TikTok's UK Summer Hits of 2022

As we round off one of the hottest summers in the UK, it's time to reveal the most popular TikTok tracks and artists that have become the UK's soundtrack to summer 2022. 🎵

This year, the tracks topping our summer charts bring to life the incredible diversity of music across TikTok. From George Ezra's defining moment at Glastonbury helping 'Green, Green Grass' leap forward in video creations, to Nicky Youre & Dazy's feel-good single 'Sunroof' giving us all the vibes - this summer has been one to remember, defined by the return of live music at festivals and some unforgettable anthems. Emerging artists have continued to make a name for themselves, with up-and-coming rapper, Stepz, dominating our weekly Summer Hot 50 chart, making him TikTok UK's breakout artist of the summer. Meanwhile, singer-songwriter Cat Burns whose story started on TikTok, has seen her global success continue this summer.

Top songs by video creations in UK

'Sunroof' from singer Nicky Youre and producer Dazy, is our number one sound of the summer in the UK, having propelled the Nicky to global prominence after becoming the soundtrack to the TikTok community's summer videos. Nicky and Dazy teased the track on TikTok in 2021 and later released it after it became an instant hit among Nicky's followers for all of their feel-good content. The track charted in the UK Top 40 and Nicky has since released a number of remixed versions, including an RnB remix featuring platinum rapper 24Goldn.

Catalogue hits also made their mark on TikTok's summer charts in the form of Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)'. Following its starring role in season 4 of Stranger Things, the TikTok community's appetite for past hits made this 1985 tune the soundtrack for millions of video creations, bringing Kate Bush's music to new generations. The song's popularity in-app has propelled it to the summit of the Official U.K. Singles Chart 37 years after its official release.

Remixed re-releases have ensured that winter hits have had a summer makeover. Breakthrough singer, Cat Burns, has seen her debut single 'Go', take off for a second time with the official Higher & Faster remix inspiring over a new wave of video creations. Cat joined TikTok during lockdown to share her music and was signed 9 months later as a result. Since then, her single 'Go' has reached number 2 in the Official Charts 2 years after Cat wrote it. Now, the Higher & Faster remix has inspired a new burst of popularity. With the appetite for sped up and slowed down versions of tracks ever-increasing, it's no surprise that 'Go' has become a song of the summer.

Festival Anthem

Making his debut on TikTok's summer charts, is George Ezra, whose hit 'Green Green Grass' became the UK's festival anthem this summer. Videos of Ezra's electric performance of the track at Glastonbury took off, with his song enjoying the biggest percentage increase in creations during this period. Since then, videos of his performances at Finsbury Park and Boardmasters have only boosted the song's popularity even further as our TikTok community embraces the return of live music, sharing clips of their favourite live performances this summer.

@george_ezra Green Green Grass all grown up 🥺 #greengreengrass #georgeezra ♬ Green Green Grass - George Ezra

TikTok's breakout artist of the summer

This year, our breakout artist of the summer is London rapper, Stepz. His track 'Cramp Dat' saw a massive spike in video creations this summer and has dominated our weekly Summer Hot 50 chart, taking the number one spot for 7 weeks.

Stepz has built a following of over 2.2m on TikTok through a mixture of music and comedic content which has brought only his second ever single 'Cramp Dat' to a global audience. Through TikTok, Stepz has been taking his followers on his journey as an artist, marking the milestones and ensuring all eyes are on 'Cramp Dat'.

@realstepz Half a Milly Streams 🙌🏾 Love For the Support lets Carry on Pushing 📈 #fyp #foryoupage ♬ Cramp Dat - Stepz

David Mogendorff Head of UK Artist Partnerships, TikTok: "Our songs of the summer highlight the central role TikTok plays in music discovery and re-discovery. From breakout artists to 80s icons, our global community unearths music from artists of all ages and genres, pushing them to global success on and off-platform. Alongside some incredible emerging talent including Nicky Youre, our breakout artist Stepz and the inimitable Cat Burns, it's great to see the return of live music make its mark, with festival content propelling established artists to new heights."

Pop retains its top spot over the summer period, with 7.2 million video creations making it the most popular genre for sunny days. Hip-Hop & Rap and Dance/Electronic music follows with 6.4 million and 3.5 million creations respectively. Alternative music has also been hugely popular, stepping up a gear from last year with more than 2.2 million creations, compared to just 1.6 million last year.

Top 5 songs in the UK