Trending Up

Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up column, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip.  This week: Tommy Richman’s new internet-conquering smash looks on its way to being a star-making breakthrough, Daya enjoys a revived pop favorite from a decade ago and hitmakers from Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Nigeria join forces for a new global hit.

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“Baby” It’s You: Tommy Richman’s Breakout Single Goes Viral, Boosts Back Catalog

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If you weren’t previously familiar with Virginia singer-rapper Tommy Richman, it’s officially time to get acquainted. The Brent Faiyaz signee (to his ISO Supremacy agency) and tour opener first made impressions as a guest on Faiyaz’s Larger Than Life cut “Upset,” but now he’s got a breakout hit bigger than even anything on that acclaimed set: “Million Dollar Baby,” which after building buzz on TikTok, has debuted as an instantly viral streaming hit. 

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Upon its release on Friday (Apr. 26), “Million Dollar Baby” racked up 4.6 million on-demand U.S. audio streams, according to Luminate – an eye-popping number for a solo single by an artist with relatively unestablished commercial history. And after an inevitable decline in those totals for the rest of the weekend, the song surged again on Monday, capturing nearly 4.8 million streams, with the song racking up 16.6 million streams in total over a four-day period. (It also sold nearly 2,100 streams over that period, also a tremendous number for a new single from a newer artist.) 

With these early numbers, Richman should be due for an impressive Hot 100 bow with his first crossover hit – and he’s already seeing the benefits from the new smash across the rest of his catalog, as well. For the four day period of Apr. 26-29, his discography (not including “Baby”) posted nearly 2.1 million on-demand U.S. audio streams, a gain of 106% from the four-day period before. – ANDREW UNTERBERGER

Daya’s ‘Hide Away’ Gets Found by TikTok, Nearly a Decade Later

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Back in 2015, Daya, a 16-year-old pop singer-songwriter out of Pittsburgh, scored a surprise top 40 hit on the Hot 100 when debut single “Hide Away” reached No. 23 on the chart. Daya has since followed her lamentation over the lack of clearly visible high-quality guys with a handful of other hits, most notably the smash Chainsmokers collaboration “Don’t Let Me Down” — but nearly a decade after getting her start, “Hide Away” is back, picking up in streams thanks to (what else?) a TikTok trend.

In April, TikTok users began posting videos of themselves performing a three-person dance routine, with each of the first three lines of the “Hide Away” chorus soundtracking each member’s respective moves. As the trend proliferated, “Hide Away” started earning seven-figure weekly streams: the song scored 3.13 million U.S. on-demand streams from Apr. 19-25, according to Luminate, an increase of more than 600% from its streaming total three weeks earlier (431,000 from Mar. 29-Apr. 4).

Meanwhile, Daya, who released a string of new singles last year, seems to be enjoying the revival of her first: “Never saw the second life of this song coming 9 years in but here we are lol,” she wrote last week on Instagram. “‘Hide Away’ forever.” – JASON LIPSHUTZ

Rvssian, Rauw Alejandro & Ayra Starr Make It Christmas in May with Fast-Rising New Single ‘Santa’ 

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What happens when Jamaica, Nigeria and Puerto Rico join forces? A streaming smash is born, of course. As the 2024 song of the summer race continues to heat up, Jamaican producer Rvssian, Puerto Rican Latin Grammy winner Rauw Alejandro and Nigerian Grammy nomineee Ayra Starr are throwing their collective hat in the ring with their new “Santa” collaboration. 

The seductive collaboration combines notes of Afrobeats and reggaeton, with Rauw and Ayra trading verses about steamy trysts and undeniable sexual attraction. According to Luminate, “Santa” earned over 4.28 million official on-demand U.S. streams during the period of April 19-25. That figure marks a whopping 207% increase in streaming activity from two weeks prior (April 5-11), during which “Santa” collected around 1.39 million official streams. 

After hitting DSPs early last month (April 4), “Santa” quickly exploded on TikTok, with an unofficial sound uploaded by Rvssian’s official account amassing over 378,000 posts. Much of the song’s TikTok traction has been sourced from a viral dance trend created by user @cornbreadjapan. The simple-yet-infectious choreography has been mimicked by hundreds of thousands of users since it first hit the algorithm on April 11. Several musicians have also participated in the trend, including members of K-Pop girl group ITZY and Rauw Alejandro and Ayra Starr themselves. On YouTube, the official “Santa” music video has been viewed over 10 million times in less than a month. 

Although both Rvssian and Rauw have already notched Billboard Hot 100 entries, “Santa” could be the first for Ayra Starr, should its consumption continue to grow. To her credit, the “Bloody Samaritan” singer has already scored several top 10 hits on the U.S. Afrobeats Songs Chart, including 2022’s “Rush,” which finished at No. 7 on the 2023 Year-End U.S. Afrobeats Songs ranking. — KYLE DENIS

Welcome to Billboard Pro‘s Trending Up newsletter, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip.

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See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

This week: Artists and songs mentioned across the 31 tracks of Taylor Swift’s new double album see spikes, while Bossman Dlow and Tyla both score follow-up hits, Kate Bush is killing it on TikTok again and more.

Taylor Swift’s ‘Tortured Poets Department’ Makes Charlie Puth a (Slightly) Bigger Artist

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Along with meditations on past relationships featuring thinly veiled lyrical subjects, Taylor Swift’s blockbuster new album The Tortured Poets Department includes multiple tips of the cap to other recording artists, with Swift either expressing admiration or remembering a pivotal musical exchange. The most memorable name-check arrives on the title track, on which Swift sings, “You smoked, then ate seven bars of chocolate / We declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist.”

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As The Tortured Poets Department barrels its way toward the biggest debut sales of the year — and one of the biggest of all time — it’s worth wondering: is Swift’s Puth shout-out actually about to make the “Attention” singer a bigger artist? Yes and no, based on the early streaming returns. In the first three days of release of The Tortured Poets Department (Apr. 19-21), Puth’s catalog earned 3.26 million official on-demand U.S. streams, according to Luminate. That’s an increase from the previous weekend’s streaming total for Puth, but only slightly: from Apr. 12-14, his catalog earned 3.13 million streams, meaning that Swift’s stamp of approval bumped his streams a little under 4%.

While Puth was already scoring seven-figure streams prior to the lyrical reference, two artists that also received nods on the album saw their smaller streaming totals skyrocket. The veteran Philly pop-punk group The Starting Line enjoyed a hefty catalog bump after getting shouted out on “The Black Dog,” with 234,000 streams from Friday to Sunday representing a 55% uptick from the previous weekend (151,000 streams).

