SEARCH DATE RANGE

SEARCH TERM OR WORD

TikTok reveals the Top Artists and Songs of 2025 10 Dec 2025

 
  • Pretty Little Baby by Connie Francis is TikTok's Global Song of the Year
  • Taylor Swift was the Global Most-Saved Artist in 2025
  • Hold My Hand by Jess Glynne is TikTok's UK Song of the Year
  • KATSEYE is TikTok's Global Artist of the Year 
  • Anxiety by Doechii is TikTok's Music Trend of the Year
  • In 2025, 8 out of the 10 Billboard #1s in 2025 had a TikTok viral moment first
  • In 2025, all 13 UK #1s on the Official Charts had a viral moment on TikTok
 

As the home of music discovery, in 2025 TikTok has once again inspired global music trends, written the first chapter of countless artist success stories, and launched viral songs which have gone on to achieve chart success and shaped culture the world over.
In 2025 TikTok and its community of over a billion music fans have proven once again that music starts on TikTok, with TiKTok providing the launchpad for the careers of a host of amazing new artists, including Alex Warren, Ravyn Lenae, sombr and Lola Young.
TikTok has also continued to (re)introduce us to older songs in 2025, with audiences discovering the likes of Breakin' Dishes by Rihanna, Let Down by Radiohead, and Rock That Body by the Black Eyed Peas, with the community often hearing them - and then streaming them - for the first time, thanks to TikTok.
Today, TikTok is pleased to reveal the most popular artists, songs, trends and musical moments among the global TikTok community in 2025. 
 
 
TikTok's Global Artist of the Year is KATSEYE (15m followers), the Los Angeles-based girl group that is taking over the world. With members hailing from the U.S., South Korea, Switzerland and the Philippines, they are a truly global act, and are popular with TikTok fans worldwide.
Despite only forming in 2023, the group has become one of the biggest bands in the world, with over 30 billion views and 12m creations using their music on TikTok this year, and have recently been nominated for their first two Grammy Awards, as well as the TikTok Award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year. 
KATSEYE had multiple viral music moments this year, including with Gnarly, thanks to its infectious lyrics and a global dance trend spearheaded by the group. K-Pop superstars LE SSERAFIM, TOMORROW x TOGETHER and ENHYPEN jumped on the trend, as did Camila Cabelo, driving 2.4m creations and 13.5bn views, giving them their first ever entry on the Billboard Hot 100. 
'Gabriela' also sparked a huge dance trend, going viral with 2.8m creations and 9.9bn video views on TikTok, going on to become a global commercial hit, reaching #7 in the Global Top 50 on Spotify, and being nominated for the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance Grammy Award.
KATSEYE were at the heart of another cultural moment when their collaboration with Gap - soundtracked by Milkshake by Kelis - went viral on TikTok, with the community recreating their now iconic dance from the ad. This clip alone has now driven 151m views - including renditions by Charli D'Amelio and Sienna Mae. 
On learning that they are TikTok's Global Artist of the Year, 2025, KATSEYE commented: "We had an unforgettable year on TikTok, and it was all because of the EYEKONS who showed up for us every single day. You turned our songs, our moments, and our chaos into something truly global, and we are so grateful for this community."
 
 
A decade after its release, Hold My Hand by Jess Glynne became one of the defining cultural moments of 2025 on TikTok, first crowned both the UK and Global Song of the Summer, and now officially the UK Song of the Year. Propelled by the 'Nothing Beats a Jet2 holiday' trend which exploded in popularity, the song sparked a wave of travel edits, celebratory reunions and feel-good POVs that dominated For You Feeds throughout the year. The TikTok community embraced Hold My Hand as their go-to soundtrack for holiday anticipation and shared moments, helping reintroduce the 2015 hit to millions of new listeners.
 
When asked about being crowned TikTok's UK Song of the Year, Jess Glynne said: "Hold My Hand is an incredibly special song to me. When I released it in 2015, I hoped it would resonate with people the same way it did with me when we created it. I always knew there was something special about it. Melodically it's instantly uplifting and catchy, but at its heart, the lyrics are powerful, they are about connection. When you feel alone or vulnerable, or scared or insecure sometimes all it takes is one person to reach out and show they're there. 'Darling hold my hand' is as powerful as it is simple and can mean something different to everyone, but ultimately it's about showing up for one another. The Jet2 campaign has brought a really fun, light-hearted twist to the song, and seeing it become TikTok's song of 2025 ten years after its release has been incredible. It breathed new life into it, and I'm so grateful to see a wave of a new audience now connect with it and learn more about the song, and me. I am incredibly grateful for the journey this song is on."
 
