Can TikTok Rule The 2021 Grammys?
By Emilee Lindner
What determines a Grammy-winning tune?
Is it how several weeks a ditty spent on the
Billboard Hot 100, how much cash it made, or how musically endearing an anonymous sort of Recording Academy voters deems it to be? Imagine them all. However once it comes to declaring last year’s cream of the crop, TikTok’s impact can’t be ignored.
2020 was the year of staying indoor, adopting new hobbies, scrolling for hours, and TikTok taught us new ways to move our bodies as we limbered up to the latest dance trend. As
screen time soared, so did the spins on viral tracks that would eventually make our collective quarantine memorable. And so they weren’t decided by record labels or radio DJs. TikTok choreographers and creators became 2020’s tastemakers, sending songs
both new and old soaring up the charts, and yes it seems as though
the Grammys are following their lead.
Sure, there have been hits boosted by internet virality before (Drake’s “
In My Feelings” and the Shiggy Challenge, Rae Sremmurd’s “
Black Beatles” and the Mannequin Challenge, Katy Perry’s “
Swish Swish” and the Backpack Dance). Nevertheless none of those songs have won a Grammy before. The “Whip/Nae Nae” and the “Dougie” were never believed awards-bait. Will this be the year that changes that? Let’s take a look at the Grammy nominees and their TikTok come-ups.
Roddy Ricch: "The Box"
It’s not the title of
Roddy Ricch’s “The Box” that you remember, it’s the intro: a squeaky “eee-err” voiced by Roddy himself. TikTokers turned that sound effect into a phenomenon.
The app’s golden child Charli D’Amelio posted at least six videos of slo-mo “The Box” choreography in January 2020, totalling tens of millions of views. While other dance influencers followed suit, more comedy-inclined users turned “The Box” into
skits. In February, TikTokers inexplicably focused on the lyric “
I’m a 2020 president candidate.”
There’s no doubt that the masses love Roddy. Immediately considering that, “The Box” spent 11 weeks at No. 1. At the 2021 Grammys, it’s nominated for three prizes, including Song of the Year. Yet will the Recording Academy’s taste align with those of the people?
Doja Cat: mention So”
Also nominated for Song of the Year is
Doja Cat’s “Say So.” The disco-pop song wasn’t even released as an official single up until soon after TikToker Haley Sharpe (a.K.A. @Yodelinghaley) plucked it from
Hot Pink’s B-side and hurled it to viral heights. Rightfully acknowledging TikTok’s impact, Doja remixed the song with Nicki Minaj and sent it to radio. She continued to ride the drawn-out success of “Say So” while in the end of 2020, somehow reinventing the track with each performance.
As TikTok keeps it up and continues to decide fan favorites faster than any focus order could, Doja’s rise coincided with the app’s. “Without this serendipitous timing, she could may not have hit No. 1,” Cat Zhang wrote in
Pitchfork. Without a No. 1, would Doja have caught the eye of the Recording Academy, whose pop categories almost only ever include Top 40 (and, in this year’s case, Black Pumas)? Doubt it.
Megan Thee Stallion: "Savage”
Two weeks immediately after dropping the EP
Suga,
Megan Thee Stallion seemed focused on singles “B.I.T.C.H.” And “Captain Hook.” However TikTok had other plans. Immediately after user Keara Wilson’s “Savage” dance caught fire, it became clear which Suga track would come out triumphant.
certainly, TikTok heavyweights D'Amelio, Madi Monroe, and Addison Rae all had their fun with the dance challenge, as did celebrities like Keke Palmer, Tinashe, and even Megan herself. It wasn’t long up until Beyoncé took notice. Right after Beyoncé’s remix, the song went to No. 1, and right now, it’s up for Record of the Year, Best Rap Efficiency, and Best Rap Song.
It’s a synergetic pairing. Not only did Meg bag the collab of a lifetime, although Bey got a ride to three more Grammy nominations, making her the
most-nominated artist at the Grammys this year with a total of nine.
Harry Styles: “Watermelon Sugar”
Harry Styles’s “Watermelon Sugar” (Grammy-nominated for Best Pop Solo Efficiency) was released as a promotional single back in 2019, and it also took a while for it to pick up steam. Fans shared watermelon-themed photo hacks, makeup tutorials, and fruity recipe ideas. And any time it was finally released with an official music video, the song blew up with summer-hungry TikTokers. It’s right now Harry’s only No. 1 single. With 1.3 million documented videos using the song (hundreds of thousands of views on each), it’s hard to deny TikTok’s role in its rise — a trajectory that netted him three Grammy nods, including for Best Pop Solo Performance.
Justin Bieber: "Yummy”
the natural success of “The Box” and “Say So” is mouth-watering for most, yet the formula can’t habitually be manufactured. Once
Justin Bieber released “
Yummy,” his thirst for TikTok fame was all also transparent. He joined the app just to promote the song, trying to tap into “a generation grown on rather sophisticated, multilayered internet culture” that “can detect bullshit a mile off,” according to Alexis Petridis, Ben Beaumont-Thomas, and Laura Snapes of
The Guardian.
Yet, some fans played along, and “Yummy” soundtracked over 5 million videos. Yet its success on the app wasn’t user-spawned — Bieber ended up indulging in a paid
Chipotle/TikTok integration, when then boosted a hashtag. A somewhat much less overt plan of action can also be pegged to Bieber’s Best Pop Solo Efficiency competition “Cardigan.” Around the release of Taylor Swift’s
Folklore, fans couldn’t help noticing the influx of Swift merch
showing up in their preference influencers’ videos. Coincidence?
DaBaby: “Rockstar” and Dua Lipa: “Don’t Begin Now”
obviously, TikTok isn’t directly accountable for the success of every hit song in the past year, yet certain Grammy-nominated tracks have resonated with the app’s users. DaBaby and Roddy Ricch’s “
Rockstar” (up for Record of the Year, Best Rap Song, and Best Melodic Rap Efficiency) has a whopping 7.1 million videos on the app, with The Rock, Kane Brown, and Got7 creating their own amped-up clips to the song.
“
Don’t Begin Now” (competing in the Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Solo Efficiency categories), was the initial release from Dua Lipa’s
Future Nostalgia, and yes it had us dancing. Hannah Balanay’s (@thexhan) video for the song — right now with 6.6 million likes and 53 million views — not only began a dance trend, yet the ever-popular Fortnite advertised the TikTok dance as a “emote,” a sort of victory dance, in the game.
This all points to one thing: The relationship between TikTok stardom and the Grammys gold is growing stronger. And as soon as March 14 rolls up, we’ll visualize if the accolades line up with the ultimate people’s vote — a double tap on a viral vid.
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