And when a Swift song starts out with the lines “Drowning in the Blue Nile / He sent me ‘Downtown Lights’ / I hadn’t heard it in a while,” as “Guilty as Sin?” does, chances are that streams for “Downtown Lights” are going to explode. Indeed, the Scottish pop-rock group the Blue Nile’s 1989 single “The Downtown Lights” rose from 3,000 streams from Apr. 12-15 to over 48,000 streams from Apr. 19-22 — a whopping 1,400% increase from one four-day tracking period to the next. – JASON LIPSHUTZ

Bossman Dlow Tees Up Latest Hit With “Talk My Shit” 

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Just under two months after “Get In With Me” reached No. 49 on the Billboard Hot 100 (chart dated March 9) – becoming the Florida rapper’s first entry on Billboard’s all-genre singles chart – Bossman Dlow is already gearing up for another viral hit. 

Produced by DJ Jam305 and housed on Mr. Beat the Road, which reached No. 20 on the Billboard 200 (chart dated March 30), “Talk My Shit” follows a similar blueprint to “Get In With Me,” riding high on Dlow’s off-kilter flow, South Florida twang and a slightly ominous trap beat. According to Luminate, “Talk My Shit” earned 5.7 million official on-demand U.S. streams during the period of April 12-18. That marks a jaw-dropping 434% increase in streaming activity from three weeks earlier (March 22-28), when the song collected just over one million streams. 

The explosive growth of “Talk My Shit” is due, in large part, to the cheeky TikTok dance trend choreographed to the chorus, specifically beginning with the line “Wrist piece on bling-blaow, neck piece on blizzard, bae.” The dance essentially converts the second half of the chorus into an instructional song through which users act out the lyrics – e.g., pointing to their wrist for “wrist piece on bling-blaow” — through popular dance moves. On TikTok, the official “Talk My Shit” sound boasts a whopping 466,000 posts, with several clips surpassing one million likes, including one featuring Paige Bueckers of the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team. On YouTube, the official “Talk My Shit” audio clip has earned nearly three million hits in about a month and half, far outpacing the other Mr. Beat the Road audio clips. 

With its streams rising this quickly, “Talk My Shit” could gift Bossman Dlow his third Hot 100 entry of the year. – KYLE DENIS

Get Ready for Another Viral Kate Bush Moment

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Kate Bush has been one of the patron saints of TikTok and virality in general since at least 2022, when her “Running Up That Hill” became a resurrected hit – initially boosted by a big Stranger Things synch – thanks largely to the app. The last couple months, she’s had another revived single to her credit, albeit one probably significantly less familiar even to stateside fans who were around for “Hill” on the first go-round: “Army Dreamers,” third single from Bush’s 1980 album Never for Ever. 

While “Dreamers” was a top 20 hit in the U.K., it was likely a little too challenging for U.S. top 40 audiences of the time, with its austere waltz arrangement, anti-war lyrics and piercing Bush vocal. Nonetheless, clips of the song – and in particular, its war-themed music video, featuring the singer-songwriter running through the jungle in military fatigues and full makeup – have been racking up views by the millions the past couple months. As a result, weekly official on-demand U.S. streams of the song have risen from under 80,000 for the tracking week ending Mar. 14 to nearly 1.1 million the week ending Apr. 18, according to Luminate – a cumulative gain of 1291%. 

“Dreamers” still has a ways to grow before it’s a threat to run back up the charts the way Bush’s signature hit did a couple years ago. Then again, we do hear there’s a new season of Stranger Things coming our way shortly… – ANDREW UNTERBERGER

Tyla Seeks to Slay Second Consecutive Summer With Steamy “Jump” Single 

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Last summer, “Water” catapulted Tyla into global pop stardom. This year, she’s looking to maintain that momentum with “Jump,” a breakout hit from her recently released self-titled debut studio album. 

Alongside Grammy-nominated rapper Gunna and Jamaican dancehall star Skillibeng, Tyla spends “Jump” seductively cooing of the singularity of her sex appeal. Despite the album campaign focusing on “Truth or Dare” and “ART,” “Jump” has received considerable traction across both streaming and socials. During the period of April 12-18, “Jump” received 2.9 million official on-demand U.S. streams, continuing the steady growth it has displayed for the past month. For the past four works, “Jump” has remained over two million streams, increasing by an average of nearly 10% per week. 

On TikTok, the official “Jump” audio boasts over 326,000 posts, bolstered, in large part, by a viral dance trend created by Zoe Baptiste (@zoebaptistee). Her infectious original choreography garnered 25 million views, sparking the song’s initial virality. Of course, many listeners noted “Jump” as an album highlight upon the release of Tyla due to its myriad earworm elements. 

Just as the dance trend started to taper off, a second trend emerged, playing on the “They never had a pretty girl from Joburg / See me now, and that’s what they prefer” lines that opens Tyla’s verse. From replacing “Joburg” with their actual place of origin to gushing over the idiosyncratic way the South African singer pronounces “prefer,” TikTok users cannot get enough of the beginning of “Jump.” One user, Kelsey Maggott (@kelseymaggott), has gone viral for creating nearly 50 videos replacing “Joburg” with other countries and cities users have requested in her comment section. Even Kehlani has gotten in on the action. 

With streams steadily gaining and a music video and live performances still on the table, be sure to keep an eye on “Jump” as the 2024 Song of the Summer race begins to heat up. 

Q&A: Jim Selby, Chief Publishing Officer at Concord, on What’s Trending Up in His World

In late 2022, Concord purchased the publishing and recorded music catalog of Phil Collins and Genesis. Can you speak to the motivation behind the purchase?

I think it speaks for itself. Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks are incredible talents who wrote some of the most influential songs, both together and individually. We have a long-standing relationship working with them since the days of Imagem – they’ve entrusted us with their work, and we’re honored to continue that.

We’ve already seen multiple revivals of “In the Air Tonight” across popular culture, including for Monday Night Football last fall. Why do you think the song has resonated with multiple generations of listeners?

It’s just iconic. I think everyone has a core memory that they can attach to that song. The combination of the power drumline with Phil’s vocals is so masterful and demands your attention, which I think is why it resonates so well when set to the screen. “In The Air Tonight” is so recognizably 80’s but it’s also dynamic. Phil even has a country radio No.1 single – with Kane Brown’s interpolation [“I Can Feel It”], it was exciting to see such a different use. It’s incredible how artists continue to be inspired by the song and get creative with it. 

– What can we expect in the near future for “In the Air Tonight” and Collins’ catalog in general?

We expect more. New generations continue to discover Phil and his music and it’s exciting to see that connection. No Jacket Required turns 40 next year, maybe we’ll figure out what “Sussudio” means – get it added to the dictionary. 

– Fill in the blank: a personal favorite Collins/Genesis song that deserves its own revival is ______.

