Voice of London

Ever since the first lockdown began in March, people turned to TikTok for entertainment. Families learned dances to songs like “Say So” by Doja Cat and “Supalonely” by BENEE, which became instant hits. 

It begs the question, are artists more likely to write songs that are TikTok friendly so that they have more of a chance to get Grammy nominated?

Record labels are creating songs that could become popular on the platform, as Medium explains: “Record labels are moving quickly to sign artists with breakout tracks on TikTok, betting that their popularity will transfer to other platforms.” 

Variety reports, “TikTok has certainly proven itself to be a hit making powerhouse this year, igniting dance crazes and challenges to tunes already building, including Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage,” and helping to catapult them to the top of the charts.”

TikTok has had an immense influence on the music industry and therefore even the Grammys, “TikTok-made artists will appear on the Grammys shortlist, and it won’t be the first time, either, lest we forget that Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” was itself a favorite of TikTokers everywhere.”

The Weeknd was snubbed, and expressed his disappointment on an Instagram post that read: “The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency.” 

His album ‘After Hours’ was the biggest-selling album of 2020 in the US. Songs like “In your eyes” were streamed over 350 million times on Spotify. 

“I wouldn’t have known about many of those songs [‘Savage’ & ‘Say So] if it weren’t for TikTok,” says Claudia, 21, media student. This brings us to the question of whether TikTok influences Grammy nominations.

Social media platforms have an enormous impact on what dictates pop culture trends. These trends go viral and indeed lead to Grammy nominations, as seen in the past with ‘Old Town Road’ and ‘Say So.”

The future of music & Grammy nominations is undoubtedly influenced by TikTok hits. The times when songs used to gain popularity solely via radio have certainly passed.  

Check out the entire list of nominees here:

Words: Ghila Evansky | Subbing: Chiara Ferrari