MELISMA | FALL 2020|15
TTikikTTokokisisMMusic usic for for the the E Endndofofthe the W World orld BY MIRANDA FEINBERG In these crazy, unprecedented times, it seems as though every part of life is changing, warping to fit the oft-discussed “new normal.” Definitely not the greatest, but perhaps the best, of these changes is the ever-rising popularity of TikTok. The video-sharing social media app has blossomed, exploded even, amidst the teenage boredom of a global quarantine. Allowing for videos that showcase creativity and talent, spread memes, start trends, create pseudo-celebrities, and so much more, the app is inextricably changing pop culture. TikTok is by no means the first app of this nature— it’s often compared to the now discontinued Vine. What sets it apart from other apps and social media functions, though, is its relationship with music and audio. One of the more unique features of TikTok is its users’ ability to search for and save audios. While apps like Vine bartered in video only, TikTok doubles its content by allowing video and audio to be separated and used again in different contexts. This allows for a larger, more deep-rooted focus on music itself. Videos and trends, from all the various niches within the app, all are reliant on music in a very impressive and compelling way. The catalogue of music uploaded to TikTok is immense. This in and of itself is important; the sheer volume and diversity of uploaded music ensures that those songs that become popular on the app mirror this diversity. Songs from practically every genre and source have, at some point, reached some level of pop-
ularity. Music from tv shows, movies, even anime, find notoriety right alongside pop chart toppers and popular indie-pop music. Furthermore, songs from past decades, forgotten eras, songs that were barely ever popular to begin with, are finding their way, somewhat, into the internet-mainstream through TikTok. Music finds context on the app, and the trends associated with each different song help give them a second life. It’s kind of insane how many different types of trends have popped up over the course of this quarantine, all of which center around music. Challenges where users sing along to hard-to-perform songs (see All I Wanted by Paramore), videos where songs are used to set up a confession or punchline (see I Got Bitches by Slugga Black), and videos used to show off outfit transitions (see Guinea Pig by Jesse Rutherford) all popularized songs within the TikTok mainstream. Of course, no trend has done this as much, or as successfully, as dances (I don’t think a single social media user is unable to recognize Doja Cat’s Say So.) Even within the world of TikTok dance videos, the range of music is astounding. Meme dances, like the twerk-heavy routine to the somber theme from Twilight, and odd niche dances to songs like Miku by Anamanguchi (ft. Hatsune Miku) spread just as easily as the fun airy routines to popular songs like the trio of Megan TheeStallion bangers: WAP by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, Body and Savage.
