Sped up versions of songs are taking over TikTok—and creating their own genre of music popular with Gen Z. 

Sped up versions of songs are taking over TikTok—and creating their own genre of music popular with Gen Z. TikTok’s appeal to young users has a lot to do with how they have the freedom to upload all kinds of content that can be posted under trending audios. Memes, dance challenges, and “get ready with me” videos can all fall under whichever songs are going viral at the moment—and lately that’s sped up songs. New or old, songs on TikTok have been sped up, similar to Millennials’ club remixes, and are attracting massive amounts of streams. With sped up songs, Gen Z can “actively participate in music” rather than passively consuming. The genre is referred to as “nightcore” (not to be confused with the fashion aesthetic) and Spotify even features a “Sped Up Nightcore” playlist “which only posts uptempo remixes of songs from Warner Music Group, [and] is earning close to 2 million plays a day.” TikTok’s marketing team notes that “80% of the top 100 sounds on the app were tempo-altered,” proving just how much these altered songs resonate with young people. YPulse’s new Music report data shows that 82% of young people say they use music to alter their mood—and upbeat tunes are sure to boost them. (Billboard)