Besides “In The Air Tonight,” of course, I think “I Can’t Dance” or “Follow You Follow Me” – these songs are both great but very different. They really show the versatility of Genesis and how the group adapted through the decades. – J.L.

Season’s Gainings: Death, Taxes and The Beatles

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Tax day was upon us two Mondays ago, and if this is the first you’re hearing about it, it might be time to close out of this article and start drafting an email to the IRS. If you were on it, though, then maybe you were also one of the thousands that chose a particular Beatles deep cut for your soundtrack while kicking a percentage of your annual income up to Uncle Sam. The Fab Four’s Revolver-opening “Taxman” – inspired by an eye-popping 95% supertax the band was suddenly facing following the 1966 re-election of U.K. prime minister Harold Wilson (as in “ha ha, Mr. Wilson”) – received nearly 24,000 official on-demand U.S. streams on April 15, according to Luminate, a 31% gain from the day before. – A.U.

Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up newsletter, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip.  This week: Future and Metro Boomin’s latest smash comes courtesy of an incendiary Kendrick Lamar verse, Hozier is on his way to his biggest hit in a decade, March Madness commercials have viewers flocking to Shazam and more.

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‘Like That’ is Boomin — For Future, Metro, Kendrick and Older Drake Songs, Too

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A quick rule of thumb for current hip-hop artists: when your track contains an out-of-nowhere, earth-scorching Kendrick Lamar verse dissing two other rap giants, a lot of people are going to want to hear that track!

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“Like That,” the standout track from Future and Metro Boomin’s collaborative project We Don’t Trust You featuring K. Dot’s Internet-shattering takedown of Drake and J. Cole, has (not surprisingly) exploded on streaming services following the album’s release last Friday (Mar. 22). After earning a whopping 10.26 million U.S. on-demand streams on Friday alone (according to Luminate), thanks to both hardcore supporters and casual fans who simply had to hear Lamar’s fire-breathing, “Like That” kept racking up high seven-figure streaming totals over the weekend, ending up with 25.62 million streams in its first three days of release.

That’ll be enough for a big bow on next week’s Hot 100 — but along the way, “Like That” also has rap obsessives re-exploring a pair of Drake tracks that may have inspired the sneak attack. “First Person Shooter,” Drake’s own Hot 100 chart-topper featuring J. Cole that Lamar directly references on “Like That,” was up 10% in streams this past weekend (1.69 million streams between Mar. 23-24) compared to the previous weekend (1.53 million streams). Meanwhile, as listeners ponder what “Like That” means for the relationship between Drake and Future, “What Would Pluto Do?” — in which Drizzy questions what his (former?) pal would do in similar situations — experienced an even greater streaming bump, up 34% in streams to 413,000 over the weekend. – JASON LIPSHUTZ

Hozier’s New Runaway Streaming Smash Is Just “Too Sweet” 

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It’s been a little over a decade since Hozier saw the Billboard Hot 100’s top 10 – who can forget “Take Me to Church” (No. 2)? — and he’s poised to make a splashy return to the region with a funky new track titled “Too Sweet.” Housed on the Irish rocker’s Unheard EP, which serves as epilogue of sorts to 2023’s sprawling Dante-inspired Unreal Unearth, “Too Sweet” has amassed over 11.8 million official on-demand U.S. streams in just three days (March 23-25), according to Luminate. The song earned its biggest daily tally upon release (March 23), raking in 4.7 million streams and over 1,000 U.S. digital sales. 

Although Unreal Unearth – which reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 – spawned a pair of Adult Alternative Airplay chart-toppers in “Eat Your Young” and “Francesca,” none of the album’s official singles cracked the top half of the Hot 100. Then again, none of those singles had the pre-release hype of “Too Sweet.” Hozier first teased a snippet of the track during a March 6 appearance on the How Long Gone podcast hosted by Chris Black & Jason Stewart. That snippet quickly went viral amongst Hozier’s fanbase, with a popular TikTok account uploading the “Too Sweet” tease as a sound. In less than a month, that sound has collected nearly 50,000 posts on the app, and Hozier even used it TikToks officially announcing the new EP and debuting what appears to be clips of a visualizer for the song. 

Having already hit No. 2 on US Spotify upon release, “Too Sweet” is already shaping up to be a runaway hit for Hozier – and potentially his biggest one since “Church.” 

Yahir Saldivar Wields Quirky 4batz-Esque Video to Score Viral Hit in “SC-9” 

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Just as 4batz took off with music videos that paired brooding shiesty mask-accented shots with delicate R&B odes to relationship woes, Yahir Saldivar is employing a similar trick with his new viral hit “SC-9.” 

Over a jaunty cumbia arrangement, Saldivar croons of his guns, his gangster nickname (Scorpion 9) and gang life in general. The track’s accompanying music video features him and his buddies dancing along to infectious instrumental while toting guns, bottles of liquor and bulletproof vests. Released last month (Feb. 1), “SC-9” has enjoyed a slow burn that started to speed up once the music video started making the rounds on TikTok. During the week of Feb. 23-29, “SC-9” pulled just over 370,000 official on-demand U.S. streams. That marks a whopping 769% jump to over 3.2 million streams four weeks later (March 15-21). 

On TikTok, “SC-9”soundtracks over 30,000 posts, most of which feature girls flaunting their quinceañera gowns, users showing off what makes them Mexican, TikTokers dancing along. One especially viral video – which does not use the official “SC-9” — sound amassed over 4.6 million views. In the video, the user captions a clip of the “SC-9” music video with “POV: the song and video [don’t] match.” Needless to say, Spanish speakers corrected the user in the comment, explaining that video and lyrics are perfect in sync with one another. 

Already at No. 2 on Spotify USA’s Viral 50 chart, “SC-9” could very well find some Billboard chart success should its momentum continue. 

March Synch Madness Lifts Terrance Martin & Ludacris Songs

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Speaking of Future: His favorite season, March Madness, is in full swing across roughly 40% of the channels on your cable dial. For those who are still watching the NCAA men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments the old-school way – and not, say, through an app or web browser you’re barely disguising from your co-workers and/or college professors – you’ve likely seen a couple commercials (maybe more often by now than you’d prefer) that have had fans Shazaming and streaming the songs that soundtrack them by the thousands. 

Apple’s recent iPhone 15 Storage ad features a man browsing through pictures of people his phone, all of which are singing to him in the heavily vocodered voice of Terrace Martin’s “Don’t Let Go” – essentially begging him not to delete them. The slightly disconcerting spot has sent official on-demand U.S. streams soaring for Martin’s song, with it lifting from a negligible number of streams over the March 16-18 period to over 32,000 streams in the same period the following week (March 23-25), according to Luminate, following incessant airing of the ads during tourney games. Similarly, Ludacris’ 2004 rager “Get Back” is also up, thanks to a much-played Nissan ad featuring several college mascots blasting it in their Rogue – lifting 21% to 188,000 streams over that same period. 

