From Taylor Swift’s ‘Anti-Hero’ to Miley Cyrus’ latest single, ‘Flowers,’ there’s no denying that some of the best TikTok sounds have become the most viral songs of the year. Reigning supreme, this popular video-sharing platform has had one of the greatest influences on music compared to other social media apps.
Many of the well-known songs from the past few years started from TikTok before racing to the top of the Billboard charts. Having somewhat elevated the success of the music industry, TikTok continues to be a prominent platform for artists who release new songs and sounds on the booming platform - needless to say, TikTok’s music marketing is unmatched.
But just how much have the top trending songs changed since we last researched The Best Charting Viral TikTok Songs?
As one of the top bingo sites in the UK, we know a lot about what's trending in the world of entertainment. That’s why we decided to take a deep dive into 2023’s best charting viral hits. Looking at how sounds on TikTok have influenced popular trends, we reveal just how much the well-known social media platform has shaped the success of many songs today.
How have viral TikTok songs changed in the last year?
TikTok popularity may not always come with longevity, with many of last year's viral artists' success failing to carry through to this year. But it seems famous artists who have gained worldwide fame outside of TikTok have more lasting success. For example, The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber’s viral hit, ‘Stay’ ranked in last year's top five most viral TikTok songs and is still standing strong in this year's top three.
Last year we saw pop dominating the TikTok viral music scene and this year doesn’t seem to be any different, with huge pop songs hitting the charts. The highest charting viral TikTok songs released between 2021 and 2022 saw popular hits such as ‘good 4 u’ by Olivia Rodrigo and ‘One Kiss’ by Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa taking centre stage. However, it seems ‘The New King of Pop’, Harry Styles stole the show this year.
With so many new popular hits taking the top spot this year it begs the question - just how much have viral trending TikTok songs changed in the last year? Let’s find out!
The most viral trending TikTok songs
1. Sunroof - Nicky Youre, Dazy
Release Date: December 2021
Number of TikTok videos: 9.4m
Now a staple of pop radio in recent months, ‘Sunroof’ by Nicky Youre and Dazy first took off on TikTok. First released in December 2021, this hit single has grown from being a favourite on the popular video platform to becoming a streaming sensation. As one of the nominees for Song of the Summer at the MTV Video Music Awards, ‘Sunroof’ now has an impressive 106 million views and 9.4 million videos on TikTok.
2. Stay - The Kid Laroi, Justin Bieber
Release Date: July 2021
Number of TikTok videos: 7.7m
Next up is ‘Stay’ by The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber, first released in July 2021, this catchy tune continues to be a major favourite in 2023. Since its debut, this hot single has made it to the UK Top 100 Music Chart and has been on it for a total of 62 weeks nonconsecutively.
Not only does this popular single rank in second place on our list with a total of 7.7 million videos on TikTok, but it has also received over 340.5 million views on the well-known streaming platform.
3. Made You Look - Meghan Trainor
Release Date: October 2022
Number of TikTok videos: 4.4m
Having released some major hits in the past such as ‘All About That Bass’ and ‘Like I’m Gonna Lose You,’ it's no surprise that Meghan Trainor is back on the charts. Released on Epic Records, ‘Made You Look’ completes the top three list of viral trending TikTok songs.
The song’s sassy dance moves on TikTok went viral, seeing the likes of Netflix stars such as You’s Penn Badgley take part in it. As a result, this song has received over a whopping 3.8 billion views and 4.4 TikTok videos.
The most viral trending TikTok music genres
1. Pop
Number of viral songs in genre: 38
Consisting of a range of sub-genres such as pop-rock and electropop, pop music is by far the most trending music genre on TikTok. Much like the previous year, this genre continues to reign supreme with 38 viral trending songs, up by ten from last year.
Widely known for its catchy melody and lyrics, it's no wonder popular pop songs such as ‘Stay’ by The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber and more recently ‘Flowers’ by Miley Cyrus have received millions of views on the video-sharing platform.
2. Rock
Number of viral songs in genre: 13
Rock music follows behind with 13 viral songs on the charts. Compared to last year, this genre moved up from fourth position. From alternative rock to indie rock, this genre has produced many popular tunes in the last year. Rock songs such as ‘Bones’ by Imagine Dragons reached over 153.9 million views on TikTok as well as 280,400 videos.
3. Dance
Number of viral songs in genre: 11
Next up is dance music with a total of 11 trending songs on the top 50 charts. Despite not being in the top four genres last year, dance music gained some traction in the last year.
Composed primarily to accompany dancing, dance-pop is one of the most well-known sub-genres of dance music. ‘I'm Good (Blue)’ by David Guetta and Bebe Rexha quickly become a top favourite after its release mid-last year. This viral hit now has over a whopping two billion views on TikTok and 553,400 videos.
4. Electronic
Number of viral songs in genre: 11
Also in third place is electronic music with 11 viral hits on the charts. Comprised of electronic musical instruments and digital instruments, electronic music has become increasingly popular over the years. Sub-genres such as electronica, electropop and electronic dance music (EDM) are known to be largely heard in club settings.
Highest charting viral TikTok songs
1. As It Was - Harry Styles
First charted: April 2022 | Number of weeks on chart: 47
Peak position: 1
Said to be the longest reign ever for a British singer, Harry Styles ranks in first place on our list after a total of 47 weeks on the charts. First making it on the list in April 2022, ‘As it Was’ remained in the number one spot for ten consecutive weeks. Produced by Columbia Records, this hit single also managed to bag 69.3 million views on TikTok and over 2.7 million videos.
