In 2022, TikTok was the top most downloaded app, with 672 million downloads globally, and 99 million in the United States (Forbes, 2022). It’s safe to say that practically everyone has experience with TikTok to some degree, whether it be watching a viral video or creating a video of their own. It may even be some people’s guilty pleasure. The platform also allows users to see into the lives of other people in “get ready with me” videos. Some users have even taken advantage of TikTok to participate in marketing campaigns and sponsorship agreements to earn extra income (Business Insider, 2023).
Despite its popularity, most TikTok users are probably unaware of the history of the popular app, which is actually the culmination of multiple separate Chinese-based apps. In 2014, the app Musical.ly was launched, which featured users lip syncing to their favorite songs. While this app was based in Shanghai, it had a large base of U.S. users. Two years later, the Chinese company ByteDance released the app Douyin, through which users could record and share short videos. Within a year, Douyin reached 100 million downloads in China and Thailand. In 2018, ByteDance purchased Musical.ly and combined that with ByteDance– and so, TikTok was born! (BBC, 2020)
In honor of TikTok’s success, we are counting down our top five favorite TikTok songs that are blowing up the app right now!
#5: Made You Look – Megan Trainor
First of all, thank you Megan Trainor for this fun, upbeat song. This TikTok trend went viral for a reason– it is confidence-boosting, smile-inducing fun! The famous dance begins with dramatic arm movements, and culminates in a shimmy-shake when the chorus hits. Some of our favorite renditions of this video are groups of male athletes, dads, and grandmas dancing to the song about how they look hot hot hot, no matter what they’re wearing!
#4: 7 Summers – Morgan Wallen
In comparison to the other TikTok trends on our list, this one is more sentimental. This summer, TikTok users have been posting pictures of what they were doing seven summers ago as a slideshow, with the chorus of this song playing in the background. While some users have used this trend to celebrate how far they’ve come in seven years, others have used it as an opportunity to remember and honor people they’ve lost. Either way, these TikToks are very touching.
#3: Bejeweled – Taylor Swift
It’s safe to say that practically every Swifte on TikTok has done this dance, whether it be in their mirror or in a video. What makes this video special is the fact that Taylor Swift herself did part of this dance while performing during her Eras tour!
#2: Muffin Man – Adam Lambert (as Cher)
We just can’t seem to get this song out of our head! This trend stems from American idol alumni Adam Lambert’s performance on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon during the “Wheel of Musical Impressions”, where Lambert sang the iconic nursery rhyme while impersonating Cher. Since then, TikTokers have created videos to the audio from this clip, typically of them lip syncing in front of their significant other who is not having it. In the second verse, their partner shocks them by lip syncing to the chorus with even more enthusiasm!
#1: About Damn Time – Lizzo
This is the TikTok dance that tops all TikTok dances. As if this song alone wasn’t enough to make listeners channel their inner diva, the dance truly brings the song to life with its finger-shaking and hip thrusting! What makes this TikTok our favorite is the fact that Lizzo herself made a TikTok saying she was “Tired of seein’ it” done wrong, and pointed out and corrected the most common mistakes in the moves from this dance that she had been seeing in TikTok videos. Thank you Lizzo for this song, and for helping us all become better dancers!
In the future, it will be interesting to see if musicians tailor their music to make it more TikTok friendly. TikTok is a great way for artists to promote their music. The app has over 1 billion downloads, and 40% of users subscribe to platforms such as Spotify (NPR, 2022). TikTok allows users to interact with music, so that listening is no longer a one-way street: users can express their creativity and love for music along with the artists they love. And, of course, every rising artist would love their song to go viral on TikTok– it’s an amazing way for music to be promoted!
What do you think the next top song will be? What’s your favorite TikTok trend? Let us know in the comments below!
References
Koetsier, John. “10 Most Downloaded Apps of 2022: Facebook Down, Spotify Up, TikTok Stable, Capcut Keeps Growing.” Forbes, 5 Jan. 2023, www.forbes.com/sites/johnkoetsier/2023/01/04/top-10-most-downloaded-apps-of-2022-facebook-down-spotify-up-tiktok-stable-capcut-keeps-growing/?sh=7a3b8d8921cc.
Perelli, Amanda. “How Influencers Get Paid and Make Money on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.” Business Insider, www.businessinsider.com/how-much-influencers-get-paid-on-instagram-tiktok-youtube. Accessed 20 July 2023.
Tidy, Joe, and Sophia Smith Galer. “Tiktok: The Story of a Social Media Giant.” BBC News, 5 Aug. 2020, www.bbc.com/news/technology-53640724.
Venkat, Mia. “TikTok Has Changed Music – and the Industry Is Hustling to Catch Up.” NPR, 22 May 2022, www.npr.org/2022/05/22/1080632810/tiktok-music-industry-gayle-abcdefu-sia-tai-verdes-celine-dion.