 
More than six decades after its original release in 1962, Pretty Little Baby by the late, great Connie Francis found a new generation of global fans after becoming one of the most viral songs of the year on TikTok. 
The TikTok community embraced the track in their millions, using the sound in over 28.4m times as the perfect soundtrack for wholesome videos featuring family, pets, relationships and flowers, leading to over 68.6bn views. Kylie Jenner's video with her daughter Stormi has been viewed over 132m times alone. 
Connie Francis was a huge success in the 1950s and 1960s, with hits including 'Who's Sorry Now,' 'Stupid Cupid,' and 'Lipstick on Your Collar', and was the first woman ever to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100. However, following its viral moment on TikTok, it was 'Pretty Little Baby' that became Connie Francis' most-streamed song, with over 130m streams on Spotify, spending five weeks on the Billboard Global 200 chart and four weeks on the UK Official Chart this year. 
Connie Francis was delighted by her late-stage career renaissance thanks to TikTok, and even joined the platform in 2025 as a result of Pretty Little Baby going viral. 
In her first post on TikTok, Connie Francis said:"I'm flabbergasted and excited about the huge buzz my 1962 recording of pretty little baby is making all over the world. To think that a song I recorded 63 years ago is captivating new generations of audiences is truly overwhelming for me. Thank you TikTok."
 
 
TikTok's Top 10 US Songs of 2025
  1. Pretty Little Baby - Connie Francis
  2. Hold My Hand - Jess Glynne
  3. WHIM WHAMMIE - PLUTO & YKNIECE
  4. Rock That Body - Black Eyed Peas
  5. Doot Doot (6 7) - Skrilla
  6. We Hug Now - Sydney Rose
  7. No One Noticed - The Marias
  8. Bunna Summa - BunnaB
  9. Anxiety - Doechii
  10. Love Me Not - Ravyn Lenae
 
TikTok's Most-Saved Music of 2025 via 'Add to Music App'
TikTok makes music discovery easy for users with the Add to Music App feature, which helps users save a track or album they discover on TikTok to listen to again and again on music streaming services, such as Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music. TikTok can reveal today that Add to Music App has now been used to save over 3 billion songs to music streaming services, generating billions more streams and driving music into the charts worldwide.
Today, TikTok can reveal that Taylor Swift was the GlobalMost-Saved Artist in 2025 using Add to Music App on TikTok, in a year in which she stunned the world with the release, The Life of a Showgirl. Unsurprisingly, the global community of Swifties on TikTok saved the new album in their millions - both pre-saving it in advance of launch, and saving it upon release - streaming it again and again on music streaming services from the very moment it was available.
The GlobalMost-Saved Track in 2025 was sombr's 'back to friends', which was used in over 7.7m creations and 21.7bn video views, and now has over 1.1bn streams on Spotify, joining the prestigious Spotify Billions Club in October. sombr has been a true TikTok success story, with 'back to friends' first going viral on the platform in early 2025, fuelling its streaming explosion globally, and giving sombr his first entry on the US Billboard Hot 100, and now a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist.
The Global Most-Saved Album was Tate McRae's 'So Close To What', which was released in February, and debuted at #1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. Tate McRae is another TikTok success story, with her single 'Greedy' going viral on TikTok in 2023, and supercharging her career. She now has over 13.5m followers on TikTok, and over 54m monthly listeners on Spotify. 
 
TikTok's Music Trend of the Year - Anxiety by Doechii
'Anxiety' - which features a sample of "Somebody That I Used to Know" by Gotye - was originally uploaded as a demo by Doechii in 2019, but was discovered by the TikTok community in 2025, who called for an official release (here is Doechii explaining the history of Anxiety). Doechii re-recorded Anxiety, which dropped in March 2025, and the rest is history. The track inspired a huge global dance trend, based on an iconic dance from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, with Will Smith recreating the dance with his original cast member Tatyana Ali, in which Doechii herself also appears.
'Anxiety' inspired one of the biggest and most iconic trends of the year on TikTok, generating 10.4m creations and 51.6bn video views, and - thanks to its popularity on TikTok - went on to be a global smash hit off platform, cracking the top 10 in the Billboard Hot 100, and reaching #3 in the UK singles chart, and giving Doechii five Grammy nominations, for: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and Best Music Video.
 
