By Mitch Rice
Since 2019, TikTok has been pushing its way through as one of the most popular social media apps out there. The concept of short videos meant to convey small messages seems to have resonated with people, especially after the loss of Vine.
Among the various content you can find on TikTok, you’ll almost always find some kind of music to go along. Most of the time, TikToks contain songs that have gone viral for one reason or another. Many videos re-use these songs for different reasons, mainly because of discoverability.
But how do these songs go viral in the first place? Let’s take a look at how music goes viral on TikTok.
Lyrics
A big reason why music goes viral on TikTok is the lyrics. If the lyrics are relatable or funny, the song is more likely to do well. These relatable or funny lyrics tend to leave a lasting impression on the listener’s mind.
TikTok users and especially influencers also want to have that effect on their audience. For that reason, they may opt to choose quirky lyrics to leave the viewer rewatching multiple times. Some may even comment on the audio. As a result, the TikTok user’s engagement statistics improve on that specific video.
Dance challenges
When artists release a new song, they’ll usually spread awareness about it by creating a dance challenge. This involves a few simple and easy-to-execute moves that other users try to replicate.
If the song already has choreography, that may just be the dance challenge itself. However, if it’s too complicated, the artist could choose to simplify the choreography to make it easier for the audience to follow.
These fun dances and quirky videos make other TikTok users more likely to try and replicate the dance challenge. As a result, the song goes viral on the app, all because of a few dance moves.
Memeability
If the structure and lyrics of the song allow for it, you’d be amazed at what TikTok users can do with a few lines of a song.
A great example is Eminem’s song FACK, where users can express reasons why it’s not ideal to be in certain scenarios. Although the lyrics are not appropriate for it, the structure of the music allowed users to use the song for this purpose.
A sample from Dville Santa’s song “Laboratory” has undergone the same treatment, with users attaching the song in TikToks where they pretend to explain complicated, bizarre, or embarrassing situations.
This is a song where the lyrics, or lack of intelligible lyrics, come to attention. Because they’re essentially gibberish, users create these types of TikToks to portray just how bizarre the topic is.
Quality
Another simple reason why music goes viral on TikTok is just that the song is good. However, TikToks that use songs for this reason are mostly just TikToks that try to show off a certain aesthetic or activity.
For example, you can hear Harry Styles’s Golden in TikToks detailing the daily life of the “that girl” aesthetic. On the other hand, Jaymes Young’s Infinity mostly finds itself on art TikToks. A timelapse drawing goes well with the beat of the song and ends up looking amazing.
This is where you can find the most diverse viral music on TikTok. Someone may have even found some new online slots with great music and decided to upload the music to the app. Other people end up incorporating it into their videos and it becomes a viral song without issue!
The process of a song going viral on TikTok has been the subject of many studies and never stops being fascinating to social media analysts.
Data and information are provided for informational purposes only, and are not intended for investment, medical or other purposes.