One NCAA-featured commercial song that isn’t way up this week? Christina Aguilera’s “What a Girl Wants.” Perhaps listening to Oklahoma City Thunder stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren warbling AT&T-sloganfied versions of that pop classic’s chorus isn’t exactly doing the original version any favors for viewers. – ANDREW UNTERBERGER

Q&A: Chissy Nkemere, Rock, Alternative & Catalog Artist Partnerships at Spotify, on What’s Trending Up in Her World

What led to the rebranding of Spotify’s flagship rock playlist?

In recent years, rock music and the culture that surrounds it has experienced a revival that spans generations, subgenres and disparate music cultures alike. In rebranding Spotify’s global rock flagship playlist, we sought to reinvest in and more accurately reflect the genre’s progression. It’s an exciting time for rock listeners of course, but also for pop culture as a whole, which is experiencing rock’s influence in a new way!

Over time, rock has evolved beyond its previous definitions and MARROW is Spotify’s response: it mirrors what connects with and drives alternative youth culture. It is a reflection of the limitless trajectory of the genre and community as well as the vibrancy and diversity of the music.

Searches for phrases like “rock music” and “alt/rock” have recently exploded on Spotify. What do you think is causing that increased interest?

What I love about this resurgence in rock is the curiosity around it. Rock has always existed as an outlet of emotion — a place where we can put and express the full range of our emotions without seeking approval from society at large. There’s a general angst in our culture right now that’s starting to reach younger generations as well, and with that, a large part of youth culture is searching for what else is out there. In those searches, they’re finding and building communities that they haven’t experienced before. It hasn’t mattered when certain songs or albums were released, or what artists are current or legacy — we as a collective, are consuming and creating sounds that can be reminiscent of past generations or entirely new.

Which trend in new rock music is most interesting to you, and that you hope MARROW highlights?

The resurgence in nu metal is so exciting for me personally. I grew up in the golden age of this era, and seeing Gen Z consume & create what feels like an aural homebase for me has been fun to say the least. MARROW will definitely continue to follow this trend!

Which rock song or artist will have surprising growth over the next six months?

Amira Elfeky is one of my favorite new artists. She released her first song last summer and has steadily gained a following that we’ve been keeping an eye on. I’m keen to watch what she does with the release of her first EP and her upcoming tour schedule this spring and summer! – J.L.

Season’s Gainings: A St. Patrick’s Day Bump for Irish Artists

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Feels a lot longer ago at this point, but St. Patrick’s Day came and went just a week and a half ago, with the annual March 17 holiday falling on a Sunday this year. Perhaps the weekend inspired even greater revelry than usual for those celebrating, as it inspired some major bumps in listening for Irish artists compared to the prior Sunday, including for Sinéad O’Connor (up 73% in official on-demand streams to 306,000), Van Morrison (up 22% to 1.9 million), U2 (up 43% to 1.8 million) and The Cranberries (up 45% to just over 2 million). And then of course, there was a particularly massive gain for the St. Patrick’s anthem to end ‘em all: the Dropkick Murphys’ “I’m Shipping Up to Boston,” which posted over 960,000 St. Patrick’s Day streams – even entering the top 50 on Spotify’s Daily Top Songs USA chart. – A.U.

Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up column, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip.  This week: Sexyy Red is once again the “Get-It” girl for the early year, while a risng Justin Timberlake tide lifts all *NSYNC and a Milwaukee rap phenom scores his first viral TikTok hit.

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Sexyy Red Continues to ‘Get It’ Into 2024

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There was little question that Sexyy Red was one of the breakout rappers of 2023, with her “Pound Town,” “SkeeYee” and “Lookin’ for the Hoes” all proving viral sensations and her Hood’s Hottest Princess album demonstrating that she could keep up that single-level excitement for a full LP. But for all her success last year, Sexyy still hasn’t reached the top half of the Hot 100 with any of her own singles; her lone appearance in that region of the chart to date has come with her appearance (along with SZA) on Drake’s “Rich Baby Daddy,” a No. 11-peaking hit that spent 22 weeks on the listing before finally falling off this week.

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That might change next week with the debut of Sexyy Red’s new single, “Get It Sexyy,” released through Open Shift/gamma. The song, another collab with “Pound Town” producer Tay Keith, had been teased extensively on TikTok before its release on Friday (March 15), and also benefitted from the rapper’s internet-conquering performance at Rolling Loud over the weekend. With its riotous beat and shout-along hook, the song immediately took off on streaming, even rising to the No. 1 spot on Apple Music’s realtime chart on Saturday. The song racked up 8.4 million official on-demand U.S. streams in its first four days of release (March 15-18), according to Luminate, while climbing in streams from Sunday to Monday, implying that it may still only be gathering steam as a hit.

The song will likely make its debut on next week’s Hot 100 (dated March 30), and seems all but certain to pass the No. 62-peaking “SkeeYee” for the rapper’s biggest hit on the chart date — suggesting that even after her impressive 2023, things are only going to get Sexyy-er in hip-hop in 2024. – ANDREW UNTERBERGER

*NSYNC’s Surprise Reunion (And New Song) Boost Boy Band’s Back Catalog

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If “Better Place,” last year’s *NSYNC single for the Trolls Band Together soundtrack, was a delightful new treat after more than two decades without any music from the best-selling boy band, fans of the quintet are downright feasting this week. Not only do *NSYNC diehards have a sprawling new album from Justin Timberlake, Everything I Thought It Was, but that 77-minute opus also includes another new *NSYNC track, the heartfelt ballad “Paradise.” Plus, Timberlake brought out JC Chasez, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick at his pre-release Los Angeles show last Wednesday night (Mar. 13), for a surprise mini-set of *NSYNC hits like “Girlfriend” and “It’s Gonna Be Me.”

Naturally, the combination of the new track on Timberlake’s album and unexpected reunion gave *NSYNC’s full discography a healthy boost on streaming services last week. In the three days following the Los Angeles performance (Mar. 14-16), *NSYNC’s catalog earned 3.9 million on-demand U.S. streams — a figure that’s nearly 25% higher than the same period during the prior three days (3.1 million streams from Mar. 11-13), according to Luminate. No word on *NSYNC’s future from here, but with Timberlake beginning a world tour next month, let’s hope the boy band makes a few more appearances together before saying “Bye Bye Bye” for a while. – JASON LIPSHUTZ

Milwaukee Rapper J.P. Puts on for the Midwest With Viral Hit “Bad Bitty” 

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Milwaukee has something to say. As hip-hop continues its love fest with the danceable bounce of Jersey club and later iterations of New York drill, Milwaukee rapper J.P. is injecting some Midwest flair into the conversation. His breakout single, “Bad Bitty,” collected 1.2 million official on-demand U.S. streams during the period of March 8-14, according to Luminate. That’s a whopping 170% increase in streaming activity from the 440,000 streams the song earned three weeks earlier, during the period of Feb. 16-22. “Bad Bitty” has increased in streams every week for the past three weeks, jumping nearly 75% between Feb. 16-22 and Feb. 23-29, and increasing a further 38% between March 8-14 and March 1-7. 

