TikTokThe TikTok community sends warm congratulations to The Weeknd, Doja Cat, Megan Thee Stallion, BTS, and the rest of the winners at last night’s MTV VMA Awards. As a major launching pad for new artists and popular hits, TikTok is proud to play a role in propelling songs up the charts.
In March, the TikTok community fell in love with the “#BlindingLightsChallenge,” a family-friendly group dance set to The Weeknd’s shimmering anthem “Blinding Lights.” The After Hours song inspired over 4 million video creations, and videos tagged with the “#BlindingLightsChallenge” hashtag racked up over 437 million views. Last night, The Weeknd took home the Moon Man for “Video Of The Year,” reaffirming the artist’s unique and special visual aesthetic which he took to a new level on the “The Weeknd Experience,” a highly-successful TikTok LIVE stream.
TikTok’s community has the unique ability to launch artists into new career heights, so it’s no surprise that Doja Cat, the VMA winner for “Best New Artist,” had a massive year on TikTok. Originally released in 2019, Doja Cat’s “Say So” reached a new commercial peak when it caught fire on TikTok in the Spring, inspiring over 19 million video creations and a viral dance craze, created by user @yodelinghaley that Doja included in the song’s official music video. When Nicki Minaj hopped on the remix, “Say So” reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Doja Cat is one of the most popular artists on TikTok, with viral hits like “Like That” ft. Gucci Mane, “Boss B*tch,” and more.
H-Town hot girl Megan The Stallion won the VMA for “Best Hip Hop Video” for “Savage,” beating out fellow TikTok sensation Roddy Ricch. Spurred by a dance craze created by teenaged choreographer @keke.janajah, “Savage” is one of the most popular songs in TikTok history, inspiring over 30 million video creations and billions of views. “Savage” experienced a meteoric rise up the Billboard charts after it was the most-viewed TikTok sound of March 2020 (7.5 billion views), and jumped to Billboard’s #1 in May, when Megan’s fellow Houstonian Beyoncé hopped on the remix with a TikTok-referencing verse (“Hips Tik Tok when I dance”).
One of the night’s big winners was BTS, the legendary K-Pop group whose fervent fans flock to TikTok by the tens of millions to view their videos and create their own using BTS sounds. The group is one of the most-followed music accounts on the platform (18 million+ followers), and they made waves by premiering their single “ON” exclusively on TikTok in February. The “#btson” challenge earned more than 108 million views on its videos. Ever a cultural force, the group has another viral hit on its hands with “Dynamite,” their first-ever song recorded wholly in English, which has already generated over 450K video creations in under two weeks.
Congratulations to these ground-breaking artists and to the rest of the winners at last night’s VMAs!
