Meet Ruby Duff: London based alt pop-artist, front woman of her self-titled music project, and November’s Musixmatch Artist Spotlight!
Last month, Ruby released TikTok Star or “TT Star”, a catchy ear-worm of a song which quickly gained recognition and success on the platform. Let’s take a closer look at TikTok’s role in the music business as well as the brilliant strategy behind Ruby’s track and why it’s so much more than first meets the eye.
For starters, “TT Star” is more than just an extremely catchy tune, it’s a cleverly designed business tactic - a calling card to TikTok itself. Peppered with strategic keywords specifically designed to appear in searches, TT star has lyrics that are interesting enough to serve as artistic social commentary, while general enough to be accepted as the new unofficial corporate anthem.
TikTok has undeniably taken center stage in modern music marketing - despite the industry’s mixed feelings about it. While artists like Lil Nas X found viral fame on the platform and appreciate TikTok’s power to launch careers, other musicians (like Halsey, Doja Cat, and Charli XCX) have spoken out about the never-ending pressure from record labels to create promotional TikTok content.
Top 40 stars like Adele may be able to laugh off their management team’s requests to make TikToks (she famously shut them down with a "Tik-a-Tok-a-Who?"), but most independent artists are caught trying to navigate the demands of a social media-driven music landscape and it's not easy.
It's for that reason that the lyrics of “TT Star” are so special. They serve a duel function of hacking the TikTok algorithm, and framing them in a way which challenges the increasing commodification of musicians.
And the best part? It's working! Just a few weeks after the drop, Ruby's song got picked up by TikTok and made its way onto their Most Popular Songs ‘22 playlist. She even has a custom filter for it now.
@rubyduffmusic NO WAY #ttstar #rubyduff #fyp #foryoupage #foryou #trendingsong #audiotrend #trendingnow #jamal #mw2 #tiktokhalloween #song #fun #kids #influencers #tiktoktime #friday ♬ original sound - Ruby Duff
What can be learned from Ruby and TT star?
At Musixmatch we strive to bridge the worlds of music and data, so we know a smart career move when we see one. Check out the made-to-go-viral song below and don’t forget to explore Ruby’s other music while you’re at it:
@rubyduffmusic I can’t even deal 😂😭❤️ Love that TT Star also know as TikTok Star was added to TikToks very own playlist! #ttstar #rubyduff #newmuiscuk #trendingsong #tiktokviral #viraltrend #StemDrop001 #goodvibes #happy #funny #laughing #playlisting #musicreccomendations #fyp #foryoupage #foryou #fyp #jokes #playlisting ♬ TT Star - Ruby Duff
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