The Milwaukee rapper’s song has been exploding on TikTok for the past two weeks thanks to an aggressive campaign from the artist that includes intense fan engagement, simple head-bobbing choreography, and a meme involving the “noooo” ad-libs in the song’s chorus. In an interview with DJ Jerry, JP explained that he laid the foundation for “Bad Bitty” by beating the algorithm at its own game. As fellow Milwaukee emcee 414BigFrank scored his own viral hit with “Eat Her Up,” J.P. would make videos to that song while slowly trickling in videos featuring snippets of the then-unreleased “Bad Bitty.” Eventually, TikTok users flooded his comment section begging him to drop the full song, resulting in the track’s Feb. 9 street date. 

To further stoke the flames of virality, J.P.’s sexuality also became a hot topic on TikTok following a resurfaced picture of what appears to be him cozied up in matching pajamas with another man. Unsurprisingly, in typical Gen Z fashion, a majority of users could not care less and J.P.’s sexuality, taking the time to make separate TikTok posts pledging their allegiance to the rapper. Furthermore, J.P. himself commented on the situation during a TikTok live, saying, “I don’t like n—as, I just tapped that n—a.” The “controversy” has proven to be nothing but good press for both J.P. and “Bad Bitty,” underscoring a changing tide in younger generation’s attitude towards male rappers exploring their sexuality — and racking up a viral hit in the process. – KYLE DENIS

Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up newsletter, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip.  This week: Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine rises on streaming, the Oscars give new life to a pair of Barbie hits, a Masego favorite gets the TikTok fancam treatment and more.

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Ariana Grande’s ‘Eternal Sunshine’ Is Brightening Up on Streaming — And Helping Another ‘Boy Is Mine’

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Ariana Grande is in for a big upcoming week on the Billboard charts, as the pop superstar is aiming for her sixth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 with Eternal Sunshine, as well as a splashy Billboard Hot 100 debut for the album’s second single, “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love).” 

Eternal Sunshine rebounded on streaming platforms on Monday (Mar. 11) following its release on the previous Friday and a slight dip over the weekend: the full-length earned 29.32 million official U.S. on-demand streams on Monday, up 17% from the previous day’s total, according to Luminate. And “We Can’t Be Friends” — which Grande is trying to guide to the top of the Hot 100, after lead single “Yes, And?” debuted there in January — is a big part of that streaming uptick, with 4.93 million streams on Monday (up 23% from Sunday).

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Speaking of Hot 100 chart-toppers, Brandy and Monica’s iconic 1998 R&B smash “The Boy Is Mine” is benefitting from Grande’s song of the same name, which references the original, on Eternal Sunshine. Grande has talked about how she has “always wanted to re-imagine” the Brandy-Monica back-and-forth, and now, the song that inspired her own “The Boy Is Mine” is enjoying a little streaming revival of its own.

From Mar. 8-10, Brandy and Monica’s “The Boy Is Mine” earned 587,000 streams — up 18% from the previous week’s Friday-to-Sunday tracking period, according to Luminate. Of course, Grande’s new “The Boy Is Mine” is collecting far more plays (8.3 million from Mar. 8-10), but for a new generation of rhythmic pop fans, it’s not hard to see that “The Boy” is still fine. – JASON LIPSHUTZ

‘Barbie’ Hits Are “Made For” Oscar Bumps 

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It’s been a long awards season for Billie Eilish and brother Finneas, with the O’Connell duo picking up trophies at the Golden Globes (best original song), the Grammys (song of the year and best song written for visual media) and now also the Oscars (best original song) for their hit Barbie ballad “What Was I Made For?” The song, which Billie and Finneas also performed at the Sunday ceremonies – and which was also featured in a Saturday Night Live sketch the night before the Academy Awards – got one final victory lap bump from its big Sunday win. It notched 2.2 million official on-demand U.S. streams and over 5,300 digital song sales across Sunday and Monday (Mar. 10-11), according to Luminate – gains of 27% and 704%, respectively, over the equivalent periods the previous week. 

It wasn’t the only Barbie song to get some post-Oscars love. “I’m Just Ken,” which brought film co-star Ryan Gosling to the Hot 100 for the first time last summer, was also nominated at the awards, and received an elaborately staged, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes-referencing live performance that was very well received by viewers. Streams and sales of the song unsurprisingly exploded afterwards, with “Ken” scoring over nearly 417,000 streams and over 900 digital song sales over Mar. 10-11, gains of 176% and over 2,000%, respectively. 

The other three songs nominated for best original song and performed at the Academy Awards also saw bumps over the same periods – although to still relatively modest totals. Becky G’s “The Fire Inside” from Flamin’ Hot earned 23,000 streams (up 491% from the previous week), while Jon Batiste’s “It Never Went Away” from American Symphony earned 28,000 (up 213%) and the Osage Tribal Singers’ “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)” from Killers of the Flower Moon earned 14,000 (up 702%). – ANDREW UNTERBERGER

Fancam Phenomenon Lifts Masego’s “Tadow” to New Streaming Heights 

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In the same way Jacob Elordi fancams – video montages made in appreciation of a given subject – helped give Flume and Kai’s “Never Be Like You” a streaming bump, an even wider selection of fancams is doing the same for Masego and FJK’s “Tadow.” 

Originally released in 2017 as the lead single to his debut studio album, Lady Lady, “Tadow” collected 1.75 million official on-demand U.S. streams during the week of Feb. 23-29, according to Luminate. That marked a 93.6% increase from just over 900,000 srteams during the week of Feb. 16-22. In the first week of March, streaming activity for “Tadow” jumped a further 35% from the week prior to a total of 2.37 million streams. 

Despite the standoff between UMG and TikTok, users are still finding ways to circulate their favorite songs on the platform. Several individual fan-uploaded sounds that contain the first verse of “Tadow” soundtrack viral clips on the platform. A “Tadow”-backed fancam of Tom Holland earned seven million views, one for Rodrick from Diary of a Wimpy Kid pulled over two million, one dedicated to Scarlett Johansson pulled 12.2 million views, and one inspired by Jujutsu Kaisen character Satoru Goju received a whopping 25.5 million views. 

