It seems like TikTok is a never-ending source of hits and trends. It almost feels like we all have at least one song from the TikTok platform stuck in our heads, and it comes as no surprise. They are everywhere and impossible to miss! The platform proved to be a real marketing machine for the music industry.
Summer has just ended, and TikTok has blessed us with some great hits this season. Quarantine days got the creators going wild with new trends and dances, which resulted in tons of underground music getting popular. Before we step into the coziness of the fall season, let’s dive into some of the most popular songs in summer 2020 for TikTok.
15. Overwhelmed – Royal & the Serpent
In the last month or so, Overwhelmed by Royal & the Serpent gained massive popularity on TikTok, and it quickly became popular even outside of the platform. This song is the band’s first big break thanks to the creativity of the content creators on TikTok.
The song deals with anxiety and depression; therefore, it is no surprise that it is used for more serious content. Although it is not a catchy summer hit, it is still among the most popular ones this season. Its popularity rose close to the end of summer, which serves as a perfect transition into the gloomier season.
14. Ashes – Stellar
Stellar is an American underground artist whose song was discovered by the TikTok community and turned into one of the most popular songs on the platform. His song Ashes took TikTok by storm, and it’s been stuck in our heads ever since.
The song is used for ‘POV’ type of videos, and its catchy beat serves as excellent background music for movie-like content. With over 18 million streams on Spotify and over 120 million views on TikTok, it is safe to say that this is Stellar’s first big break, and we’re eagerly waiting for more.
13. Whole Lotta Choppas – Sada Baby
TikTok dancers are definitely the new trendsetters. Whole Lotta Choppas by Sada Baby is one of the many songs discovered by this side of the platform, and it spread like wildfire. This upbeat song is followed by a dance that was recreated by some of the most popular creators.
Sada Baby is an American rapper, born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. Although he’s got an album and a few singles under his belt, Whole Lotta Choppas is his first major hit. It all started within the community of TikTok dancers, and it leads to him having almost 3 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
12. Buttercup – Jack Stauber
Although it was released in 2017, the TikTok community seems as if it can’t get over this song. Buttercup always finds its way back into the new trends, and it is here again. This is the opening track on Jack Stauber’s 2017 album called Pop Food and his most popular one to date.
The 80s vibe of this upbeat song and beautiful guitars is what makes it so magical. Buttercup was used in over 1.4 million videos on TikTok and had over 215 million streams on Spotify, which takes its place on this list, a well-deserved one.
11. Put Your Records On – Ritt Momney (Cover)
Ritt Momney released his cover of Corinne Bailey Rae’s 2006 single Put Your Records On, and it instantly became a huge hit, all thanks to TikTok. His modern take on the hit became viral on the TikTok platform, with over 600k videos made using the song.
Stars such as Lizzo and Iggy Azalea used it in their very own videos and helped this song gain even more popularity and attract more listeners. Now, the cover keeps climbing the charts and is one of the most popular chill summer hits.
10. Tap In – Saweetie
Another song discovered by the dancing community, Tap In, has been a major hit on TikTok and summer charts ever since it first came out in June. For such a massive success, Saweetie can thank a 16-year-old TikToker, who first created a dancing challenge using her song.
If you’re in touch with popular culture, you may have had ‘Wrist on glitter, waist on thinner’ lyrics stuck in your head at one point. With over 7 million videos made and over 64 million streams on Spotify, humming the song out of nowhere comes as no surprise.
9. Mad at Disney – Salem Ilese
Have you ever been so mad about a movie being poorly made that you wrote a viral hit about it? Well, Salem Ilese definitely has. Mad at Disney results from the singer’s disappointment in Disney production and their false representation of romantic relationships.
The singer released Mad at Disney as an underground artist, and this is her first major breakthrough. Thanks to the TikTok community’s love for the song, it was used in over 2 million videos, and it’s counting over 37 million streams on Spotify to date. I’d say Ilese has no reason to be mad at Disney now.
8. Mood Swings – Pop Smoke (ft. Lil Tjay)
Besides the slow-moving flow of the song, the diversity of the types of videos Mood Swings was featured in is probably one of the main reasons why this song is so popular. From challenges in which people switch clothes with their significant other, to lip-syncing and humor, this song was part of it all.
The song’s popularity skyrocketed the moment it came out. TikTok creators used it in over 2.4 million videos, and it now counts over 195 million streams on Spotify. Its great success and the fun it brought to millions of people pay homage to the talented late singer, Pop Smoke.
7. Heather – Conan Gray
It is safe to say that TikTok developed a new language among its users. “Heather“ by Conan Gray started a whole trend and put a new meaning to the name. Users began using the name to describe a beautiful, popular girl who makes everyone fall in love with her.
