Whether we like it or not, social media is at the heart of everything right now. Entertainment, news, and all other forms of communication are dominated by social media, forcing music to follow suit. Big artists have been using their online platforms for a long time, but smaller artists are gaining traction. They have been learning how to use this media to their advantage to gain popularity on these apps.
TikTok trends
There is no argument that TikTok has made a huge impact on the music industry. The structure of the app creates an environment where people fall in love with the best 15 seconds of a song. This results in artists–both big and small–blowing up online.
The TikTok platform is best known for making up dances to popular songs. With users either being good or bad at these moves, songs have gained popularity with both sides.
Hip-hop, rap and pop are the most popular styles of music on TikTok, likely due to their catchy nature. Upbeat and quick music are able to get as much music in the listener’s head in fifteen seconds. Due to this, they stick and help creators grow.
Ups and downs of social media music
Due to the quickly changing pace of social media, TikTok users are more likely to discover or rediscover music content. Trends introduce people to songs or remind them of older ones.
Trends on TikTok and other social media platforms can be in and out very quickly. The high amount of trends and turnover has actually made trends lose their individuality.
With everyone trying to chase the next thing, it is impossible to know what is in and what is out.
Artists using social media
In the past, music artists had to find labels to produce their music and get it heard. With the use of social media, this is no longer necessary.
A performer can record a song, post it on the internet, and have millions of people listen. While it is hard to break into the algorithm of social media, many artists have been able to get through.
The ability for artists to interact with fans has been an incredible addition as well. Users of social media with burning questions can get answers directly from the source. This connection between users and creators has brought them closer together. Connection has been able to create a loyal fan base and humanizes both sides.
Besides posting songs, artists also use social media to show their lives or behind the scenes of recording. This makes audiences believe they are close with their favorite artists. It also creates a feeling of familiarity that keeps listeners.
sombr on socials
One artist who used social media to his advantage is sombr. Before promoting his own music, he payed attention to those on social media to see the most feasible methods. Due to this, he posted a clip of a song in 2020 that went viral.
As he was still writing, only a snippet of “Caroline” was leaked in 2020, but the song was still well-loved. Two years later, sombr officially released the song.
Before this release, he was an unknown artist. The song he posted on the internet was not even completed. Going viral was what put sombr on listener’s minds.
sombr himself believes that social media has helped his journey. The fact that he is also young is helpful. Those who did not grow up with social media everywhere are not as in tune as younger users.
Recently, sombr teased “undressed” on TikTok, gaining 9.5 million views. Clearly, social media has been helpful for him to gain listeners and grow as an artist.
Jax’s social secret media weapon
Jax is a TikTok star who had a song about Victoria’s Secret go viral after posting it on the internet.
The song “Victoria’s Secret” represents the lack of women’s body positivity on the internet. The whole point was to go against culture and talk about models representing unrealistic standards.
The company Victoria’s Secret tried to control the situation after the song became popular, but Jax has tried to make it clear the point is not about one specific company. She tried to comment on her story, not attack any individuals.
Jax won the iHeart Radio TikTok songwriter of the year award in 2022. This artist is credited in the TikTok category, proving this song was made popular through social media.
Fans made their own TikTok videos inspired by her song. Young girls sang the song at camp shows and other places they felt appropriate. The friendly nature of the app made people feel seen. This resulted in the song being shared millions of ways.
Jax even used this fame to plan a flash mob where the group sang and danced to her song outside a Victoria’s Secret store.
Due to the attention on TikTok, streams skyrocketed to 2.8 million on the week of August 5. This resulted in her first song on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, debuting at No. 83.
This fame has followed the artist through to her song “Like My Father,” released in 2024. This song hit No. 33 on the Adult Airplay chart.
Flowerovlove getting recent media attention
This artist’s rise to fame has been exponential, with much thanks to social media.
In 2020, Flowerovlove debuted “Kiss & Chase.” In 2021, her first album “Think Flower” was released. Since then, the artist has played with Halsey, Olivia Rodrigo and other big-name artists.
The artist credits TikTok for helping her rise to fame. Her single “a girl like me” was released in 2023 and quickly became popular. Many users found and used the song in their own videos, resulting in the growth of the artist.
One of her newest songs “New Friends” was released in the summer of 2025. After teasing it on TikTok for a significant amount of time, it gained 350,000 streams on Spotify five days after its release.
Flowerovlove is a relatively young artist and it shows. The 20-year old artist knows how to catch her target audience on social media with fun content. She often posts videos in cute outfits and expresses herself in a very girly way. The same age as her audience and growing up with social media, the artist is clearly fluent in TikTok.
Other social media
TikTok is the clear winner for promoting music and new artists becoming recognized despite being around for the least amount of time.
Instagram was the best thing for a while, until TikTok came around. Many artists enjoyed Instagram due to its ability to create a portfolio and the ability to interact with others, but TikTok includes those features as well.
With the popularity of TikTok, Instagram has incorporated many of the same features. Many fans have stated their disapproval of Instagram reels, stating it is too similar to TikTok.
Instagram also has an incredible reputation for being “fake.” People post what they think others will want to see and not who they really are. If TikTok is more realistic and contains almost all of the same features, then people have almost no reason to try and become famous on Instagram.
In 2024, YouTube had 2.4 billion users, the most it ever had until that point. The app is actually the most popular along Gen Z users. The reason for younger listeners disregarding YouTube in a new artist sense is likely due to the nature of the social media. YouTube is commonly known for self-help videos or using when necessary. While the media does have an option for scrolling short videos, most Gen Z users are only on the content when necessary more than entertainment.
TikTok helpfulness
TikTok has had its ups and downs, but many artists have been able to use it to their advantage. Without the app, artists would be required to go through record labels and create contracts with others. Social media helps artists keep the reigns to their music and connect directly with their audience.
Media is changing every day, so TikTok could become obsolete in the future. Right now, many people are using it to their advantage while others are failing to do so.
Whether they promote their own songs, get others to make dances to them, or some other combination, small artists are learning how to use social media to their advantage. As people become more in tune with the internet, they will have to learn how to keep up with each other and be the next big thing.
