgil Abloh. The track’s popular lyric “Oh my God, what happened to Virgil?” is inspiring both somber and more lighthearted creations from those who reflect on Virgil’s passing, who can’t believe their former classmates are having children, and who wonder why their friends can’t handle their liquor. Lil Durk and Gunna have both been interacting with the sound on their own accounts, with Durk promising to drop the video for the song once the sound reached 10K creations.
- The TikTok community is always looking for a boost of serotonin, especially in dark times. Singer Eddie Benjamin echoes the thoughts of creators everywhere who are yearning for brighter days with his new song, “Weatherman.” Previously previewing a snippet on his TikTok page, the Australian singer emphasizes his desire for a temperature outside that won’t kill his vibe. Boasting over 12K creations and 3 million Spotify streams since its February release, creators use the upbeat pop song to show off their outfit ideas for every season, document their everyday routines, and share their disappointment of the constant rainfall in their cities. Eddie Benjamin has also interacted with his song on his page, promoting it to his 53K followers, and lip synced the song with Maddie Ziegler in a video that generated over 8.7 million views.
- TikTok has been instrumental in bolstering the popularity of Louisiana smashes like Kevin Gates’ “Thinking With My Dick,” which charted on the Hot 100 this year for the first time since its 2013 release, and last year’s “Touch Down 2 Cause Hell” by HD4President. In recent weeks, another hit from “The Pelican State” has been bubbling on the platform– “I Bet U Won’t,” a 2016 regional hit by Baton Rouge spitter Level and acclaimed New Orleans rapper/producer Mouse On Da Track. The song’s popularity on TikTok (58k video creations) comes from two distinct sources–the first is comedian Famous Amos, whose staggering dance to the song went viral on multiple platforms, who has been reposting creative re-interpretations of the dance on his TikTok. Another comes from Texas teenager @walker_sheppard, who performs elaborate dances to the song with help from his classmates. With over 150 million views on the #ibetyouwont and #ibetyouwontchallenge tags, “I Bet U Won’t” has the goods to be the next Bayou banger to find a wider audience thanks to TikTok.
TikTok has been a fertile ground for musical theater, transforming creative experiments like Emily Bear & Abigail Barlow’s GRAMMY-winning The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical and the Ratatouille-adaptation Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical! into full-fledged productions. Now, TikTok is taking the next step, producing its own musical… about itself! The musical, entitled For You, Paige will be performed on a stage in NYC and available to watch LIVE only on TikTok on April 14th. For You, Paige was written by Daniel Mertzlufft, the brains behind the Ratatouille musical, and it tells the story of a young TikTok creator’s journey to viral stardom. Creators Sri, Krystina Alabado, Roman Banks, and James Henry will be among the cast. With more announcements and details to come, For You, Paige will be performed in NYC and streamed LIVE on @tiktok on April 14th at 7pm ET/4pm PT. Read more on TikTok’s newsroom: https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/for-you-paige and stay tuned to #ProjectBroadway in-app.
Three-time GRAMMY® Award-nominated, multi-platinum, singer/songwriter CamilaCabello is set to present Familia: Welcome to the Family, an immersive and inventive music experience, broadcast LIVE on TikTok. The upcoming event will give fans the first opportunity to hear new songs from her forthcoming album Familia. Tune in on @CamilaCabello at 4 PM PT/7 PM ET on April 7th, or to one of the three rebroadcasts (view the full broadcast schedule on TikTok’s newsroom). Read the full announcement on TikTok’s newsroom: https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/tiktok-presents-an-immersive-musical-performance-with-camila-cabello
Check TikTok’s newsroom for more noteworthy stories: newsroom.tiktok.com
