Bridging The Media Gap
TikTok as a platform seems to be consistently growing in popularity. The most popular TikTokers have hundreds of millions of followers just from simply dancing and singing to songs. Recently, some of the most popular creators have begun venturing into music to try and build a new platform for their popularity.
Fans have been confused and intrigued as to why some of their favorite creators are launching songs and music videos. As time continues, there are bound to be more of these social media stars looking to add to their media careers. In this blog, Hollywood Branded discusses examples of popular TikTokers who are moving into musical careers, and why it is becoming such a popular transition.
What About Music Draws Influencers In?
TikTok is naturally a musical app because it was based on Musical.ly which dealt with lip-syncing as its main form of content. Many of TikTok's most popular influencers have social marketing teams that ensure creators stay relevant and make the most out of their fame. This has led to creators engaging in brand deals, movies, and other forms of entertainment. However, as of right now, however, music is the media of choice because of its relatively easy barrier to entry and its similarity to how people became famous on TikTok. While TikTok is extremely popular, the fame may not last forever. Influencer teams are recognizing this and attempting to branch out early in order to continue their social presence in case TikTik loses popularity.
The most famous creators have lots of money, so they can pay for large scale production teams and studios to make their music sound great. Also, with the power of post production editing and autotune, even a bad singer can sound professional. Combining the art of post production with the knowledge of what makes music trendy and gets interaction on social media provides a great way for influencers to grow their already large fanbases. Let's look at some examples of popular TikTokers who have ventured into the music world.
Bella Poarch
Bella Poarch became massively popular in the middle of 2020 through her simple lip-syncing of an old U.K diss song called "Sophie Aspin Send." After this, she became a mainstream TikToker and expanded her platform when more of her videos went viral. In May of this year, seemingly out of nowhere, she released her first single "Build A B*tch" which instantly gained traction through forms of support and hate online. The video currently has 332 million views on Youtube and many other reposts on social media. Soon after that song blew up, she released another song called "Inferno." This song didn't blow up as much, but it was received with a lot more praise due to its message about surviving sexual assault and its overall high quality production.
Bella Poarch set a great example that many other creators are looking to replicate. Bella began by simply nodding her head to a TikTok song and now is being recognized primarily as a musician and not a TikToker. Unlike other creators, she actually seems to be truly interested in making music that has meaning, all while still connecting to the "pop" sound. Bella Poarch was one of the fastest growing creators ever on TikTok growing to nearly 90 million followers in a year. A reason for this success was her transition into the music industry. Due to a new wave of fans that might have otherwise never known about her, she was able to expand the breadth of her popularity base that would have only been limited to TikTok.
Dixie D'Amelio
Dixie D'Amelio came to fame due to her sister Charli's explosion on TikTok. She cleverly began to build her own brand in social media and gained nearly as many followers as her little sister. For example, she started expanding her brand by creating a Youtube channel and also engaging in product placement and ad deals. In July of last year, she released her first song "Be Happy" which was initially received negatively, but still earned over 110 million views. Depending on how you look at it, all publicity tends to be good publicity in the TikTok and influencer space. Dixie has released over 6 songs with a great work rate as it seems like she is aiming towards releasing an album soon.
Dixie is one of the more polarizing influencers on TikTok and in social media. Her transition to a singing career has definitely not helped her audience's perception of her, but it has provided her with more awareness. Unlike Bella Poarch, the consensus opinion on Dixie is that her singing is not the best and many are confused as to why she has chosen a musical career. The D'Amelio brand as a whole is very savvy so it is likely to assume that Dixie's entrance into music has some thought behind it. My mom who barely knows anything about TikTok now follows Dixie because she saw her music video! The target audience for many of the influencers on TikTok who are moving to music like Dixie are people like my mom who would be unlikely fans through normal TikTok influence. Charli D'Amelio has slowly began to shift away from TikTok with fewer posts than usual due to branching into other opportunities with Hollister and even having a book deal! Dixie has done the same thing but through different avenues of music. These creators who are very smart with branding like the D'Amelio's are looking to build other sources of popularity and recognition if the influence of TikTok lessens from the massive point it is at currently.
Jaden Hossler (JXDN)
Jaden was a former member of a TikTok group called the "Sway Boys" who lived together and posted content that became popular online. In 2020, he left Sway to continue his music career which he had just started only a few months earlier. He had a passion for rock music and used his newfound fame as a platform to earn him more recognition and a new audience for his music career. His debut song was called "Comatose" and it was very well received for being his first song and a different form of content than what his fans were used to. His promising talent and already built fanbase led him to be signed by Travis Barker's record label.
Jaden was one of the early adopters of the musical career model for TikTokers and because of this, he is one of the most successful. He is arguably the most mainstream musician who originated from TikTok as seen through a song with popular rapper Iann Dior called "Tonight." He also has appeared on talk shows such as Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which gained him even more new fans. Jaden is a great example of how to use fame from a platform like TikTok to propel his career and passion. It seems like Jaden always wanted to be a musician but found a way to expedite the process of fame by becoming a TikTok creator. He is on track to become an extremely popular rock musician after being relatively unknown before TikTok. It is shocking to think that social moves such as joining a "frat-like" group that danced to popular songs or joining TikTok houses can build a musical career.
It's All About The Brand
All 3 of the TikTokers turned musicians talked about in this blog took vastly different approaches to each other in terms of their initial breakthrough into music, and also their future goals. This exemplifies the large scope - both music and social media platforms like TikTok can cover in terms of brand. For influencers like Dixie D'Amelio, finding the next form of media that will increase your popularity is important. The social clout that she gained through TikTok can be applied to her music career through high profile features and collaborations which will only increase her reputation as a musician and influencer. For people like Jaden Hossler and Bella Poarch, music has been a passion for a while and they realized one of the most lucrative and untapped combinations of social media and music was the way to experience their dream. Music is a great spark that can increase a creator's social presence and brand through unconventional means. It is also an amazing outlet for already famous influencers to diversify their content successfully. This range of applications that music holds in the social media space is crucial and it is why so many popular creators are looking to adapt their brand to fit it.
Learn More About Music And Its Impact In Branding
TikTok is currently the hub to find unique influencers for brand partnerships and product placement. There are so many avenues to explore in TikTok that can lead to successful branding strategies just like the music industry discussed in this blog. Check out these blogs to learn more about music in social media and how it can have a revolutionary and lucrative impact that helps you build your brand!
- How Musicians Use Social Media To Connect With Fans During COVID-19
- Top Five Music Videos With Brand Exposure
- How To Leverage Music Videos For Branded Content Partnerships
- How Brands Use Music Video Product Placement To Increase Sales (Podcast)
- The Rise Of Advertisements In The Music Industry
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