Let’s take you back to the olden days of 2018. I know — it feels like a lifetime ago despite a mere six years passing. A young 19-year-old named Montero Lamar Hill is fervently pursuing his music career. After purchasing a beat on Beatstars for just $30, he records a new song with a unique sound featuring both country and hip hop. He releases it on SoundCloud. And the rest is history.
By that, we mean he got a few thousand streams. No, the song wasn’t an overnight success. And Hill, going by the name of Lil Nas X, tried several times to gain traction online, with each little move pushing him further toward his viral fate. He shares the song during a gameplay of “Red Dead Redemption 2,” overlays it on a video of a cowboy dancing for a Twitter post, and joins the initial beatmaker in a Twitter campaign filled with memes sharing the song.
country music is evolving pic.twitter.com/BEZIw3TE8l
— ☆ ‧dreamboy··‧̩̥˟͙冬˟͙‧̩̥l (@LilNasX) December 3, 2018
Twitter helped jumpstart the success of “Old Town Road,” but TikTok would be the platform that turned Lil Nas X into a household name. All those memes turned into what would be known as the YeeHaw Challenge. As influencers, celebrities, and regular ol’ folk jumped on the trend, they’d share videos of themselves magically transforming into their best cowboy-ified self.
@roblox Okay we’re gonna bring back the #yeehaw challenge. 🤠 @lilnasx #robloxpresentslnx #lilnasxholiday #roblox #lilnasx #HolidayCountdown
♬ original sound – Roblox
He became the most-nominated male artist at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, winning a not-too-shabby two awards that evening, followed by two more MTV Video Music Awards. He also made history as the first openly LGBTQ Black artist to win a Country Music Association award, solidifying himself as a true legend.
So, What Have We Learned About Being a Musician on TikTok?
If you said, “TikTok can give you overnight success,” I’m afraid I must suggest rereading the introduction. It’s okay — I’ll wait.
You’re back? Okay, good. What I hope you’ll get as a takeaway is that creating viral moments on TikTok can be huge for your career. But it doesn’t happen overnight. And creating is the operative word.
Lil Nas X didn’t just post his music on SoundCloud and hope that someone would discover it on TikTok. He made people discover it. He created his own memes, encouraged others to use the meme format, and continuously posted his music online everywhere, so it was downright impossible to avoid.
How Can You Create Your Viral Moments?
Let’s look at how some of the most prominent musicians on TikTok made it big.
1. Create a trend
Having a TikTok presence at all is something that musicians should have in this day and age. But don’t just follow trends — create them.
During the pandemic, Walker Hayes and his family started posting TikToks with choreographed dances to the songs from his EP. At the time, he was a relatively unknown name. He had released two albums up to this point. The first ended with his breakup with Capitol Records and a stint working at Costco.
The second album resulted in his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 — where it peaked at a relatively dismal 62. But after releasing his EP in 2021 and starting his dances on TikTok, his song “Fancy Like” made it up to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for multiple Billboard Music Awards, a Grammy, and an American Music Award.
Sometimes, you get a dance made about your song, but other times, you have to make that dance yourself. Hayes consistently put his music out there in a way that resonates with TikTok viewers.
2. Be relatable
You may remember Olivia Rodrigo as the star of the Disney Plus show “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” also known as the totally easy-to-say-and-remember “HSM:TM:TS.” You don’t? Yeah, me neither. What I do remember is that, in 2021, “drivers license” was one of the year’s biggest breakout hits.
And much of that had to do with TikTok and how Rodrigo promoted it. In one video, Rodrigo shared the story of making the song. She also shared behind-the-scenes clips of its production. (BTW, this is an excellent note since behind-the-scenes content performs very well on TikTok.)
The result? Despite already having starred in a TV show, having tons of followers, and being a rising star at 17, Rodrigo comes across as a relatable Girl Next Door. You walk away from the video saying, “Oh, sweetie, who hurt you? I’m gonna go beat him up.” Or maybe that’s just me.
3. Tell your story — but leave a little mystery
Rodrigo does TikTok so well that we had to talk about her a little longer. Stories do well on social media. Storytelling is a fantastic emotional marketing tool. Who among us doesn’t like to get sucked into an emotional tale? And as much as we pretend we’re all above it, we sometimes like gossipy “He did what?” tales even more than we want the story the latest Oscar nominee told.
Rodrigo’s song tells a story on its own — but she used social media to fan the flames. In Rodrigo’s video, she shares how she cried driving around her neighborhood when she got her driver’s license — and not the tears of joy you might associate with reaching such a major milestone. The video helps add to the story of the song. Considering the love triangle focus of the song, it’s easy to start to understand where those tears came from. Fanning those flames did well for Rodrigo, whose story was on the lips of every entertainment journalist and gossip lover (which, let’s be honest, is more of us than we’d like to admit).
The success of “drivers license” catapulted Rodrigo to fame, with her named “Entertainer of the Year” by Time and “Woman of the Year” by Billboard. It’s worth noting that many of Rodrigo’s awards focused on songwriting over singing. She’s a storyteller at heart.
4. Don’t take yourself too seriously
Is it sacrilegious to talk about Sabrina Carpenter right after Olivia Rodrigo? We’re going to anyway — because Carpenter might be just as good at TikTok marketing as Rodrigo is. Carpenter acts like your girlie best friend who will always be by your side to talk trash about your ex and buy you those tequila shots you probably don’t need. It’s a good brand. We’re here for it.
Carpenter is fun and playful online, which is a big deal because 95% of TikTok users say they go on TikTok for entertainment. She follows TikTok trends, does TikTok dances, and isn’t afraid to look a little silly. She revels in it. If you want to go viral on TikTok, you have to be okay with sometimes looking silly.
@sabrinacarpenter i have NEVER seen my husbands hidden will before
♬ original sound – Ray amisi
5. Make viral content in real life.
If Rodrigo gets two sections in this piece, Carpenter also does. Thems the rules. And Carpenter is just as much of a TikTok queen as Rodrigo. One thing that Carpenter has become well-known for is the outros on her song “Nonsense.” They’re usually vulgar, always unique, and people search the internet to see what she did on her latest shows.
Sometimes, going viral on TikTok isn’t about you getting more followers. It’s about people who aren’t your followers getting introduced to your music (and your whole vibe). With the outros, Carpenter makes something different for every show, so the only way most people can see it is online. The outros are perfect for viral moments on TikTok.
Carpenter is doing it again with a new, unique thing at select shows: “arresting” a member of her audience for being too hot. The video of her arresting Millie Bobbie Brown of “Stranger Things” fame is TikTok gold.
Going Viral Isn’t Easy — But Anyone Can Do It
We’re not saying that everyone can go viral, but a viral moment can come from anywhere. It’s like what Remy learns in “Ratatouille”: “Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere.” “Mad at Disney” (another TikTok hit, thank you very much) may have taught us that Disney lies, but sometimes, it has a point.
As a growing musician, you can create viral moments — if you’re willing to work to make them happen. A common misconception is that people who go viral on TikTok are overnight successes. But, in most cases, these people have been working for years. TikTok just gave them an outlet.
It’s up to them, and you, what to do with it.
(You should also have a solid plan for what happens after you go viral. Manychat can help!)
