Musicians on the Rise: Thank TikTok for your new playlist

TikTok’s algorithm caters to a viewer’s interests, so any artist or creator has free reign to gain an intended audience. This is especially true for musicians, as fans of all music genres search the app for the new, so seeing a post of upcoming singers begging for streams on their new singles is not an uncommon sight on the average “For You” page. 

This technique worked for many new artists, as their TikTok fame has gained them thousands, at times even millions of streams on various platforms, leading them to mainstream media coverage.

Alexa Cappelli is one of the lucky artists that the platform spotlighted. Her radio pop single “Forbidden” has become the singer’s most streamed song on Spotify, and it was only released three weeks ago. This is because of a TikTok she made of her singing along to her song in her song, which gained nearly 400,000 views. 

“TikTok is awesome because it gives everyone an opportunity to share their music and sounds with new people everyday,” Cappelli said. “I’m only starting to understand the algorithm, but it helps not having to rely solely on connections in real life to make new fans and new friends.”

“Forbidden” now has over 400,000 plays on Spotify, and the music video recently reached 12,000 views.

Cappelli had a small fan base due to her brief appearance on “The Voice,” where she made it to the live shows as a member of Kelly Clarkson’s team. However, the music she released during her time on “The Voice” is incomparable to the success she has received due to one TikTok. 

“They are two very different platforms,” Cappelli said. “‘The Voice’ was good because it gave me a push into all the things I’m growing into now. I could perform place and people would really listen and engage knowing I had some experience and credibility behind me.

“Social media has always been there, but I’m only just discovering how to use the tools it offers to customize my own brand and reach more people.”

Gen Z is to blame for TikTok’s popularity as well as the success of the singers that go viral. Cappelli’s growing fan base is a part of her own generation, which helps her stand out during this digital era.

“With digital media and streaming, there is less need of a ‘middle man’ in the industry now,” she said.

Cappelli is one of many Gen Z artists that is supported by her own generation due to her growing TikTok platform.

Taylor Upsahl, better known by the stage name UPSAHL, is a prime example of a singer that, before TikTok, barely had a fanbase. The 21-year-old singer-songwriter from Phoenix has an alternative pop sound that takes inspiration from punk and r&b. 

She released her first EP, “Hindsight 20/20” on March 8, 2019, and TikTok can be thanked for its success. While it took a year for its popularity to pick up speed, her duets on TikTok to other creators ranting about their personal lives made her a viral sensation. UPSAHL’s improv song creations is how she has over 300,000 followers today, leading her streams to rise on Spotify.

The single from the EP, “Drugs,” has recently surpassed 24 million streams. 

On a completely different spectrum, Alexa Cappelli’s radio pop single “Forbidden” has become the singer’s most streamed song on Spotify, and it was only released three weeks ago. 

This is because of a TikTok she made of her singing along to her song in her song, which gained nearly 400,000 views. “Forbidden” now has over 400,000 plays on Spotify, and the music video recently reached 10,000 views.

And outside of TikTok, music listeners probably are unaware of Tai Verdes name. However, regular TikTok users hear his songs at least three times a day. His song, “Stuck In The Middle” has over 14 million listens on Spotify, and the song has been used on TikTok for various trends, most recently a trend that uses a new feature that distorts your face. 

When a new feature appears on the app, creators quickly try to make trending video content with a staple sound. Verdes’ song just so happened to be chosen for a variety of these trends, which has led the song to be used on nearly 700,000 videos.

This is the only song that Verdes has released, making him a standout amongst the other singer-songwriters trying to gain success on the app. His popularity is solely from his TikToks promoting his song, and this shows that any artist has the ability to become an overnight success.

Due to her own unexpected overnight success, Cappelli is just looking forward to the exciting future that is to come.

“The numbers have been going up,” she said. “It looks like my audience is a lot like me: young adults, mostly women, who like a good jam session!”