TikTok is a new horizon for artists and record labels alike. It’s changed our charts, dictated our hits, and redefined success for a new generation of music lovers and consumers. So it’s no doubt that TikTok would begin to introduce a shift in the landscape of the Eurovision Song Contest.
The last 3 editions of the contest alone have each provided one big success on the viral platform. From 2019 winner Duncan Laurence to 2021’s Italian rock band Måneskin, to 2022’s unexpected viral sensation Rosa Linn from Armenia. So prepare for the 2023 class to deliver another TikTok hit… Wait! Some already have.
Already this year, several songs have gained momentum on the app. Primarily, Norway’s Alessandra and her uptempo “Queen of Kings”, as well as Israeli pop diva Noa Kirel with her song “Unicorn”, have both attracted a good amount of views. Following them we find Scandinavian acts Käärijä from Finland and Loreen from Sweden.
Both Eurovision and TikTok have had significant success in their respective fields. Eurovision, as we all know and love, is a long-running European tradition we’ve all come to love. TikTok, thanks to the pandemic, evolved from a tween & teen-oriented platform to the new big sales marketplace for the music industry. Becoming viral on TikTok can lead to a good career boost for any musician.
Both platforms are perfect for artists to show up and try their shot at winning and furthering a musical career. Eurovision is one of the longest-running international song contests, held annually since 1956, and one of the most-watched non-sporting events in the world, with an estimated audience of over 180 million viewers in recent years.
On the other hand, TikTok is a social media platform that allows users to create and share short-form videos. It has become incredibly popular, particularly amongst Gen Z. The platform has been credited with launching the careers of several young artists and has even been used as a marketing tool by major companies and brands.
In recent years, there has been a growing relationship between Eurovision and TikTok. Many Eurovision contestants and fans have taken to the platform to create and share content related to the contest. This has helped increase the event’s visibility and popularity, particularly among younger audiences.
Also, it has been used as a tool for promoting competing entries, with many artists creating dance challenges and other content to encourage people to vote for their songs. Overall, the combination of Eurovision and TikTok has been successful in reaching new audiences and generating excitement around the contest. In 2022, TikTok became an official partner of the Eurovision Song Contest, and the partnership was renewed for 2023 as well.
Let’s take a look at each of the success stories:
Duncan Laurence – A pandemic miracle
Duncan Laurence rose to international fame after winning the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest with his song “Arcade” for his home country, the Netherlands. Before that, he participated in the fifth season of “The Voice of Holland” in 2014, where he was eliminated during the knockouts. After the show, he continued to pursue a career in music, releasing several singles and performing at various venues in the Netherlands and abroad.
In 2019, Laurence was chosen to represent the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest with his song “Arcade“. The emotional ballad, which Laurence wrote himself, was inspired by the death of a friend and received critical acclaim for its haunting melody and heartfelt lyrics. Laurence’s performance at the contest was also praised for its simplicity and emotional impact.
Laurence went on to win the contest with a total of 498 points, giving the Netherlands their first Eurovision victory in over 40 years. Following its victory, the song became a commercial success, charting in several countries and reaching the top of the charts in the Netherlands. And the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020 helped the song achieve renewed success and boosted Duncan’s career in the United States.
By late March 2023, “Arcade” in its different versions had amassed over 1 BILLION streams, as well as a platinum record! The single version of the song has over 917 million streams on Spotify alone. On TikTok, the official sound of this timeless ballad has been used over 359K times.
Måneskin – An instant success…but with a different song
Måneskin is an Italian rock band that formed in Rome in 2016. Damiano, Victoria, Thomas, and Ethan are the true definition of a modern-day viral sensation that has achieved stability. They gained international recognition in 2021 when they won the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest with their song “Zitti e Buoni”. The energetic rock song, which the band performed in Italian, was praised for its catchy melody, powerful vocals, and electrifying stage presence.
Since their Eurovision win, Måneskin’s popularity has skyrocketed, with “Zitti e Buoni” becoming a commercial success across Europe and charting in several countries. The band has also released several new singles and embarked on a European tour in 2022, with a world tour kicking off in 2023.
However, their virality wasn’t with their Eurovision entry… it was their cover of “Beggin’” which they originally performed during their stint on X Factor Italia in 2017, the show that catapulted the band into the mainstream music market in their home country. Said cover has accumulated to March 2023 over 1.2 billion streams on Spotify.
People were beggin’ to keep rocking to this song, as on TikTok, the official sound for the band’s viral hit has been used over 8.3 MILLION times. Meanwhile, their ESC winning entry, “Zitti e Buoni” had the sound used over 188K times.
Rosa Linn – A bad placement that led to snap success
Rosa Linn and “Snap” are the most incredible success story to come out of modern Eurovision in recent times. Who would’ve thought that the song that placed near the bottom 5 in its year would be the biggest commercial success of the entire class of 2022? Not one, not many people would believe such a feat – but Rosa Linn has proved everyone wrong.
As she said herself, she comes from a small town in Armenia, and opportunities to make it big into the music scene weren’t as accessible to her compared to aspiring artists elsewhere. She has even stated that placing 20th at Eurovision made her feel bad and that she disappointed her people back home.
However, life and destiny would prove Rosa wrong. On TikTok, her charming song “Snap” grew exponentially since its release, but around June 22, 2022 (how iconic and eventful), it happened: her song had gone viral. The way this song blew up was purely organic. A story about a break-up has been used on the platform to showcase aspects of human life such as trips, travel vlogs, marriage proposals, birthdays, and so much more.
As of now, it’s historically one of the most streamed Eurovision songs on Spotify from past or present. By late March 2023, it has accumulated more than 560 million streams, and this is the original version alone. Out of the verified versions on the app, TikTok users prefer the High & Fast version of the song, as it has been used almost 1 MILLION times.
Who will do it in 2023?
This will be a question we’ll get to answer in a matter of weeks, once Liverpool 2023 takes place and this year’s 37 competing songs gain more exposure due to the contest. As of now, several weeks before the competition itself, we can list the entries from Israel (leading TikTok trends by late March 2023 with over 50K videos using its sound), Finland, Norway, and Sweden as the ones gaining the most momentum. We hope that other acts do get more traction in the upcoming weeks.
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