Although it’s been out for over half a decade, “Tadow” has appeared on just one Billboard chart: In 2020, the track peaked at No. 19 on Adult R&B Airplay (chart dated Nov. 14, 2020). Should these fancams continue to spur streaming gains, “Tadow” could experience a renaissance on the charts. – KD

Twitch Streamer Sketch Boosts King Hendrick$ Breakout Hit 

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From Kai Cenat to Adin Ross, Twitch streamers have been having a slow-burning but considerable impact on the music scene in recent years. Twitch streamer Sketch (aka user @thesketchreal) — who boasts 368,000 followers on the platform – is the latest example of this trend. 

After playing (and turning up to) Houston rapper King Hendrick$’s “Leaving the Lot” on a Feb. 14 stream, the swaggering trap-indebted single pulled just under 500,000 official on-demand U.S. streams during the week of Feb. 16-22, its first week on streaming platforms. The following week (Feb. 23-29), stream activity for “Leaving the Lot” ballooned by 175% to 1.37 million streams. For the first week of March, the track continued to rise, growing a further 32% to over 1.8 million streams. 

Since that initial stream, Sketch – who specializes in streaming himself chatting and playing video games like Madden and Fortnite – has continued to bump “Leaving the Lot,” resulting in more viral clips featuring the track across other social media platforms such as TikTok and Twitter. Hendrick$ even shared a clip of Sketch playing the track to his official YouTube page. That clip has already amassed over 43,000 views in three weeks, eclipsing the view count of four of Hendrick$’s five most recent music videos. 

With just one month of availability under its belt, King Hendrick$ just might have a serious hit on his hands – and its success might legitimize Sketch as a tastemaker in the process. In the meantime, Hendrick$ has already put out a new song, “Special Teams Anthem,” that shouts out Sketch: “Yeah, I could probably play for the Texans, but I still’d be on jets/ Catch a plane and never take my jersey off, I feel like Sketch,” he spits. – KD

Q&A: Emily Cohen Belote, Principal Music Programmer at Amazon Music, on What’s Trending Up In Her World

The past 12 months have been gigantic for country music’s growth. What do you think is the leading cause for this boom?

The 2023 end-of-year Luminate study said it — and I totally agree. Younger fans are helping country to grow at streaming, and artists like Morgan Wallen, Amazon Music 2023 Breakthrough artist Bailey Zimmerman, and Zach Bryan are leading this streaming charge. Gen Z country listeners are 48% more likely to discover music via music and video streaming than the average Gen Z listener. That just shows the true power in country music fandom, and why having that direct-to-fan connection for artists is so powerful and meaningful for our business.

Which in country music is most interesting to you?

I am enjoying this really raw and authentic era in country music. Artists like Sam Barber, Mae Estes, Dylan Gossett and Wyatt Flores are creating music that is emotional and emotive, and speaks to real-life experiences that fans want to hear and devour right now. These artists are not beholden to being a specific kind of country musician or making a specific kind of country music that fits into a box. They’re inspired by different sounds and artists, and that inspiration creates a unique country sound all their own.

As more non-country artists like Beyoncé and Post Malone dabble with country projects and collaborations, how is curation of Amazon Music’s country properties affected?

Beyoncé and Post Malone have a history of expressing their love for country music, so it’s totally understandable that they would be creating country projects. My job is to find and play the best in country music, and if Beyoncé and Post Malone are creating country music our customers love, then they’ll make it into the programming that I oversee.

Which country song or artist will have surprising growth over the next six months?

I really feel that Dylan Gossett is going to make a major mark on 2024. There’s a big reason why he’s one of our 2024 Breakthrough Artists to Watch. He’s got the songs, the musicianship, and he’s done a pretty incredible job of connecting with his fans in a truly organic way. I also think he has a unique and fresh lyrical perspective. I mean, the line, “pressure makes diamonds, how the hell am I still coal?” is pretty unforgettable. I am genuinely excited to hear any and all new music from Dylan, and can’t wait to see him on the road this year.

Season’s Gainings: The Notorious B.I.G. Up 100,000s in Streams on Death Anniversary

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The date of March 9 is burned into the brain of most longtime hip-hop fans, as the date in 1997 when Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. The Notorious B.I.G., was tragically murdered in Los Angeles. While tributes pour in annually to the all-time great on the day every year since, so too do fans head to streaming services for their own personal remembrances: Biggie’s catalog was up nearly 300,000 official on-demand U.S. streams from the previous Saturday to over 2.8 million on March 9, according to Luminate – an 11% gain in total. – AU

Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up column, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip.

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This week: A much-shared fan reaction to a Taylor Swift Eras performance results in big gains for the ballad in question, an unusual pop artist goes viral in an even more unusual way and we may have the first post-Beyoncé hoedown hit.

Taylor Swift’s ‘Exile’ Sees Uptick Following Swiftie’s Viral Reaction Video

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For nearly a year, the surprise songs performed each night on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour have provoked a wide spectrum of reactions — from elation from those in attendance who happened to hear their favorite song performed during their tour stop, to heartache from those who missed an unforgettable moment. Madison Blackband, a 20-year-old Australian Swiftie, ended up producing an unforgettable moment herself last week, when she took video of herself and two friends outside of Swift’s performance in Sydney on Feb. 25.

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The Brisbane native posted a TikTok of herself hearing the opening notes of the Folklore track “Exile,” which caused her to double over into her friend’s arms and collapse in sobs; the caption read, “My reaction to Taylor singing Exile (also known as the song that saved my life).” The overwhelming emotion in the clip went viral, with over 10 million TikTok views and countless memes re-creating the drama. And in the week that followed, “Exile” experienced an increase in streams, as fans just had to hear what exactly was in that Bon Iver duet that made that Swiftie crumple in tears.

In the three days before the video posted (Feb. 22-24), “Exile” earned 1.12 million official on-demand U.S. streams — but the following three days (Feb. 25-27), that number rose to 1.30 million streams, an increase of 16%, according to Luminate. As for Blackband, she’s taking the viral moment in stride: “There’s no point letting it upset me,” she told Rolling Stone last week. “I reacted the way I reacted.” – JASON LIPSHUTZ

Viral X Ad Transforms Julie Ragbeer from Unknown to Rising Streaming Phenom 

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Most people are aware of the power and reach of platforms like X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram. Most people are also aware of how influential advertising can be. Few can say they would have predicted that a paid ad on a sizable pop culture X account would transform a New Jersey college student from bedroom crooner to certified streaming star. 

