It's hard to believe it's just been one year since 2020's The Year on TikTok: Top 100 was announced. While 2020 had us physically separated, millions of people turned to TikTok to laugh, share their stories and find community in a new way. Since then, many of the creators and communities on the list have continued their success into 2021. And now more than 1 billion people turn to TikTok to find joy. Using 2020 as a springboard, we saw the TikTok community build upon their momentum to deepen connections and shape the future of entertainment. Before we announce 2021's Year on TikTok, let's take a look at where last year's top creators, communities, and trends are now.
Rising Stars
These are the creators who broke onto the scene with authentic, unique content and captured the hearts of viewers on and off TikTok.
- Devon Rodriguez continues to be a rising star and is gaining followers left and right while drawing amazing portraits of people on the NY subway. The 2020 Latinx Trailblazer is consistently featured across local and national media outlets, recently being named to the Forbes 30 Under 30, and saw an impressive jump from 20.5M followers to 236.7M in 2021.
- Tabitha Brown’s book, Feeding the Soul, became a New York Times Best Seller in October of this year and her fandom continues to grow on and off TikTok.
Voices of Change
These creators use their platforms to spread awareness for social causes, advocate for marginalized and underrepresented communities, celebrate the many cultures that make the TikTok community so special, and help educate people about different viewpoints.
- Taylor Cassidy is a force and has since been featured on SiriusXM's ‘TikTok Radio” music channel, and continues career as a full-time content creator, educating the community on Black history.
- Ebony & Denise Nunez continue to be an iconic duo while raising their child, inspiring others and being featured across top media outlets. Their passion for all things community also landed them a spot on this year's inaugural Discover List.
- Nabela Noor popularized "quarantine vlogs," gaining millions of views for her aesthetic and message of "self love through self care." Under the umbrella of Love and Noor (Arabic for ‘light’), Nabela continues to focus on creating content and brands that serve as a vehicle for social change, redefining beauty and fashion standards and advocating for marginalized communities.
Top Trends
The trends that we loved to try in 2020 also became part of the daily routine in 2021.
- Whipped Coffee continues to be a trending beverage on TikTok. It's even inspired other drinks such as Whipped Lemonade and Whipped Strawberry Milk.
- A quick and easy skincare routine. Skincare is even more popular today as more and more dermatologists share their professional advice to curious viewers.
Niche Communities
The TikTok experience is tailored to each person, with myriad of interests. This specificity has helped create both common and obscure communities that shine on the app. Below are two niche communities featured on last year's The Year on TikTok which have now become TikTok mainstays.
- #WitchTok - WitchTok spiked in numbers in 2021, garnering over 20.1B views while creators share tarot card readings, crystal recommendations, and other witchy favorites.
- #ArtTikTok - ArtTikTok (2.3B views) and TikTokArt (9B views) continue to see a rise in numbers since last year, introducing new talent and providing a home for unique expressions.
Stay tuned for this year's report on all the things that make TikTok such a magical place!