Once it became a trend on TikTok, the popularity of the song skyrocketed. With over 1 billion views on the platform, Heather is easily one of the most popular songs this summer. Although most of us found Conan Gray through this song, his charming personality and beautiful voice made us stay for more.
6. Watermelon Sugar – Harry Styles
It is safe to say that one of the most played songs this summer is Watermelon Sugar by the British heartthrob, Harry Styles. Although this song is not TikTok’s success-story, it was certainly one of the most popular songs on the platform this season.
The catchy beat, chill summer vibes, and lyrics that make you want to taste summer on your lover is what makes this single the ultimate summer anthem. With over 724 million streams on Spotify alone and over 1.2 billion views on TikTok, I believe it is hard to argue against it.
5. Mood – 24KGoldn
At one point in September, Mood by 24KGoldn was the No. 1 song on Spotify‘s global chart, leaving behind Cardi B’s WAP and new BTS’s single Dynamite. The song was an instant success, and from July, when it first came out, its popularity only kept growing.
The TikTok community played a huge part in its success, and it is still one of the most popular songs on the platform. It became a huge summer hit, and it just keeps getting bigger and bigger, earning places on almost all Top Hits lists.
4. Savage Love – Jawsh 685 & Jason Derulo
Dancing challenges on TikTok are full of gems, and Savage Love is just another one of them. The instrumental of the song was originally produced by a New Zealand artist who goes by Jawsh 685. The instrumental alone became a part of a viral dancing challenge and gained massive popularity on the platform.
During his lockdown scrolling session through TikTok, Jason Derulo found the instrumental and decided to add vocals. Not long after, the song was published as collaboration, and it became a viral hit, climbing the charts and earning places in all summer hits playlists. Now the hashtag #savagelove counts over 1.4 billion views on TikTok, and the song achieved over 566,000 chart sales.
3. Rockstar – DaBaby
The TikTok dancing community keeps on giving! According to Spotify, Rockstar is the most streamed song this summer. For such a huge success, DaBaby can thank the viral dance challenge that took TikTok by storm. The song proves just how powerful the platform is when it comes to marketing music, and all through harmless fun and entertainment.
What gave this song an additional boost is DaBaby’s open support for the BLM movement. Not only was he wearing shirts which support the movement in his performances, but the ‘Black Lives Matter remix’ of the song has been used in various TikTok videos, which show their support, as well.
As OfficialCharts.com reveals, Rockstar is the biggest track of the 2020 summer period. The dancing community proved to be a powerful marketing machine, especially during the lockdown due to the COVID-19. The creators went wild with the challenges during the quarantine. As a result, Rockstar became, and still is, one of the most popular songs on the platform this season, earning a well-deserved third place on our list.
2. How You Like That – Blackpink
If you’ve had a chance to be blessed by TikTok videos of Chinese street fashion, then there’s a 90% chance that you’ve had How You Like That stuck in your head. The powerful beat of the song and empowering lyrics make us want to take over the world, just like this song did.
Their dedicated and hardworking fan base keeps on surprising us, and it is clear that the K-pop community is slowly but surely starting to dominate the global music industry. Although the song’s fame can’t be attributed to TikTok trends only, 8.9 million videos and over 4 billion views on the platform show how Blackpink’s How You Like That is crushing the other trends.
Another proof of Blackpink’s global success is that they now own the record for the biggest YouTube debut of all time, gaining over 86 million views in just 24 hours. That is not the quartet’s first big debut. With every new release, they keep on surprising us, and we’re all excited for more.
1. WAP – Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion
If you are on TikTok or have stumbled upon some of the viral videos from the platform, then I am sure it comes as no surprise to you that WAP is on the throne of our list. This highly explicit song has been everywhere on the platform this summer. From viral dancing challenges, memes, and covers, to hundreds of mash-ups – not a single side of TikTok was safe from this bop.
Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion decided to step over and burn down the boundaries set by the society and music industry. If men can rap and sing about sex and make viral hits, then why can’t women do the same? And they did just that. WAP is bursting with confidence, and these women decided to be as bland and straight-forward as they possibly could.
If we see past the moral police of the Internet, this song became a viral hit, an Internet phenomenon, and it is crushing the music industry at the moment. Although a considerable part of the TikTok community is underage, the song has gone too far for us to control it. There are tons of videos of kids listening to WAP or even learning the dance made by Cardi B’s choreographer. That is probably not what she had in mind when she released this highly explicit song, but with over 7.7 billion views, it is what the TikTok fame brought, and there is no way of stopping it.