On Feb. 22, Pop Tingz – an X account focused on covering pop culture that boasts over 166,000 followers – shared a promotional post for Julie Ragbeer with the caption, “[Julie Ragbeer] reminisces with her 19-year-old experiences in her new debut album.” At press time, the tweet has garnered over 13,000 likes and 11.4 million views on the platform. While these kinds of X accounts have shared promotional posts for little-known independent artists in the past, the bizarreness of the Ragbeer ad (at the time her account was private and followed by just 100 people) coupled with the undeniable, tongue-in-cheek allure of songs like the funky “Older Guys” resulted in genuine streaming gains for the nascent social media star. 

According to Luminate, Ragbeer’s independently released catalog – which consists of one LP, two EPs and two standalone singles – received a negligible number of official on-demand U.S. streams during the week of Feb. 16-22. In the week immediately following the X post (Feb. 23-29), streaming activity for Ragbeer’s catalog ballooned by a whopping 34,630% to over 80,000 streams. On Spotify, “Mary Whiton Calkins” — a tribute to the early 1900s American philosopher and psychologist whose worked focused on researching memories and dreams — ranks as Ragbeer’s most popular track, with over 50,000 streams on the platform. 

While it remains to be seen whether she can bottle up her virality and create a lasting career, the Pop Tingz-spurred phenomenon of Julie Ragbeer is just the latest example of the power of the Internet. — KYLE DENIS

Dasha Scores the Year’s Second Boot-Stomping Texas-Themed Country-Pop Hit

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The rising wave from Beyoncé’s country crossover smash “Texas Hold ‘Em” keeps lifting boats from all over — and the latest beneficiary might be San Luis Obispo, Calif.-born singer/songwriter Dasha. Now based out of Nashville, Dasha has been trying to make it in country music, and last year released the lovelorn single “Austin,” sounding a little like a more honky-tonk-ready spin on Halsey’s 2020 hit “You Should Be Sad.” But its stomp-clapping giddy-up groove also shares more than a little DNA with “Hold ‘Em” — and with that song becoming one of the early year’s defining hits, “Austin” has begun to take off as well.

The song of course has done exceptionally well on TikTok — where Dasha now has nearly 300,000 followers and calls herself country-without-the-“o” on her bio page — particularly as part of a line dance trend started by the singer-songwriter. For the tracking week ending Feb. 15, which Beyoncé released “Hold ‘Em” midway through, “Austin” had exploded from 82,000 official on-demand U.S. streams the week before to over 830,000, according to Luminate, a gain of 916%. The next week, which also included the Feb. 16 release of Dasha’s independently released full-length country debut album What Happens Now? the song kept rocketing upwards, growing another 182% to over 2.3 million streams. For the most recent week, ending Feb. 29, the song has slowed a little but is still climbing, now up another 32% to over 3.1 million streams.

Will “Austin” also become a Lone Star State-sized pop hit in the months to come? We’ll see, but it’s clear that even with Beyoncé’s sizeable presence understandably commanding the most attention, there’s still plenty of room for other artists on the honky-tonk dancefloor in 2024. — ANDREW UNTERBERGER

Welcome to Billboard Pro‘s Trending Up newsletter, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip.

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This week: Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour kickoff leads to gains for both her and her opening act, the new Tyler Perry movie spurs streams for sexy R&B jams new and old, the latest viral country star takes off on TikTok and much more.

Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts Tour Kickoff Boosts Her Streaming Numbers — and Chappell Roan’s, Too

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Last Friday (Feb. 23), Olivia Rodrigo set forth on her second career headlining tour, and first arena run, as the Guts World Tour kicked off at the Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs. Fans inside the arena and soaking up the online clips pored over her setlist choices, discussed her visual stylings and wardrobe changes, and bemoaned her lack of cover songs a la the Sour Tour (bring back some Veruca Salt, Olivia!); they also, naturally, listened to a whole lot of Rodrigo’s music, as well as that of the rising pop favorite opening on the first leg of the trek.

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Last weekend (Feb. 24-25), Rodrigo’s catalog earned 19.62 million official U.S. on-demand streams — up 24% from the prior weekend before the tour launch (15.78 million during Feb. 17-18), according to Luminate. Guts standouts “Bad Idea Right?” (which opened Rodrigo’s show) and “Get Him Back!” (which closed it out) enjoyed some of the biggest individual upticks, with “Idea” up 27% to 1.23 million streams last weekend and “Back” up 29% to 1.21 million, respectively.

Meanwhile, Chappell Roan, the innovative art-pop auteur opening for Rodrigo across North America over the next month, also saw increased interest in her music, as previously unfamiliar Rodrigo fans watched Roan take the arena stage. The 26-year-old’s streaming catalog enjoyed a 32% bump during the first weekend of the tour, from 941,000 streams during Feb. 17-18 to 1.24 million streams during Feb. 24-25. Opening acts don’t always experience such notable streaming gains as fans are filing in to their arena seats, but on a tour as in-demand as the Guts run, everybody wins. – JASON LIPSHUTZ

Tyler Perry’s Kelly Rowland-Led ‘Mea Culpa’ Spurs Streaming Boosts for Sultry Soundtrack Songs

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Tyler Perry’s latest film, Mea Culpa, which stars Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper Kelly Rowland and award-winning actor Trevante Rhodes, hit Netflix last weekend (Feb. 23) amid a flurry of online chatter. Written and directed by Perry, the film follows Rowland as a criminal defense attorney tasked with representing a man accused of killing his girlfriend. With a soundtrack that plays on the film’s dark, sultry overtones, it’s no surprise that several Mea Culpa syncs have experienced significant streaming boosts.

In terms of the classics, a pair of all-time covers — Issac Hayes’ “Walk on By” and Isley Brothers‘ “Hello, It’s Me” — both posted strong gains. Hayes’ track jumped 113% in streaming activity, from 30,000 on-demand U.S. audio steams during the weekend preceding Mea Culpa’s release (Feb. 17-19) to over 61,000 streams in the weekend following the film’s debut (Feb. 24-26), according to Luminate. Similarly, “Hello, It’s Me” collected 25,000 streams during Feb. 17-19, marking a 70% increase to 44,000 streams during Feb. 24-26.

As for the contemporary tunes, tracks from Sabrina Claudio and BANKS both earned eye-popping gains. During Feb 17-19, Claudio’s “Unravel Me” — which dropped back in 2017 – garnered 51,000 official on-demand U.S. streams. That figure jumped by 105% to 105,000 streams during Feb. 24-26. BANKS’ “And I Drove You Crazy” – a cut from the deluxe edition of Goddess, her acclaimed 2014 debut LP – posted an eye-popping 1,984% increase from 2,500 official on-demand U.S. streams (Feb. 17-19) to over 50,000 streams the following weekend (Feb 24-26).

