Kabza de Small and DJ Maphorisa. Picture: Instagram
Short-form video platform TikTok has changed the music industry in ways that musicians, labels and producers never could have imagined before.
Not only has it impacted the way in which songs are composed but it has also prompted record labels, collection agencies and TikTok itself to put a system into place that allows artists to earn royalties from TikTok streams.
As such, ranking on TikTok can be a pretty big deal for artists.
The platform recently held a retrospective event, taking stock of the year that was and called it #YearOnTikTok 2021.
During their celebration, they highlighted and recognised the talent that makes the platform as successful as it is today.
“Placed under different categories, Year on TikTok 2021 ranges from popular songs that kept South Africans on their feet dancing to creators who became voices of change and celebrity/creator breakthrough stars of 2021 – and everyone has played a part in bringing creativity and joy to a platform and a world that needed it,” said TikTok in a statement.
WATCH: The three biggest TikTok food trends for 2021
According to the platform, over 1 billion people turned to TikTok to be entertained, find and share their joy with others, and learn new things in 2021.
“Amapiano has taken the world by storm and not only kept the country dancing but has transcended the world giving South Africa its well-deserved supreme musical recognition with over 1.6 billion views on TikTok,” said the platform.
In addition to the popularity of amapiano, these were the top locally produced songs that were loved most on the platform:
This list is not to be confused with TikTok’s official global music report which will be published on 13 December.
“It’s been incredible to see how Mzansi has continued to grow and support one another this year on the platform. We’ve seen trends such as the recent Love Nwantiti and #Amapiano started and spread across ‘For You’ feeds on the app. We’re humbled to see how much joy our community has brought us this year, and we’re excited to experience more incredible moments as we continue this journey together,” said TikTok content operations manager for Africa, Boniswa Sidwaba.
“There is something really special about the global community on TikTok that people just can’t find anywhere else. For us, 2021 was a year for connection and we’ve seen people on TikTok laughing together, entertaining us, starting cultural phenomenons, and teaching us new things. It has been incredible to see the depths of entertainment and creativity from this community, and we’re delighted to celebrate all the ways we have come together this year on TikTok,” added Vanessa Pappas, chief operating officer for TikTok.
Check out the South African #YearOnTikTok Microsite here.
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