It has been almost seven years since TikTok was launched, and it has cemented itself as THE viral-maker platform creating these so called TikTok musicians.
Each day, artists and content creators are churning catchy content…and many careers have been launched like that of our client Petey, who rose to fame during the pandemic because of his absurd videos.
It surely has been a very helpful promotional platform for a lot of people, especially musicians.
Here’s a list of 10 musicians who has made it big, all thanks to TikTok.
Table of Contents
#1. TOM ROSENTHAL
(website link: http://tomrosenthal.co.uk/)
Tom Rosenthal is a singer-songwriter as well as composer who has been uploading material on YouTube since 2011. Since then he has gained more than 300,000 subscribers on the platform.
Thanks to him deciding on jumping to TikTok, he’s gone viral and found recognition for his music. His most popular song Home having been used in over 1 million TikTok videos.
He has 1.7 million followers on the platform as of the moment and has continuously been gaining them.
In the meantime he has been taking a rest all while releasing singles and giving out challenges to fans after his last show in London last December 2022.
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#2. LIL NAS X
(website link: https://www.welcometomontero.com/)
Before Lil Nas X received all this buzz, he already had a very unique way of promoting his music. Using TikTok, he made tons of meme videos with his song Old Town Road as the background music.
It finally went viral when TikTok users picked it up for the viral #Yeehaw Challenge. The single’s virality led to him winning his first Grammy awards in 2020. He won two, the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Music Video awards.
After finishing the 4th leg of his Long Live Montero Tour last March 26, he has been resting and finishing his second studio album while still creating buzz attending the Met Gala with silver body paint on.
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#3. OLIVIA RODRIGO
(website link: https://www.oliviarodrigo.com/)
The 20-year old artist started out her career as an actress in Disney’s Bizaardvark.
However, her worldwide fame was thanks to her song Driver’s License going viral on TikTok. The lyrics, the delivery, and the story was what drew TikTok users to it, making them want to create content out of it.
After Driver’s License, the singer song-writer went and pre-released three more singles before finally releasing her first studio album titled Sour.
If you’re one of those fans waiting for new songs from her, then you won’t be waiting for much long because she has confirmed that she’ll be releasing new ones this year.
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#4. LIZZO
(website link: https://www.lizzomusic.com/)
Lizzo has been in the industry since 2011 but did not have her big break almost 8 years after.
Her 2017 single Truth Hurts became a big hit in the then new hot social media platform TikTok. The first line of the single: “Why men great ‘til they gotta be great” was all over TikTok. The song topped the Billboard charts and after that more hits followed.
As of the moment, the artist is on the North American leg of her The Special Tour.
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#5. LOREN GRAY
(website link: https://iamlorengray.com/)
Before the singer-songwriter dived into the music industry, she was already making waves in the new and hot social media platform, TikTok.
She started posting videos when she was 13 and has gained millions of followers. With her becoming an independent artist in 2021 it has become easier for her to share and promote her music.
She recently released her debut studio album Guilty and has now embarked on Hunter Hayes’ The Red Sky Tour as a guest performer.
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#6. DIXIE D’AMELIO
(website link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLOEGprmycLLbyzBj2jozLg)
Much like Gray, Dixie D’Amelio was first known for being a huge influencer on TikTok.
Their family has become a household name in the social media platform. Due to that fame, she entered the industry while working with big people like Wiz Khalifa.
There’s not much going on with her as of late so fans will just have to sit tight for now.
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#7. EM BEIHOLD
(website link: https://www.embeihold.com/)
Em Beihold has been navigating the industry since 2017 and she has gained an audience on TikTok early into 2022.
Her single Numb Little Bug was a song that detailed her struggles with mental health which many TikTok users found relatable.
This led to the song reaching #91 on Billboard Charts’ Hot 100 and gaining over a million streams on Spotify within 24 hours of its release.
The 24-year old singer-songwriter is spending her time right now jumping from one festival to another with her closest one happening on the 24th of June at Colorado Springs.
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#8. CRAWLERS
(website link: https://www.crawlersband.com/)
The Crawlers is a four-piece rock band from North-West England.
Their 2021 song Come Over (Again) was what gave them the TikTok fame since it was used by many TikTok creators because of its inspiring lyrics. The band quickly gained followers, currently having 691.2K.
Additionally the band members also use their account to display their personalities.
The band is now in the midst of a tour with them performing for their fans in Temple Newsam on May 27.
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#9. MÅNESKIN
(website link: https://www.instagram.com/maneskinofficial/)
There really is no knowing what videos or songs would go viral on this platform and even if we know that it still surprises us to no end.
For this Italian rock band, the one video that helped them gain fame on TikTok and their spot on the international scene was their five-year-old cover of the song Beggin by Four Seasons.
The band with its 6.7 million followers on TikTok has been continuously using the platform to promote their music. They recently released an album titled Rush! and is planning to go on their Rush! World Tour starting this September.
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#10. BEACH BUNNY
(website link: https://www.beachbunnymusic.com/)
The indie band has been releasing music since 2015 and gained recognition long before their TikTok fame.
They have a committed fan base that proved their spot on the industry, but thanks to the viral-maker platform the trajectory of their career has changed.
Their 2018 single Prom Queen became a hit on the platform which led to them getting a record deal making the release of their first album possible.
The wider audience they got from that virality has been helping them grow as musicians now they are in the middle of a tour after releasing their 2nd studio album Emotional Creature.
Reading through all that, I’m sure you’re feeling hopeful for yourself too as a musician.
And I say, go and continue being hopeful because there will surely be a time for you.
Just put in some work, of course, just like what all ten musicians/band did.
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James Hill is a veteran of the music industry. He first worked at Warner Reprise Records then later joined Interscope/ Geffen Records where he managed producers and songwriters and got his first platinum record for Keyshia Cole’s The Way It Is. He is now helping indie artists with branding and manufacturing through his company Unified Manufacturing, a CD/DVD, custom vinyl records and merch company in LA.
