January 17th 2025.
As the potential for a ban on TikTok in the US loomed, questions arose regarding the app's impact on music charts. One notable example was in 2024, when Noah Kahan's Stick Season rose to the top of the UK Official Charts, largely due to its popularity on TikTok. Kahan is just one of many artists whose music has been propelled to success by viral trends on the platform, which boasts 170 million users in the US and one billion worldwide.
In an interview with the New Yorker, Kahan expressed his disbelief at the sudden surge in popularity: "I never would have expected my music to go viral on social media. I used to hate social media, so TikTok was a bit confusing for me at first." As of now, the song has been used in almost 100,000 videos and continues to gain traction. Following closely behind Kahan on the charts is Benson Boone's Beautiful Things, which has been streamed 219 million times in the UK and secured the 10th spot on TikTok's most popular songs list.
These two artists are just a few among a growing group who have experienced their 15 minutes of fame thanks to the platform. Some have seen their already established songs reach new heights, while others have had previously unknown tracks climb into the top 10. For example, Gracie Abrams has spent seven non-consecutive weeks at number one in the UK, while Hozier achieved his first ever number one with his song Too Sweet, thanks to its popularity on TikTok.
According to calculations by Clayton Durant, an Adjunct Professor of Music Business, the song gained an additional 406 million streams on Spotify between April 2024 and January 2025. As Hozier himself acknowledged in a radio interview, the platform has opened his eyes to the power of social media in promoting music. TikTok has also recognized its impact on the charts, as stated in their end-of-year report: "In 2024, TikTok truly became the music industry's primary launchpad for music, artists, and creativity," said Ole Obermann, Global Head of Music Business Development.
In fact, TikTok's top 10 global songs accounted for eight billion streams on Spotify and were linked to 13 out of the 16 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 songs in 2024. The merging of social media and mainstream music was impossible to ignore, as seen with the HOT TO GO! trend by Chappell, which reached number four on the UK charts, and the Charli XCX Apple dance, which the singer herself recreated at a New York show.
Artists like Charli XCX have become the center of viral dance trends, with Rhea Freeman, a social media and PR expert, explaining the impact: "When people lip-sync or create dances to a song, it can inspire others to do the same, which grows the song's reach in a huge way. The more people hear it, the more likely they are to download it. It's a brilliant tool for getting a song out to a large audience quickly."
Now, TikTok has become a crucial part of the marketing strategy for both new and established artists. It's not all just luck and talent, as Billboard reports that 75% of popular songs on TikTok start with a creator marketing campaign. Anu Pillai, executive director at the Music Producers Guild, notes that while not all trending songs make it onto the charts, there is a common trajectory: "Once a snippet starts to be used repeatedly, it enters the collective consciousness of those spending hours swiping on the platform."
Some notable songs that gained popularity on TikTok in 2024 include Noah Kahan's Stick Season with 99,100 videos, Hozier's Too Sweet with 251,600 videos, Gracie Abrams' That's So True with 487,400 videos, Gigi Perez's Sailor Song with 517,600 videos, Lola Young's Messy with 1.2 million videos, Billie Eilish's Birds of a Feather with 1.4 million videos, and Charli XCX's Apple with 1.6 million videos. These numbers further demonstrate the significant impact that TikTok has had on the music industry and its ability to launch songs and artists into the spotlight.
As the potential for a US TikTok ban looms in the future, many are wondering just how much influence the popular app holds over the music charts. In 2024, the UK Official Charts declared Noah Kahan's Stick Season as their biggest hit, largely thanks to its viral success on TikTok. And he's not the only one – many indie-folk artists have seen their music skyrocket in popularity thanks to viral trends on the platform, which boasts a staggering 170 million users in America and a whopping one billion worldwide.
Even Noah himself was taken aback by his unexpected virality, telling the New Yorker, "I didn't think it would be through viral success. I f**king hated social media. TikTok for me was just, like, 'What the f**k, dude? What am I gonna do here? I don't get it.'" Despite his initial skepticism, at the time of writing, his song has been featured in almost 100,000 videos and the number continues to grow. And right behind him on the charts is Benson Boone's Beautiful Things, which has been streamed 219 million times in the UK and currently holds the 10th spot on TikTok's most popular song list.
These two artists are just a few of the many who have experienced their "15 minutes of fame" on the video-sharing app. TikTok users have not only boosted already established tunes to new heights, but have also helped lesser-known songs reach the top 10. For example, viral sensation Gracie Abrams has spent seven non-consecutive weeks at number one in the UK, while Hozier landed his first ever number one song, Too Sweet, immediately after it took off on the platform.
From April 2024 to January 2025, Hozier's song gained an impressive 406 million additional streams on Spotify, pushing it past the one billion mark. As Hozier himself said in a radio interview, "I wasn't always as savvy [on social media], but stuff like this really wakes you up to what it can do for a song." And TikTok itself has acknowledged its significant impact on the charts in their end-of-year report, with Global Head of Music Business Development Ole Obermann stating, "In 2024, TikTok truly became the music industry's primary launchpad for music, artists, and creativity."
In fact, TikTok's global top 10 accounted for eight billion streams on Spotify and major trends were linked to 13 out of the 16 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 Songs of 2024. It's clear that social media and mainstream music have merged in a way that's impossible to ignore, with trends like Chappell's HOT TO GO! peaking at number four in the UK and Charli XCX's Apple dance being re-created by the TikTok creator herself at the singer's New York show during the height of "Brat summer."
According to social media and PR expert Rhea Freeman, the reason for this success is simple: "Because people lip sync and create dances around songs, it can inspire others to do the same and this grows the song's reach in huge ways. The more people that hear it – subject to it being a catchy song that people like – the more people are likely to download it. It really is the most brilliant tool for getting a song out in front of a lot of people in a short amount of time."
Now, TikTok has become a crucial part of the marketing strategy for both new and established artists. It's not all just luck and talent either – according to Billboard, as many as 75% of popular songs on TikTok start with a creator marketing campaign. Anu Pillai, the executive director at the Music Producers Guild, notes that not all trending songs make it to the charts, but there is a clear trajectory for those that do. "Once that snippet starts to be used again and again, it drip feeds into the collective consciousness of people swiping for hours on the platform."
So, it's no surprise that many notable songs in 2024 have also been featured in countless TikTok videos, such as Noah Kahan's Stick Season (99.1k), Hozier's Too Sweet (251.6k), Gracie Abrams' That's So True (487.4k), Gigi Perez's Sailor Song (517.6k), Lola Young's Messy (1.2m), Billie Eilish's Birds of A Feather (1.4m), and Charli XCX's Apple (1.6m). With such a massive user base and significant impact on the music industry, it's clear that TikTok is here to stay as a major player in the charts.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
