New and old songs that went viral on TikTok

You couldn’t surf TikTok in 2021 without hearing the song “Driver’s License” by Oliva Rodrigo. It was the lead single for her first studio album, Sour, and was an instant hit. It topped the charts in several countries and scored Rodrigo a Grammy in the Best Pop Solo Performance category in 2022. 

“Savage” by Megan Thee Stallion was already making its rounds on TikTok thanks to the dance challenge that accompanied it. However, the remix, which featured Beyoncé, took the track to the next level. It hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and secured both Megan and Bey Grammy nods in the Record Of The Year, Best Rap Song, and Best Rap Performance categories, where they won the latter two. 

Any song Beyoncé releases will be devoured by her Beyhive (and the rest of the world). “Freakum Dress,” off her sophomore album, B’Day, went viral on the social media platform, thanks to several entertaining dance challenges.   

Although “Lottery” by K Camp peaked at No. 34 on the Hot 100, it still gained a massive following online. With so many different challenges, this song quickly became one of the artists’ most recognizable hits. 

Roddy Ricch really hit the lotto with this one. His 2019 single, “The Box,” spread like wildfire on social media, thanks to the many different dance routines created by fans. The track, which appears on his debut album, Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial, became his highest-charting song and spent 11 weeks at No. 1 in the United States. 

It seems that after the success of “Bodak Yellow,” anything Cardi B touches turns to gold. At least, that’s certainly the case with her 2021 single, “Up.” The song debuted at No. 2 on the Hot 100, gained an enormous amount of attention online, and scored Cardi a nomination for Best Rap Performance at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. 

Who remembers this Disney classic from 2007? Sisters Aly and AJ Michalka released “Potential Breakup Song” as the first single from their third album, Insomniatic. In 2020, the song saw a spike in popularity after receiving over 26 million views on TikTok in a single month. Later that year, the duo released a re-recording of the track with explicit lyrics. 

Whether you’re on TikTok or not, you’ve certainly heard Miley Cyrus’ latest hit, “Flowers.” The track has been a massive success for the singer, spending eight weeks at No. 1 and 21 weeks (and counting) on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. 

Harry Styles surely had a big year in 2022. His single, “As It Was,” was the most streamed song on Spotify, with 1.5 billion plays. The song, which had widespread success on TikTok, debuted at No. 1 and stayed there for 15 weeks. 

Saucy Santana, who got their start on Love & Hip Hop: Miami, experienced a ton of success in 2021. The track “Material Girl” was one of their many singles to go viral on the popular social media app. In 2022, they released a remix of the song with none other than the original material girl, Madonna. 

Can you believe JoJo released her first single, “Leave (Get Out),” almost 20 years ago? The song became a popular choice for users' videos on TikTok in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. JoJo even remixed the song and changed the lyrics, urging her listeners to stay indoors.

Talk about a literal throwback. “I’m Just a Kid” by Simple Plan was released in February 2002. However, it lit up TikTok in 2020 and beyond when users started using the song to re-create different childhood memories. The song has been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling over one million copies. 

Glass Animals, the British rock band, released their single “Heat Waves” from their third album Dreamland in June 2020. The song was a hit for the group, earning them a place in the top 10 across several charts worldwide. Thanks to TikTok, the song gained even more exposure, contributing to its five-times Platinum status with the RIAA. 

If there’s an artist who has experienced major success from TikTok, it’s Lizzo. Whether you follow the singer or not, her single, “About Damn Time,” was everywhere online. It was received well by critics and earned her several nominations at the MTV Video Music Awards. In 2023, the track won the Grammy for Song of The Year and Best Pop Solo Performance. 

“It’s All Coming Back To Me Now” is a song written by Jim Steinman and performed by Pandora's Box in 1989. However, in 1996, Celine Dion released her own version of the song, and over the last year, it’s become one of TikTok’s many viral hits. 

“Unholy” is a song by Sam Smith and Kim Petras that gained much traction online before and after its release. The single, which scored Petras her first Grammy win, hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US and topped the charts in several countries worldwide, including New Zealand, Romania, and Australia. 

Like Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers,” fans have fallen in love with SZA’s single, “Kill Bill.” The track, which hails from the singer’s second studio album, has done extremely well on the charts and with sales. On April 7, 2023, it was certified three-times Platinum for selling over three million copies. 

David Guetta’s 2023 single, “Baby Don’t Hurt Me,” samples the ‘90s track “What Is Love” by Haddaway. Ed Sheeran co-wrote it, and although it hasn’t experienced as much success as some of the other tracks on this list, it’s still a TikTok song some folks can’t get out of their heads. 

“ABCDEFU” is a 2021 song by singer Gayle that gained much success online. Just like “Driver’s License” and “Leave (Get Out),” this track was praised for its production and catchy lyrics. In March 2022, it reached over 500 million global streams, scoring Gayle a nod for Song of the Year at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.