Although some people may deem TikTok a ‘dancing’ app for teenagers, it is first and foremost an entertainment app that uses music and sounds to keep its users coming back – the clue is in the music note logo! If you have some chronically online colleagues or family / friends who randomly began exclaiming ‘very demure’ in 2024, then you have been in the presence of a successful, trending TikTok sound. So what makes those trending TikTok sounds, oh so trendy?
The science behind TikTok sounds
Repetition & recall
TikTok sounds are so successful, and the basis of TikTok’s very own success because they tap into our psychology and how we respond to music and repetitive sounds. We learn and recall through repetition so it is no surprise that sounds that are frequently used on TikTok not only make content go viral but also peak our interest and prompt ‘catchiness’. Just like a song can be played countless times on the radio, a clip containing that music can appeal to us whether it is new music or music that we are already familiar with. If this music is associated with a repetitive content style, this can also enhance our memory of it. We can relate this music or sound with a positive or negative reaction – and TikTok notes this. If you enjoy a TikTok sound there are a few indicators, such as watching the majority of the video – (about 50% of the whole video, in TikTok terms!) and TikTok will then push more of this content into your feed, increasing your exposure to it. And in an odd turn of events, ultimately, you help to make this content trend further!
Popularity & relevance
A sound can be created by any individual on TikTok, and sometimes – some sounds are just more popular than others! TikTok favours content that includes sounds that get great engagement – likes, shares, bookmarks and more and will boost this in the For You page which allows it to reach even more audiences. So whilst sounds can gain popularity on their own, TikTok will recognise popular content and push it into more feeds. Sounds can also become popular simply from trend cycles or memes. An example of this would be a recent sound taken from a very old CNN clip of a young Baron Trump. In the video, he exclaims ‘I like my suitcase’. His half-American, half-Slovenian accent makes the pronunciation of ‘suitcase’ slightly odd, and TikTok loved it. The re-election of Trump is most likely why this timely clip was shared again on TikTok but the re-sharing of this particular snippet is new. Users on TikTok used this sound to share their feelings of how they couldn’t get it out of their head, pointed to their own suitcases as they were going on holiday and even re-enacted Baron’s conversation with his mother, Melania Trump. This range of content posted using this sound made it go viral, and appear in trending sounds so that more users would be inspired to use it. Sounds may also become popular due to their relevance at certain times of the year. Seasonal sounds such as Christmas hits (who can forget the sound of Mariah Carey defrosting) will trend as well as other times of year such as Halloween.
Repurposed nostalgia
Despite TikTok’s main demographic being users aged 18-24, many older songs from the 90s, 80s and further back have become popular again through TikTok. It’s a bit like a teenager rummaging through their parent’s records or old CD’s and discovering that actually, they do have good taste! Northern Ireland’s very own Danielle Collin’s made David Gray’s Babylon go viral by ‘Babylon-ing’ multiple days in a row, which even gained attention from the artist. An old recording of Stevie Nicks performing ‘Silver Springs’ directly to her ex, lead guitarist Lindsay Buckingham, inspired thousands of women to use the sound to send messages to their exes also. More recently, 90’s favourite ‘There She Goes’ by the LaLaLa’s featured in an abundance of autumn OOTD’s (outfit of the day). If we think of the effect that Kate Bushs’ ‘Running up that hill’ had in Stranger Things, giving her more success with the song in 2022 than in 1985 we can begin to understand that repurposing old music in a new format has viral potential. A year after going viral, the song had 1 billion streams on Spotify.
Curiosity & creativity
It’s all well and good knowing what makes sounds go viral, but where do you find them in the first place? For users wishing to create content on TikTok, it’s a well-known tip that using trending sounds should help your content get more exposure. However, that music and those sounds need to start somewhere. This is where our natural curiosity and creativity comes in. According to TikTok, 67% of users are likely to explore songs on other streaming platforms such as Spotify or Apple Music after encountering them on TikTok, and 75% of these users continue to discover new artists via TikTok. This means that music is now becoming popular, or going viral, due to TikTok. Artists can upload their music and creators may decide they like it and use creative interpretation to add it to their videos – if these videos become popular, well voilà – you can go viral! A recent release ‘Messy’ by new artist Lola Young has 400k videos featuring her music. Helped by celebrities such as Sophia Richie Grainge, the endorsement of this music encourages others to use it.
FOMO & community
TikTok is excellent at making everyone who isn’t on it, have the fear of missing out. From random quotes and laughing at ‘inside jokes’ to humming songs you’ve never heard of before, most people who use social media have the desire to be ‘in the know’. This desire can fuel TikTok traffic and make already-trending sounds go even further. TikTok user Jules Lebron (@joolieannie) went viral this year for coining the term ‘Very mindful, very demure’. Searches for ‘demure’ increased 1,316%, and a 22% jump in ‘demure meaning’ showing that trending sounds have the ability to trend in other places – such as news stories and Google’s own search. Using trending sounds that relate to trending content can also create a sense of community and being part of something that can encourage more people to join in. This feeling of a shared experience alone can make a TikTok sound trend. Special moments such as pregnancy announcements can encourage users to use the same sound so that it resonates with viewers. Even in 2024, TikTok users are still using Kylie Jenner’s sound from her pregnancy announcement back in 2018!
Whilst TikTok’s algorithm has a lot to do with what ends up trending by boosting popular content, that content first has to resonate with its audience through repetition, relevance, emotion, curiosity and catchiness all within a relatively short window. A TikTok sound can trend for a week or less depending on its popularity – so if you’re planning to use one – act fast!
For more information on how to make TikTok content go viral, read our recent mini case study on how our client Chia Bia got 1 million views.