TikTok's Songwriter of the Year - EJAE 
EJAE is a New York City-based songwriter, vocalist, and artist. She is the singing voice of Rumi, the leader of Huntr/x, the girl group featured in the hit movie 'KPop Demon Hunters', and co-wrote many of the songs on the biggest soundtrack of the year. 
EJAE first big breakthrough as a songwriter came in 2019 when she co-wrote 'Psycho' for Red Velvet - a track that helped cement Red Velvet's global reputation and opened the door to more high-profile collaborations. Over the following years she contributed to songs for major K-pop acts such as aespa, TWICE, LE SSERAFIM, Fifty Fifty and many others. 
However, it is EJAE's work on 'KPop Demon Hunters' that has introduced her voice to the world and taken her career stratospheric. EJAE co-wrote the record-breaking single 'Golden', which has been responsible for 9.8m creations and 23.6bn views on TikTok, has topped the Billboard Hot 100 Charts, Billboard Global 200 Chart, and been streamed over a billion times on Spotify. 'KPop Demon Hunters' became the first movie soundtrack to have four songs simultaneously in the Top 10, and the soundtrack's success has helped new fans discover just how much of modern K-pop has been thanks to EJAE. 
 
Commenting on the Top Artists and Songs of 2025, Tracy Gardner, Global Head of Music Business Development at TikTok, said: "TikTok has become the industry's most powerful engine for music discovery, the place where beloved classics find a second life and new voices break through - particularly those of women, who dominated music on TikTok in 2025. KATSEYE became the biggest artist of the year, Connie Francis' 'Pretty Little Baby' was adopted by a new generation, EJAE shone a light on female songwriters, and Doechii went stratospheric - all thanks to the TikTok community, and the power of music discovery on the platform. TikTok connects global audiences to the artists and the music they love, and that ability to spark fandom for every kind of artist and genre is what continues to set us apart."

NEWS & PRESS

08 Jan 2026 | Press release

NTIA calls for transport investment alongside proposed drink drive limit changes

Michael Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association, said: “Road safety has to come first, and the night-time economy absolutely supports efforts to reduce harm and save lives. No venue, operator or community wants to see people injured or killed...more

07 Jan 2026 | Press release

Streamed and retail entertainment sales grew four times faster than UK economy in 2025

Music, video and games revenues up 7.1% to £13.3bn    Streaming services and retailers grew UK revenues from music, video and games by 7.1% in 2025 to a new all-time-record of £13,257.3m, according to interim annual figures published today (January 7) by...more

07 Jan 2026 | Press release

Save the date: Record Store Day - 18 April 2026

Celebrating 19 years of independent record shops and vinyl culture in the UK Record Store Day (RSD) returns on Saturday 18 April 2026 for its 19th edition, celebrating independent record shops and the people who support them. More than 280 UK...more

07 Jan 2026 | Press release

Soundstripe and PopArabia Launch First Sync Camp in Middle East

  Soundstripe, the premier music licensing platform, is collaborating with Abu Dhabi-based independent music company PopArabia to create a series of songwriting camps for MENA based artists and songwriters. The first camp, Soundstripe’s first outside of the US, took place this October in...more

07 Jan 2026 | Press release

Universal Music Group to transform music experience for billions of fans with Nvidia AI

Leveraging NVIDIA AI infrastructure and drawing from the world’s leading music catalog comprising millions of culture-defining tracks, this collaboration aims to pioneer responsible AI for music discovery, creation, and engagement    Universal Music Group (EURONEXT: UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment, announced...more

07 Jan 2026 | Press release

Universal Music Group appoints James Steven as EVP & Chief Communications Officer

  Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment, today announced the appointment of James Steven as its Executive Vice President & Chief Communications Officer. Steven will be responsible for leading the company’s internal and external communications, and oversee the communications...more

07 Jan 2026 | Press release

Warner Chappell Music strikes global publishing deal with Ziggy Alberts

Today, Warner Chappell Music expands its global roster with the signing of Australian singer-songwriter Ziggy Alberts to a worldwide publishing deal. Signed through Warner Chappell Music Australia, the agreement will encompass Alberts’ complete catalogue and future works, with a close collaborative partnership alongside Warner Chappell Music Nashville to support...more

07 Jan 2026 | Press release

IRMA announcement of Ireland’s recorded music consumption data for 2025: “Homegrown talent surges in popularity, propelling another year of solid growth for Ireland’s recorded music market”

Homegrown talent surges in popularity, propelling another year of solid growth for Ireland's recorded music market  Releases from Fontaines DC, CMAT, Kingfishr, Amble, Hozier & Jazzy helped grow the Irish singles market by 7% and albums by 12% in 2025. Irish artists' market share...more