Even if audiences and critics are less than enamored with Perry’s latest offering, they’re still running to stream the songs they encountered during their viewing experience. – KYLE DENIS

Tucker Wetmore Turns “Wine Into Whiskey” Into Viral Breakout

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Morgan Wallen was one of the first country stars to successfully make TikTok teasing a major part of his marketing strategy, so it’s only fitting that his followers should experience their breakout moments the same way. After Bailey Zimmerman followed the Wallen game plan and sound to crossover success in 2022 and 2023, now comes Tucker Wetmore, a Washington-born singer-songwriter who also borrows a heavy dose of Wallen’s twang, trappy production and proclivity for alcohol-soaked laments – and now also may poised for similar virality.

Wetmore had been teasing new single “Wine Into Whiskey” since a December TikTok clip where he offered, “I’m a little hungover, but I just got this demo back for this song, and it goes…. so hard,” before lip syncing along to the song’s moody first minute. Nearly five million plays of the clip later, Wetmore finally released the song independently to DSPs and online retailers last Friday (Feb. 23). The response was immediate: “Wine” has already racked up over three million on-demand U.S. audio streams from Friday to Monday (Feb. 26), along with over 5,000 in digital song sales, according to Luminate – both eye-popping numbers for an artist with little established chart history.

The early consumption has “Wine Into Whiskey” poised to make a Hot 100 debut next week – and then it seems like only a matter of time before country radio wraps its arms around it. In other words, expect to hear a lot more of Wetmore in the months to come. – ANDREW UNTERBERGER

GC Eternal’s “Back It Up and Dump It” Sustains Sizable Streaming Gains Following A Pair of Viral TikTok Trends

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The impact of stomp-and-shake cheerleading on TikTok dance trends has been overlooked for some time now, but the sustained virality of GC Eternal’s “Back It Up and Dump It” is pushing the Black cheerleading style to center stage.

According to Luminate, “Back It Up and Dump It (Dump Truck)” — which features Kinfolk Thugs – logged over 650,000 official on-demand U.S. streams during the week of Feb. 16-22. That’s a whopping 129% increase from around 435,000 streams two weeks prior (Feb. 2-8). Several dance trends have contributed to the song’s virality over the past few months. In fact, for the past two weeks the song has increased by over 50% in streaming activity.

Last fall, a two-step-rooted dance trend picked up steam on the platform to the first chorus of the song. More recently, a stomp and shake routine choreographed to the very beginning of the song has taken TikTok by storm. Created by TikTok user @mad0bout.miaaaaaaa, the latest “Dump Truck” dance has helped the song amass just under 300,000 posts on the platform. Mia’s routine – which has earned 1.7 million views and nearly 270,000 likes – errs more on the side of traditional stomp and shake than the current wave of Jersey-inspired TikTok dance combinations.

Although GC Eternal’s track is over ten years old, it’s still connecting with contemporary audiences through a combination of its catchy hook, groovy production, and focus on one of TikTok’s favorite pastimes: admiring a nice backside. – KD

Q&A: Todd Sherman, Director of Product Management at YouTube Shorts, on What’s Trending Up in His World

Can you walk us through the genesis of YouTube Shorts and how it’s become such a primary focus for the company?

In the early days of short-form video you could get the sense from Vine, Dubsmash and Musically that this format empowered new creators and also enabled viewers to watch video at times they might not have before. So to meet the needs of today’s increasingly mobile viewer and creator, four years ago we introduced YouTube Shorts, which make it easier to watch and create short-form content on the platform. And in just a few short years, we’ve seen creators and artists use them to drive fandom, subscribers and express themselves in new ways.

Today, YouTube Shorts is averaging over 70 billion daily views and the number of channels uploading Shorts has grown 50% year over year. That’s tremendous growth and something we’re really proud of. But we still consider ourselves at the beginning of this journey and we’re taking our learnings from nearly 20 years in the video business to make sure we do this right by our creators, artists, advertisers and fans.

You can now use Shorts to remix music videos. What have you noticed thus far with how users are playing around with these new tools?

It’s still early days, but one thing I’ve noticed is the sheer breadth of our music video library on YouTube for fans to play with and enjoy. Short-form video is often inherently creative, collaborative and interactive, so we knew the ability to Remix a Music Video would help fans unlock even more ways to connect and get creative with their favorite artists and their music on YouTube. Remix is available across all YouTube videos, not only Shorts. For the first time, fans can discover deep catalog cuts from their favorite artists and relive those moments by remixing them as their own.

Which songs/artists that are trending on Shorts are most intriguing to you?

So a few weeks back Karol G dropped her new single ”Contigo” — which of course, in itself is incredible — but she took it a step further and delivered her fans a special experience through Shorts and across the platform. The night started with the music video premiere, was followed by a Premium afterparty and then the first #KarolGContigo Short where she encouraged fans to celebrate and show LOVE. In the Short, participants show themselves alone, then as soon as “Contigo”’ sounds in the background, someone or something they love appears with them. We are really excited about the momentum we are seeing so far!

Now, I think what’s special here, and unique to YouTube, is that very real connection that lives on our platform between artists and their fans. This Short gave a way for her global fanbase to not only enjoy her new music video but also create something of their own to be part of her world and her moment. We always strive to build products that help people be their most creative so it’s amazing to see incredible artists like Karol G use them to connect with their fans.

Obviously YouTube is benefiting from having more licensed music available to use in clips, but what do you think is Shorts’ greatest strength as opposed to other short-form video platforms?

To me, the opportunity for artists on YouTube is clear: it’s the interconnected experience between all of the different video formats that allow them to connect with fans in bold new ways. This interplay between Shorts, longform, music and live immerses fans in the vibrant world across all formats. We want to bring fans along a journey of discovering music through Shorts, connecting them deeply to the artists’ music videos, official albums, and then turning them into engaged fans of your artists who lean in and participate. We’re still learning how best to deliver for artists and the industry, and this is an important area of focus for us this year, and we’re doing it in close collaboration with our partners.

What can we expect from the evolution of Shorts over the course of 2024?

We’re focused on making Shorts even more accessible and enjoyable to artists and their fans. YouTube is a place where people can come to build a business but also have fun, be creative, share and connect. So that means continuing to invest in creation tools that make that experience even more seamless, simple and delightful. We’re continuing to improve our recommendations including growing music trends that inspire people to participate. And when people are watching Shorts with music, we want to make it easier for them to connect with the song and artist they love.

We’re also working together with our partners to experiment with AI and its potential to make the creative process easier and more innovative. Overall we hope this work helps artists build a fanbase that feels connected to them in incredible ways. We believe that YouTube really is the best place for every music fan, and we want Shorts to be a part of that. – JL