Artists often rely on the help of social media to get their pieces into the public’s eye. Specifically, musicians use apps like TikTok to offer a new way to make their music mainstream. Trends based on excerpts of songs surface daily on the app. Â
Music by Lizzy McAlpine has recently turned into new trends on TikTok. People have been taking the lyrics of “Spring Into Summer”, a song written about a past relationship, to show viewers how happy their current relationship is. Another trend includes creators reacting to the lyrics of McAlpine’s “Pushing It Down and Praying” as they hear it for the first time. Â
Older, McAlpine’s third studio album, was released almost a year ago on April 5th, 2024. The deluxe edition, Older (and Wiser), was released on October 4th and featured both previously mentioned songs for the first time. Long-time fans of McAlpine who have noticed her music trending call to gatekeep lesser known songs of hers. In various TikToks, fans express displeasure that the songs are being discovered several months after release. Â
Many fans take pride in discovering artists before they become mainstream and therefore feel conflicted when their favorite musicians gain mainstream attention. However, wouldn’t more publicity equate to more support and success for the artist they know deserves it? Social media is, in my opinion, currently the best way for new artists to build a fan base. Trending songs can introduce people online to artists, and thus their entire discography. Â
McAlpine has had her share of trending songs and mainstream success, yet she isn’t as popular as I believe she should be. Trends often focus on one song from an album and not the album as a whole. “Ceilings”, from McAlpine’s sophomore album Five Seconds Flat, was trending a couple of years ago. This album has other amazing songs that are lesser known, like “All My Ghosts” and “Chemtrails”. I believe the biggest downside with trending songs is that many listeners don’t explore an artist’s full discography. Often, if they like the trending song, they will add it to a playlist without delving deeper into the artist’s work. Â
“Ceilings” was the song that introduced me to Lizzy McAlpine and I’ve been listening to her ever since. Older (and Wiser) has been playing non-stop since it came out. It deserves so much love, and I highly recommend listening to it. McAlpine is a very talented artist and all of her songs are emotionally charged and beautifully written. Without trends working to make songs mainstream, I never would have discovered one of my favorite artists to date.