Of the 176 songs to surpass one billion views on TikTok last year, less than half of the top 10 were from artists who need no introduction. Drake's "Tootsie Slide" took the crown at number one, followed by Cardi B's "WAP," featuring Megan Thee Stallion, and Billie Eilish's "Therefore I Am." Farther down the list: Popp Hunna's "Adderall (Corvette Corvette)" and DJ Chose's "Thick," featuring BeatKing. While those last three names might not ring a bell, you'd likely recognize the dance moves their songs inspired (if not, almost any teenager could get you up to speed).
While social media's democratizing effects are nothing new, the fact that Grammy winners and relative unknowns—and the TikTok creators who choreograph dances to tracks by both—are all mingling in the pop stratosphere feels like a particularly early-2020s phenomenon. After all, with just a 15-second clip, a creator can become a pop star (Addison Rae), a country-trap song can transform a lonesome teen into a global phenomenon (Lil Nas X), or a drop (pop!) of the knee into a low squat can turn a rising Houston rapper into a Warner Records signee (Erica Banks).
There are some constants between the songs that have taken on the platform—catchy beat, dramatic transition, lyrics that lend themselves to interpretive dance moves—but there is no magic formula. Perhaps the most alluring aspect of the short-form content app is how attainable (and utterly random) viral fame can be.
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