“The girl in the blue bikini” by Luis Miguel or “Pedro” by Raffaella Carrà are some of the songs that have become popular through the TikTok platform in recent months. Hundreds of young people, many of whom were not born when these songs were playing on the radio, record choreographies on their mobile phones with these songs in the background and, later, share them with the rest of their followers.. It is not strange for a song to go viral forty years after its publication, but what is extraordinary is that it was a remixed version that has triumphed among the users of this social network. In the case of El Sol de México, The remix version has been used in 2.8 million videos, while the original song has only accumulated 42,800 uses. The same happens with the mythical “Peter”, whose techno version has been used 3.7 million times and the initial song has featured in only 19,000 videos on the entire platform. “The sound that succeeds on TikTok is usually quite peculiar,” acknowledges the music producer and sound designer based in Valencia, Marco Henri (Metz, 1998), who participates this Friday in a talk at the IVAM, under the title “Happy Little Accidents: analysis and dialogue around sound on TikTok”, which addresses the use of music in this social network .
Henry has been researching for several years into various creative practices carried out on this platform and the impact of the format on its consumption. Thus, during the meeting he intends to investigate the use of sound in the social network, since, in his words, «“The canon that usually succeeds on this network is quite different from the rest of the music industry.”. However, these are not the only songs that have triumphed on this platform, some songs have also become popular, such as “Running up that hill” by Kate Bush, a song from 1985 that went viral in 2022. And even, Some songs have been born and have grown among the public thanks to this platform, such as “Si no estars” by Íñigo Quintero. For this reason, many current artists have decided to focus on TikTok to promote their music and gain a greater number of followers.
Discover new music
It is evident that Tik Tok has become one of the platforms most used by teenagers and, consequently, also has transformed the way music is discovered. This is evident in a study published by TikTok Marketing Sciences, in collaboration with Insites Consulting, which shows that this social network exposes the public to new sounds and music that set the latest trends. In this sense, respondents affirm that “TikTok is inspiring people to get out of their musical ‘bubbles’ and explore new territories. “People find new music through trends, viral songs, and the success of emerging artists, and in turn are driven to like, save, and share that music within the app.”
Furthermore, and as Henri points out, This platform allows artists to experiment and let their imagination fly, since, in his words, “there is more accessibility to creativity, since it is easier to edit.” However, it also has its negative side. “Everything is done from the phone, so the mix is not as appreciated,” he emphasizes.
viral songs
Although there is no formula for a song to succeed, they do share some characteristics. «Contrasts, changes in intensity or direct and passionate songs that can be easily identified are rewarded., explains the music producer, who develops artistic projects driven by noise, emotional viscerality and post-irony. In addition, Henri has worked for brands such as Balmain, Adidas and Jean Paul Gaultier. “In advertising, the sound part has a very important role, since it must enhance emotions,” he emphasizes.