06 Jan 2026 | Press release

Italian annual official music charts 2025 celebrates Italian leadership

YOUNG ACT OLLY DOMINATES ALBUMS AND SINGLES, RAPPER CAPAREZZA TOPS THE PHYSICAL CHART Consumption, records and trends in the Italian music market in 2025 ALL THE CHARTS HERE     The soundtrack of 2025 in Italy is strongly dominated by local music: it’s the result...more

06 Jan 2026 | Press release

Superstition is crowned ‘Your Ultimate Stevie Wonder Song’ by BBC Radio 2 listeners

  BBC Radio 2 listeners have crowned Superstition as their ‘Ultimate Stevie Wonder Song’, following an audience vote from a long list of his 60 most played solo tracks on the station.   The song, taken from Stevie’s 15th studio album Talking Book, was a hit...more

02 Jan 2026 | Press release

Christmas break 2025 - News

News from the break will appeared here from 20 December to 4 January.Most stories have now been moved to the 5 January daily email. ————————————————————NEWS Kylie Minogue scooped the festive No1 single, beating Wham! to the top spot. (Mail, Sun) The vibrant pulse...more

31 Dec 2025 | Press release

New wave of global British breakthrough talent helps UK recorded music grow for 11th consecutive year

  UK recorded music consumption rises to 210 million albums, with over 200 billion audio streams generated for the first time and vinyl sales rising for an 18th consecutive year to keep physical formats in growth. British breakthrough artists including Olivia Dean, Lola...more

30 Dec 2025 | Press release

New Year's Honours list

OBEPhil Patterson, for services to Export and to the Music Industry. Karen Emanuel. Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Key Production Group, for services to Music. CBEComposer Max Richter, for services to Music. MBESinger Ellie Goulding, for services to biodiversity and the climate. Cynthia Erivo,...more

29 Dec 2025 | Press release

Karen Emanuel, Founder and CEO of Key Production Group, Awarded an OBE for Services to Music

    Karen Emanuel named in The King’s 2025 New Year’s Honours List, announced today Karen set up Key Production in 1990 - now the biggest physical music manufacturing agency in Europe, servicing the music industry A significant figure in improving gender imbalances within...more

20 Dec 2025 | Press release

Universal Music Group and Roblox announce strategic agreement to expand creative and commercial music experiences on the platform for artists, labels and fans

Roblox will collaborate with UMG to introduce industry-leading integrations on the platform to music fans and Roblox users globally Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment and Roblox, an immersive gaming and creation platform, today announced a new strategic agreement...more

20 Dec 2025 | Press release

6 exceptional collaborative new music projects supported to tour across the UK and Republic of Ireland through PRS Foundation's Beyond Borders

  PRS Foundation, together with Creative Scotland, Arts Council of Wales, Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Arts Council of Ireland announce the UK and Ireland-based organisations, music groups and composers that will receive funding through the co-commissioning and touring programme Beyond Borders. The...more

19 Dec 2025 | Press release

PRS for Music and IPRS announce groundbreaking new licensing model to launch Apple Fitness+ in India

  PRS for Music and the Indian Performing Right Society (IPRS) have today announced a landmark new licensing model to support the launch of Apple Fitness+ in India. The new initiative marks a significant step forward in how digital music rights are...more

19 Dec 2025 | Press release

North East Music Leader Named On Influential Government Creative Council

  Generator CEO will sit among leading figures from film, TV, design and other creative sectors to champion regional music industry The leader of a North East headquartered music development organisation has been named on an influential Government-led body charged with developing...more

19 Dec 2025 | Press release

‘The Numbers No Longer Add Up’: Half of Night Time Venues Face 50%+ Business Rate Rises as 2026 Operating Costs Become Unsustainable

Britain’s nightclubs, live music venues, and late-night entertainment spaces are warning that 2026 will bring unsustainable operating costs, with nearly half of venues expecting business rates to rise by 50% or more, according to a flash poll of 345 nightlife business operators.  Rising rates...more

19 Dec 2025 | Press release

Universal Music Group and Splice to Collaborate on the Next Generation of AI-powered Music Creation Tools for Artists

Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment, and Splice, the world's most popular music creation platform, have agreed to collaborate on joint exploration of the next generation of AI-powered music creation tools for musical artists. UMG and Splice are...more