2. I'm Good (Blue) - David Guetta & Bebe Rexha
First charted: September 2022 | Number of weeks on chart: 26
Peak position: 1
The release of ‘I'm Good (Blue)’ saw David Guetta rack up his seventh U.K. number one chart single whilst Bebe Rexha landed her first. For 26 consecutive weeks on the charts, the bouncing electronic music tune has not only topped the chart once but continues to accumulate views. It currently has over two billion views on TikTok, along with its sound being used on over 553,400 TikTok videos.
3. Forget Me | Lewis Capaldi
First charted: September 2022 | Number of weeks on chart: 24
Peak position: 1
Lewis Capaldi’s ‘Forget Me’ completes the top three with a total of 24 weeks on the chart. Published by Vertigo Records, the popular pop song topped the chart in its first week. The sound has gained stamina on TikTok having received an impressive 2.8 billion views.
Viral TikTok songs with the biggest chart increase
1. Another Love - Tom Odell
Release date: October 2012 | First charted: December 2012 | Original chart position: 98 | Peak position:10
Chart position difference: 88
Another Love by Tom Odell tops the list as the viral TikTok song with the biggest chart increase. First released in October 2012, this single hit the UK charts two months later at 98th position. This popular song managed to reach tenth position at its peak back in June 2013. This song resurfaced once more to hit its peak position again in January 2023, making it a total position difference of 88.
2. Boy's a Liar - Pinkpantheress
Release date: November 2022 | First charted: December 2022 | Original chart position: 83 | Peak position: 2
Chart position difference: 81
‘Boy's a Liar’ by Pinkpantheress ranks in second place with a total position difference of 81. First charting in December 2022, a month after its release, the hit single impressively skyrocketed from its original chart position at 83 all the way to second position at its peak in March 2023.
3. Calm Down - Rema
Release date: February 2022 | First charted: September 2022 | Original chart position: 63 | Peak position: 5
Chart position difference: 58
Quickly becoming a viral sensation on TikTok, Rema’s hot single ‘Calm Down’ jumped from the no. 63 position when it first originally hit the charts to 5th position at its peak in March 2023, highlighting a position difference of 58.
Not only has this song reached a global market but it has a massive viewership of 826.4 million on TikTok as well as 3.7 million videos.
TikTok songs skyrocketing in popularity
1. Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions. Vol.53 - Bizarrap, Shakira
Release Date: January 2023 | Number of TikTok videos: 4.0m
Known as the ‘Queen of Latin Music,’ Shakira released ‘Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions. Vol.53’ in January 2023 alongside Bizarrap. The song has gained a lot of popularity in just a short space of time. It currently has over four million videos on TikTok, as well as an impressive 132. million views.
2. Flowers - Miley Cyrus
Release Date: January 2023 | Number of TikTok videos: 3.9m
Following closely behind is Miley Cyrus’ latest single ‘Flowers’ with a total of 3.9 million TikTok videos. Having come back into the music scene with a bang, this catchy tune has also received 12.9 million views.
Currently number one on the UK charts, this hot new single has already racked up over 624 million streams on Spotify. First released in January 2023, ‘Flowers’ has stayed in top spot for the sixth week in a row. With its reign heading towards two full months, this popular pop song will most likely become the longest-running number-one single by a female solo artist in the UK.
3. OMG - NewJeans
Release Date: January 2023 | Number of TikTok videos: 447.9k
‘OMG’ by NewJeans tops completes the top three. The latest single from the South Korean girl group dropped just at the start of this year and is already making waves across the video-sharing platform with 447,900 videos.
This hot new single has also gained the attention of global stars - ‘Deadpool’ actor, Ryan Reynolds was quick to jump on the NewJeans ‘OMG’ fan edits trend which not only took fans by surprise but has also gone viral with a whopping 10 billion views.
Methodology
For the most viral trending TikTok songs section, we used Spotify’s 2023 viral trending TikTok songs to compile a list of the top 50 tracks from this playlist and then used TikTok to search the total views and number of videos for each song as of 01/03/23. This was then ranked based on the number of videos each song had.
Then using the UK’s Official Top 100 Music Chart we looked at the highest charting TikTok songs that made it onto the list, taking into account their current position on the chart, their position difference, the number of weeks they have been on the chart and when they first entered the charts. We then ranked each song based on how long they’ve been on the charts and their highest peak position. This data is based on the week commencing from 24/02/23 to 02/03/23. The data for this was collected on 28/02/23.
Similarly, for the viral TikTok songs with the biggest chart increase section, we compared the original chart position of each song upon entering the charts for the first time with that of their peak position. We then ranked the songs in order of those that had the highest difference. Data for this was collected on 28/02/23.
The most viral trending TikTok genres section took into account the top 50 songs charting in the UK and then using Wikipedia we researched the release dates of each song and its genre. Several songs comprised multiple genres so each one was separated and placed into its relevant category. We then added up the number of each genre. The data for this was collated on 01/03/23.
For the TikTok songs skyrocketing in popularity section, we looked specifically at the top 50 Spotify 2023 viral trending TikTok songs playlist to find songs that came out at the start of this year and are slowly gaining popularity. For this, we ranked each song based on the number of videos on TikTok. This data was also collected on 01/03/23.
