With over one billion users in 154 countries, TikTok has risen to be one of the most widely used apps in the world. Creators share short videos, with a song paired to play in the background, to be viewed across the app, gaining likes and followers in the process. While it may not be their intent, when a user posts a video on the app, they are also promoting the video’s chosen music to their viewers. 

“I like TikTok for watching and for entertainment. It is a lot easier than watching a long YouTube video for fun. Plus, I get to find a lot of new songs from it,” Kendall Lee, sophomore, said.  

After their release, songs are free to be selected as TikTok sounds for users to enjoy, which often successfully gains the attention of listeners. Because TikTok is widely used and gives its creators the ability to share and save posts, artists can quickly gain exposure and publicity for their songs. Some of the more well-known songs that gained popularity off of TikTok include “Runaway” by Aurora, “What a Time” by Phineas and Ashe, and “Stay” by Justin Bieber and The Kid LAROI. These songs began to receive attention when TikTokers were introduced to the sounds and used them in their videos, exposing thousands of others to the songs. 

“My newest favorite song is ‘Stay’ because it has just a really good beat, and it is super hype. I would never have heard of it without TikTok. It is all over the app now, so people are sending me lots of videos with the sound,” Jack Havens, junior, said. 

Even if one is recording music from the inside of a bedroom closet, TikTok can be used as a platform to bring stardom to any that desire it — including Etowah high schoolers. Several former students, like RJ Rea and Madeline Dodd, and current students, like Ally Barnes, have successfully grown their followers on the app by posting entertaining videos that have appealed to thousands of users. These students have developed large enough platforms so that if they ever decide to produce or advertise a song, they will already have the exposure to profit from the release.  

Without the help of TikTok and its platform, some artists would not have a widely used space to share their music with the world. If one is looking to broadening their audience for their music, TikTok is the place to go.