18 Dec 2025 | Press release

Global Nightlife Leaders from Over 30 Countries Converge on Liverpool for Night Time Economy Summit 2026

  Liverpool will take centre stage in the global nightlife conversation as night-time economy leaders from more than 30 countries converge on the city for the Night-Time Economy Summit 2026, taking place on 11th and 12th February 2026.  Hosted at Blackstock Market, the two-day Summit...more

18 Dec 2025 | Press release

European Talent Exchange presents final results 2025

ESNS Alumni make international impact across festivals in 2025 European Talent Exchange proudly presents the final results of 2025, a year in which emerging European artists crossed borders at an exceptional pace. Throughout the year, the programme supported 352 shows by 150...more

18 Dec 2025 | Press release

Independent music publishers generated €2.7bn in 2024 globally - up 5.1% YoY

The latest edition of IMPF's Global Market View also confirms that the collective global market share of the independent music publishing community held firm at 26.3% in 2024.   Independent music publishers generated €2.7bn globally in 2024, representing a 5.1% increase year-on-year. The...more

18 Dec 2025 | Press release

PPL distributes £54.3 million to 147,000 performers and recording rightsholders bringing payments in 2025 to £277.7 million

PPL is paying £54.3 million to 147,000 performers and recording rightsholders today, either as direct members of PPL or indirectly through other collective management organisations (CMOs), including over 8,500 first time payees. This final distribution of the year also includes...more

18 Dec 2025 | Press release

Beggars Group

We are pleased to confirm that the shares in the Beggars Group were transferred into a Trust in October 2024. This strategic decision aims to preserve the company's independence and help to ensure continuity over future generations, in the interests...more

18 Dec 2025 | Press release

France’s music publishing market was up 6% in 2024 to €597 million boosted by strong revenues in Digital, Public Performance and Live

The music publishing market in France has posted record revenues of €597 million in 2024, up 6% compared to 2023, according to the yearly report ‘Focus on Music Publishing in France 2024′, unveiled today by music publishers’ associations CSDEM (pop...more

18 Dec 2025 | Press release

Bandcamp Fridays in 2025 Deliver Over $19 Million to Independent Artists and Labels, Surpassing Last Year's Total

Final Bandcamp Friday of the Year Was the Strongest of the Year – Driving More Than $3.8 Million in 24 Hours Since Its 2020 Launch, the Initiative Has Routed Over $154 Million Directly to Artists and Labels   Bandcamp, the world's largest online music...more

18 Dec 2025 | Press release

BMG and TikTok expand partnership to advance songwriter recognition and digital rights management

  BMG has renewed and expanded its direct music publishing agreement with TikTok, marking the next phase in a partnership focused on evolving digital rights, creating deeper value for songwriters, and supporting continued innovation across the platform. The new agreement strengthens BMG's...more

17 Dec 2025 | Press release

BPI opens nominations for election of Independent Representatives on its Council

  The BPI is holding elections for two independent representative places on its Council BPI Council plays a key role in determining the trade association’s strategy and policy goals Deadline for nominations is 1pm Thursday 15 January 2026, with voting opening in early...more

17 Dec 2025 | Press release

PRS for Music pays out record £274.9 million in final royalty distributions of 2025

Nearly 400 music creators receive a royalty payment for the first time    PRS for Music has announced its largest-ever royalty payout, distributing £274.9 million to rightsholders worldwide. The December distributions mark a 4% increase on last year, cementing its role as...more

THE HEADLINES

08 Jan 2026

  • Spotify now lets you share what you’re streaming in real time with friends (see Digital)

07 Jan 2026

  • Streamed and retail entertainment sales grew four times faster than UK economy in 2025 (see News)

  • UMG announces collaboration with NVIDIA to pioneer responsible AI for music discovery, creation, and engagement (see News)

06 Jan 2026

  • 2026 music industry predictions (see Features)

05 Jan 2026

  • New wave of global British breakthrough talent helps UK recorded music grow for 11th consecutive year (see News)

19 Dec 2025

  • What’s going to give you the marketing edge in 2026? (see Features)

18 Dec 2025

  • The global value of music copyright hits an all-time high (see Reports)

17 Dec 2025

  • The 'metamorphosis' of Atlantic Records (see Features)

16 Dec 2025

  • Looking ahead to 2026 (see Opinion)

  • Boost for artists in AI copyright battle as only 3% back UK active opt-out plan (see News)

15 Dec 2025

  • Music discovery: More channels, more problems (see Reports)

12 Dec 2025

  • The 10 biggest AI music stories of 2025 (see Features)