TikTok shares Top Songs of 2022
From new songs to classics, the top tracks on TikTok in 2022 came from established, emerging, and breakthrough artists, spanning a range of genres. But while TikTok is growing overall, the number of views for each top video is actually falling, likely due to increased competition and diversity within the platform itself.
The top video in 2022 was viewed 308 million times compared to the top video in 2021 (a dancing video shot with a drone), which had 314 million views. The top video of 2020 of TikTok star Bella Poarch lip-syncing “M to the B” finished that year with over half a billion views.
The year-end report comes amidst biannual label negotiations and rightsholders demanding larger payments from TikTok. [Read more about it here: Labels demand a big increase in TikTok royalties but fear angering their new friend]
This year, the TikTok community made 8.9 million videos using the top US track “Sunroof” by Nicky Youre & dazy, and couldn’t get enough of “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God),” the 1985 hit by Kate Bush.
A curated list of TikTok’s trending tunes of 2022
United States
- “Sunroof” – Nicky Youre & dazy – Hummable, breezy brilliance from a talented duo, originally released via SoundOn
- “L$d” – Luclover – This flex-heavy hit had us all feeling ourselves throughout 2022
- “Ginseng Strip 2002” – Yung Lean – Trends come and go, but this melody stuck with us all year
- “About Damn Time” – Lizzo – The “Queen of TikTok” continues her reign 👑
- “Just a Cloud Away” – Pharrell Williams – There were no clouds in the sky when this feather-light 2015 hit trended this year
- “Forever” – Labrinth – This TV-to-TikTok song helped inject some drama into our lives
- “Wait a Minute!” – WILLOW – TikTok continues to catch a vibe, as another 2015 song resurges
- “Jiggle Jiggle” – Duke & Jones & Louis Theroux – From an almost forgotten rap recited at a chicken shop, to TikTok, to the pop charts
- “BILLIE EILISH.” – Armani White – This N.O.R.E.-sampling smash helped Armani White earn his first Hot 100 hit and a Def Jam deal
- “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” – Kate Bush – TikTok played a crucial role in elevating this 1985 classic to the Hot 100
Around the world
- “Ginseng Strip 2002” – Yung Lean 🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪
- “Sunroof” – Nicky Youre & dazy 🌞
- “Wait a Minute” – WILLOW ⌚️
- “Beat Automotivo Tan Tan Tan Viral” – WZ Beat – Baile funk meets background music for this self-fulfilling prophecy
- “Cool for the Summer” – Demi Lovato – It was a sped-up summer on TikTok
- “Jiggle Jiggle” – Duke & Jones & Louis Theroux 💵
- “Me Porto Bonito” – Bad Bunny & Chencho Corleone – The most popular of El Conejo’s many trending songs in 2022
- “About Damn Time” – Lizzo 🕺
- “L$d” – Luclover 😵
- “Una Noche En Medellín” – Cris Mj – The biggest hit in a big year for regional Latin music on TikTok
MORE: Labels demand a big increase in TikTok royalties but fear angering their new friend
Bruce Houghton is the Founder and Editor of Hypebot and MusicThinkTank, a Senior Advisor at Bandsintown, President of the Skyline Artists Agency, and a professor for the Berklee College Of Music.
