Trending Tracks Report: corook, imase, Odetari, Lah Pat, and Tyler, the Creator
by Vrinda Jagota, Colin Joyce, and Michelle Hyun Kim of Third Bridge Creative.
The Trending Tracks Report is a regular column that highlights tracks trending across various platforms, using a combination of Chartmetric data and the subject expertise of our contributing writers and curators. This week, we examine viral hits inspired by internet haters and a ’90s classic from Ginuwine, a J-Pop artist hitting big in Korea, and a six-year-old song enjoying a resurgence.
corook: “if i were a fish”
Chartmetric Score: 180
Genre: Alt-Pop
Country: United States
“if i were a fish” turned corook into the star of a feel-good story. The Nashville-based singer-songwriter wrote the track after feeling dejected from a slew of hate comments, so their girlfriend, Olivia Barton, encouraged them to write about it. In 20 minutes, corook came up with the chorus, “Why is everyone on the Internet so mean?” and posted a short clip of the indie-pop song on TikTok, where it racked up 1M views in two hours. Ten days later, the two finished writing the song spurred on by overwhelming praise from listeners, who felt like the song was a long-awaited antidote to online negativity. In just two weeks, it took corook to 1.2M Spotify monthly listeners. Last week, hundreds of fans even gathered at an IRL singalong in a New York City park.
imase: “NIGHT DANCER”
Chartmetric Score: 294
Genre: J-Pop
Country: Japan
imase, a 22-year-old Japanese artist, is experiencing a record-breaking career just one year after his debut. Despite being released last August, “NIGHT DANCER” is experiencing a revival. In February, it became the first Japanese song to enter Korea’s Melon 100 chart. Ten weeks later, “NIGHT RIDER” is still charting at No. 29. Crossing over into K-Pop territory is not an easy feat for a rising J-Pop artist, but thanks to the #nightdancerchallenge, Korean stars like IVE, Stray Kids, ATEEZ, and ENHYPEN introduced imase’s animated music to a wider audience. In the last two months, “NIGHT RIDER” has been featured in over 220K TikTok posts. Charting on Spotify’s Viral 50 in 27 countries and included in 21 editorial playlists including J-Pop Hits and Tokyo Rising, imase is preparing for world domination.
Odetari: “NARCISSISTIC PERSONALITY DISORDER”
Chartmetric Score: 315
Genre: Trance
Country: United States
Independent electronic producer Odetari's "NARCISSISTIC PERSONALITY DISORDER," has cracked the code to a viral song: staying under two minutes. The track, which blends rap and house music, has permeated social and streaming platforms with ease. In one month, Odetari has garnered 2.4M views on YouTube, with the newcomer earning 12K more subscribers. With over 116K creations and 13.2M likes, “NARCISSISTIC PERSONALITY DISORDER” is becoming popular among animation fans on TikTok. This week, the 23-year-old even unofficially announced a forthcoming album. After securing the top spot on Spotify’s global Viral 50 chart, Odetari’s future is looking bright.
Lah Pat feat. Flo Milli: “Rodeo (Remix)”
Chartmetric Score: 126
Genre: Hip-Hop/R&B
Country: United States
Fresh off the Coachella stage, Flo Milli lends her viral flow to Lah Pat’s TikTok sensation, “Rodeo (Remix).” Sampling the provocative groove of Ginuwine's 1996 hit "Pony," Lah Pat's reimagining is just as sexy. In March, the song had two lives on TikTok (initially choreographed by user @tylajenae_ and later amplified by @mapleameliabriscoe; the latter video has 33.5M views). Since then, “Rodeo (Remix)”’s Spotify popularity has increased by 34.9 percent. With 7.8M+ Spotify streams, Flo Milli’s contribution to “Rodeo” is by far, the highest performing version: Lah Pat’s original version featuring Big Jade—released last November, now sits at 1.7M streams—with the sped-up and slowed and solo version receiving a fraction of those numbers. "Rodeo (Remix)" is a certified viral sensation.
Tyler, the Creator feat. Kali Uchis: “See You Again”
Chartmetric Score: 269
Genre: Rap
Country: United States
“See You Again,” a luminous, dreamy song about a fantasy lover, was originally released on Tyler, the Creator’s 2017 album Flower Boy. The song has been popular on TikTok since 2020 but saw a 22% increase in usage on the platform in the last month. It's part of a viral trend in which users lip sync either Tyler, the Creator’s part, or Kali Uchis’ part of the song. It has also been featured in a popular fan edit with 1.5M+ likes and a behind-the-scenes clip from the music video. The artists also performed the song together at Coachella, boosting its popularity. The track had 811M streams on Spotify before it entered the charts in late April and now has 846M+ streams. It’s Tyler, the Creator’s most streamed song (and Kali Uchis’ second most streamed.) Recently landing at No. 52 on the Billboard Hot 100, “See You Again” is the highest chart placement of any track from Flower Boy.
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