Social media has been a prevalent aspect of our lives, especially for Millennials and Gen Z’ers; from the origins of social media, to the way it is today, we’ve practically been through it all. Mostly, social media is used to update your friends on your life, brag about your latest venture, or update family without any actual personal interactions. But, there are some people who make it their career.
Instagram was the true start of this “influencer” career, and it’s really stemmed off since then. With the latest app, TikTok, influencers are emerging from left and right. Now, many of these influencers have become a household name. But many of these “internet celebrities” know that this phase in their lives aren’t going to last forever. Some start their own clothing/merch brands, some get into makeup collaborations, but the latest venture for many influencers (especially ones on TikTok) has been to get into the music industry. Is it for the money, or are some of these influencers actually good?
Before I talk about more recent TikTok stars starting their music careers, we can’t forget those from other social media outlets that tried this method, too. From YouTubers, such as Shane Dawson, to original Myspace influencers, such as Jeffree Star, there have been many people who use social media to begin a music career. Usually, when I hear any of this kind of music, it’s laughable; I can’t take any of it seriously. Though stars such as Shane Dawson usually made music in a joking manner, people like Jeffree Star took it very seriously. When that career started to flop, Star went into starting a makeup business.
Dixie D’Amelio was the first “viral TikTok star” who started releasing music. Her first song, called “Be Happy,” spoke about how she just doesn’t want to be happy sometimes; she occasionally just wants to lay in bed and “be sad,” which I can usually relate to. She tries to emphasize that her life isn’t as perfect as it may seem. Whenever I hear this song, it’s usually because another TikToker is making fun of her for the way she pronounces “but” in the song. Right after the release of her song, she was mocked for at least a couple of weeks over it. I will admit, it is a pretty bad song with a huge lack of content. I get it, people can be sad sometimes (trust me, college exams make me sad all the time), but is this song really necessary? I will say, her voice is actually better than I expected; but maybe I had low expectations. Since then, she has made numerous other songs, including “One Whole Day,” “Roommates,” and “Naughty List,” in which she sang with ex-One Direction star Liam Payne. “Naughty List” was my favorite, simply because Liam Payne is in it. That’s really the only reason.
Another TikTok star singing highlight was the most recent new singer: Addison Rae. When you look her name up on Google, you’ll see that she’s already listed as an “American Singer.” Just recently, she released her brand new song called “Obsessed.” The song itself reminds me of the songs Kim Kardashian made when she attempted her own take on a music career. Like Dixie’s music, it’s repetitive with little meaning and content. I agree that someone should love themselves to their fullest potential, but again, is giving a strong message very cheesy and bland lyrics really giving it justice?
There are a few influencers music that I do actually enjoy, even if they might not be in my typical music genre. Nessa Barett’s voice is beautiful, and kind of reminds me of Billie Eilish. My favorite of hers would have to be her most recent song, “la di die,” which featured Jxdn (TikTok star Jaden Hossler). I feel like Nessa has grown as a person more recently, and truly found herself through her music. Another influencer that I see doing well would have to be Chase Hudson (also known as LilHuddy). Though I don’t particularly listen to his music, he definitely fits the genre he’s trying to get into. With his first couple of releases, he tends to mix alternative, pop, and punk into his songs, which I feel fits with his personality and voice.
I might be judging some influencers’ music a little too harshly, but it’s times like these where I can truly see how unnecessarily strong their convincing and idolizing powers can be. Though I believe that anyone should have the power to change and better our world, why are we giving platforms to people who constantly influence boatloads of drama? On top of that, why are we giving them music careers? I give credit to those who have changed their ways and truly bettered themselves, including Nessa and Chase, but I feel as if the good music is being overshadowed by the bad music being released. Those who release bad music are giving the rest of influencers releasing music a bad reputation.
