Prior to this weekend’s BUKU Music + Art Experience, previous iteration of the festival was in 2019—and a lot has changed over the course of three years.  The rise of the social media platform TikTok is among many world-changing events. Although popular in 2019, TikTok’s continued growth has launched many artists’ careers with simple 10-second sound bites. Here is a list of some famous TikTok songs that were performed at BUKU and how the platform led to the musicians’ spots on major festivals worldwide. 

Trippie Redd – “Miss The Rage”

The song was previewed on Instagram in December 2020 and garnered attention specifically for its intro that would go viral on TikTok. Trippie teased that Playboi Carti would be featured on the track which, inspired Mario Judah to release his interpretation of how “Miss The Rage” would sound with Carti. The song would inspire over 260,000 videos on TikTok of varying styles, mainly in makeover transformation-type videos.

TroyBoi – “Do You?”

“Do You?” shows the power of a good hook.  British DJ TroyBoi released it in July 2019 as a remake of a song called “Do You Love Me?” by Lebanese act Bendaly Family released in 1978. It spawned an exceptionally weird trend of people flipping cups full of water, soda, whatever and try not to spill any while flipping it. Usually, TikTokers used editing tricks to accomplish the illusion but dozens of videos exist of people actually trying and failing severely.

Flo Milli – “In The Party”

Flo Milli wrote this one in college after discovering an NLE Choppa. She saw the potential and bought it immediately. Her investment paid off as the official track now has almost 300k videos on TikTok and her No. 1 track on all streaming platforms. Pitchfork called Flo Milli, “A true gem on a platform overwhelmed by musical mediocrity.”

Fousheé – “Deep End”

Released following the death of George Floyd and the protests that followed, “Deep End” is about hitting your tipping point and for Fousheé it was police brutality in America. She originally released the track in a more somber tone on a sample pack. Sleepy Hallow would use that sample for a freestyle track in April 2020 that would be popularized on TikTok. Following the success of the sample, she received song credit and rereleased “Deep End” in a more celebratory tone to feel like a victory for the protesting Americans in July 2020.

Tierra Whack – “Hungry Hippo”

Inspired by Jay-Z’s song “Change Clothes,” Tierra Whack wanted to create her runway fashion song. And after hearing producer Nick Verruto working on a beat in the studio, she found the rhythm words that would become a hit. The album she released the track on “Whack World” would be nominated for a Grammy introducing it to the mainstream. And the song would continue its upward trajectory as TikTok became one of the most popular apps in 2019 and 2020.

Rezz – “Edge”

Released back in 2016, “Edge” would become Dubstep DJ Rezz’s most-streamed song to date, thanks to TikTok. Like all viral trends, “Edge” is simple where TikTokers swing their phone around their head to film a different angle on each beat while still looking into the camera.  It didn’t catch on until around November 2021, almost five years after the song’s release.

Glass Animals – “Heat Waves”

With well over a billion streams, “Heat Waves” has grown to become inescapable. It’s about being vulnerable and since its release in June 2020, it has only grown in popularity earning platinum status by November 2021. A large portion of its popularity can be attributed to a TikTok trend featuring a slowed and reverbed version of the song. Specifically, the lyrics, “Sometimes all I think about is you,” would usually be lip-synced to say you miss someone or something. People took the opportunity to be emotionally vulnerable, like the song’s message.

Kali Uchis – “Telepatía”

Although popular before the release of “Telepatía” in November 2020, Kali Uchis has seen tremendous growth from TikTok. She reached the Top 10 most streamed artists on Spotify and being a Colombian-American singer has become the highest-charting Latin artist in the United States.

Tame Impala – “The Less I Know the Better”

Another example of an old song finding new life, “The Less I Know the Better” came out in July 2015 and has become a 4x platinum release. There’s not a clear trend tied to the song but it’s still found traction on the platform being used in over 65,000 videos. Artist Kevin Parker, the “one guy” behind Tame Impala, famously almost gave away the track to disco artist Mark Ronson who gave back the demo saying he felt “like I’ve stolen your hard drive.”

Tyler, The Creator – “New Magic Wand”

Like Tame Impala’s “The Less I Know the Better,” “New Magic Wand” has no clear trend driving it forward like other famous TikTok singles. Tyler, The Creator was already big before TikTok and his grammy-winning album “Igor” in 2019. But the momentum of those events shot