‘It’s easily digestible that way’: Why musicians are encouraging their songs to become TikTok punchlines

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Her songs “Nissan Altima” and “Denial is a River” were quickly picked up by the TikTok audience in 2024. And the reason I thought about her first and foremost is because of her song reflecting on the nature of music in relation to the app: She sings, “Label want the TikToks/Now I’m making TikTok music/What the f***?” Without TikTok, the lyrics would be instantly dated. 

What the heck indeed, Doechii! It’s become not only a selling point to have one’s music be on TikTok, but now it’s trendy to have small snippets of a song that are designed to be acted out by TikTokers worldwide. Think about the inescapable viral “Apple” dance during Charli xcx’s “Brat summer.” With a simple dance, the song skyrocketed to fame. Gen Z entertainer Jojo Siwa has leaned into the TikTok music mentality 100% as well, posting video after video of her “Iced Coffee” dance (which gained more detractors than fans performing the dance). And then there are artists like bbno$, whose songs play at a hyper-speed designed for the algorithm.

Back to current TikTok darling Doechii—she’s been the mind behind numerous TikTok sounds for quite some time now. But you probably just didn’t know it was her. Who could forget the “What it is” trend of 2023? The lyrics  “What it is h*/ What’s up/ Every good girl needs a little thug” were inescapable—paired with a filter of waving hands, people used the song for animal videos and lip-syncing. Yep, that was Doechii! Since an artist’s face isn’t attached to their song, the music may only remain popular on the TikTok app itself. 

So should artists be making “TikTok music?” As Doechii and other artists have spoken about, that’s what record labels seem to want. The youngest generations, Gen Z and Gen Alpha (kids born between 2010-2024) spend tons of time on the app. Today’s young people average about 90 minutes per day on TikTok! Just think how many short-form snippets of music children are absorbing in that amount of time. 

 

Example of the “What it is” filter. Photo via @ngrhaacaa_ 


 Singer Doja Cat is no stranger to TikTok dances blossoming from her music, too. Her song “Paint the Town Red” inspired both dances and lip syncs as people reacted to her lyrics about “Bi*** I said what I said/ I’d rather be famous instead.” As you can see, one-liners make for excellent TikTok content. Her feature on the Saweetie song “Best Friend” seems hand-crafted for the algorithm itself. Lyrics like, “Best friend, you the baddest and you know it” or “That’s my best friend, she’s a real bad bi***” seem like guaranteed hit-makers on the app. And that’s not even counting the success of her prior hit tune, “Say So,” which spawned its own memorable dance trend. 

 

Creators dancing to “Paint the Town Red.”  Photo via @merrickhanna

 

TikTokers appear to do these dances for a few reasons: They make you seem “cool” to your peers, show off your friend group’s sick dance moves, or brag to your followers about your fame, money, or clout (real or not). The dance makes the dancer feel hot, trendy, and popular; and they are simple enough that an average person can learn it in an afternoon. Alternatively, some songs go viral as a way to encapsulate a mood, or for TikTokers to reflect on their past experiences and growth. 

Let’s talk about an example of an “accidental” TikTok song. If you’re in the dating world and you’re “looking for a man in finance/ trust fund / six five / blue eyes,” TikToker @girl_on_couch has just the song for you. In 2024, the creator posted herself saying the now-TikTok-famous lyrics, asking in the caption, “Can someone make this into an actual song plz just for funzies.” 


Well, @girl_on_couch got her wish. Not only was the song a huge hit on the app with over 57 million views to that video, the creator currently gets 1.8 million listens per month from her one and only song, “Man in Finance.” Even legendary DJ David Guetta remixed it, with his version getting more than 43 million listens. On Spotify, @girl_on_couch’s album artwork for each version of the hit song is a screenshot of the TikTok she introduced the audio with—she’s even left the likes, comments, saves, and shares buttons attached to the image. She’s an artist by TikTok and for TikTok, even if it only happened by accident. 


 

Photo via @girl_on_couch 

So with all of this success, should musicians be crafting their tunes for TikTok? Should they be ensuring that their songs are lipsync-able, dance-worthy, and incredibly catchy? Well, when you put it that way, you’re describing many classic songs that existed long before TikTok. Sure, posting video and audio clips might feel derivative of a song or an album, but for an entire generation of musicians, this is the most effective way for them to share a song with their audiences. Plus, watching as hundreds or thousands of fans lip-sync your song is a pretty great endorsement of your music. 

Photo via @attwellssolicitors


 

 

Photo via @Vandelux


Having your song suddenly go viral can also be a bewildering experience for smaller bands. Without a PR team, publicists, managers, or a big production team, many artists struggle to monetize their newfound fame and success. Take the musical act called Crawlers as a study in viral music’s impact: They went viral with their song “Come Over (Again),” and their lives have forever been changed.
 

For years, the band members watched TikTok music trends closely, spending time each day crafting videos to attract viewers and they finally got their breakthrough in 2021. “Come Over (Again)” was such a sudden hit that the band didn’t realize their song had gone viral until they sold out a show in 20 minutes flat! Since this sudden rise to stardom, the band has signed with a record label and toured with sold-out shows across the United Kingdom. TikTok trends are impacting talented artists that might have otherwise gone unnoticed, and we’ll see this more and more as the app continues to draw in millions of viewers daily. 

Photo via @crawlersband

As for Doechii, the rapper has elaborated on the dark and satirical nature of her songs, sharing that her songs help people to “face themselves in a comedic way.” She says, "it's easily digestible that way.” And as for considering herself a “TikTok rapper,” she told The Forty-Five, “I’m not really embracing the popularised formula of hits because I found that that agenda, that formula, doesn’t necessarily work for an artist like me [...] I’m proud of my hits, and I know I have more to come, but it’s more so about breaking out of this formula of what a hit should be and how hits have to sound like this. That’s the part that I’m challenging in music right now.” 

So, TikTok didn’t get banned after all, which was welcomed news to the millions of creators who use the app to promote their music. Thanks to TikTok’s sharp algorithm, people are sure to continually discover exciting new music that they’ll replay again and again. The youngest generation of musicians are already singing on the app daily, just waiting for their catchiest tune to hook an audience and change their life overnight. 

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