Older music has been getting a second life on TikTok, data shows
Share:
Despite newer artists having viral moments, app users also enjoyed old school acts including Bronski Beat and Sade. This was the year that gen Z had their “Brat summer”, or so we were led to believe. Inspired by the hit album by pop sensation Charli xcx, the trend was seen to embody all the messiness of modern youth: trashy, chaotic and bright green.
But on the teenager’s social media platform of choice, TikTok, a more sepia music trend has been taking root. Despite having an endless amount of music to pair with their short, scrollable videos, TikTok users have been raiding the back catalogues of artists from yesteryear including Bronski Beat and Sade to soundtrack their posts.
This year set a new high for use of old tracks on British TikTok posts, with tunes more than five years old accounting for 19 out of its 50 top tracks this year. It is the highest proportion since TikTok started monitoring the trend in 2021, when just 8 out of the 50 tracks were from back catalogues.
The trend is also global, with 20 out of the top 50 tracks worldwide coming from back catalogues, led by 80s hit Forever Young by German synth-pop band Alphaville. The biggest UK hit is Champagne Coast by British artist Devonté Hynes, recording under the name Blood Orange and released in 2011, which was used on 1.1m TikTok posts this year and peaked at number 16 in the UK charts as a result.
