Pop songs are getting shorter, hooks are hitting faster, and anthems are being written with short snippets in mind and can quickly go viral – all because of TikTok. Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Drivers License’ exploded first on TikTok before topping the charts, proving the platform’s power to turn a snippet into an overnight hit. TikTok has popularised shorter intros, faster hooks, and catchy one-liners that have now become a formula for a pop hit.

Hannah J. Davies is a music journalist who has written extensively about the intersection of pop culture, technology, and the music industry. Davies says TikTok hasn’t just influenced what we listen to – it has fundamentally changed how pop songs are written. Artists no longer write songs with an intro, verse, pre-chorus, and chorus. Instead, they get straight to the parts people will remember.

“Songs don’t tend to have long intros these days,” she says. “They’re shorter, they tend to plunge you in straight away with a chorus.”

Most modern pop songs last two or three minutes, which is a major difference from the longer radio hits of the past. In the 60s and 70s, songs such as ‘Hey Jude’ or ‘American Pie’ were able to top the charts for weeks despite being over seven and eight minutes long. Artists often release sped-up or slowed-down versions of songs to make them even shorter and more suitable for TikTok. These alternate versions help give the song a new life and can prolong their time in the charts, like Raye’s ‘Escapism’.

“There’s a general homogenisation of music… people are gravitating toward less challenging forms of songwriting,” Davies says.

Samantha Clarke, executive producer at ARN Radio, has seen firsthand how the industry is shifting. From airplay to artist promotion, she says TikTok now plays a crucial role in what ends up on the airwaves.

“TikTok has become such an integral part of how music is consumed that it made sense for us to create a dedicated radio station around the trends and music from TikTok,” she says.

Scott Barker, music curator at Nova Radio decides which new music is played. He’s noticed a clear trend where artists create moments more so than songs, and these moments are designed to go viral on TikTok.

“You’ll hear that part on TikTok, and then you’ll go and listen to the full song and go, ‘Oh my God, okay, right. That’s the song’,” Barker says. “In 2020–23 we were seeing songs in general getting shorter… I definitely think that was influenced by TikTok.”

A viral moment often captures just a snippet of a song, not enough to sustain a lasting career. While many artists have a song that trends on TikTok, few manage to build long-term success like Olivia Rodrigo has. TikTok’s algorithm promotes sounds and songs based on users’ likes, comments, and shares, often favouring shorter clips that can be reused easily. 

“This has been the case for many artists who have played into the algorithm,” Davies says. “It favours 15-second snippets, and while it can launch a song, it doesn’t always lead to longevity.”

TikTok has changed not just how songs are discovered but also how they’re structured. Songs like BENEE’s ‘Supalonely’ may be instantly recognisable by their chorus, but few listeners can hum the verses or name the artist behind the viral sound. A crucial factor behind a popular TikTok song is ensuring that the song never strays too far away from the popular snippet.

“Wherever you land in that song … you’re never too far away from that hook,” Davies says.

Another big shift is that radio exposure is no longer the sole factor behind determining what songs would be hits. TikTok has now shifted that power to the general public, allowing them to decide what songs become hits.

“Record labels usually include TikTok data in their pitches for interviews now,” Clarke says. “Follower counts, engagement, it all matters.”

TikTok factors in the amount of engagement each sound and video has attracted. Because of this, artists promote the songs in a way that will ensure users of the app like, comment, and use the sound for a viral dance or meme. This was seen in Megan Thee Stallion’s ‘Savage’ and Doja Cat’s ‘Say So’, where the viral dance became just as popular as the song. If a song gains traction online, Clarke says it will likely get a lot of radio airtime.

“It’s a natural progression for artists and labels to want to appear on mainstream media following viral success,” he says.

Davies says that many artists have adjusted their sound to cater to TikTok’s shorter algorithm. Artists known for their complex and layered songwriting have changed their songwriting structure to ensure their song will be a hit. A good example is Hozier’s TikTok hit ‘Too Sweet’ which sounds simpler than his earlier songs. It is shorter, built around a single loop, and designed for the fast-scrolling nature of TikTok. Traditionally, his songs were more folky rock songs, and it is telling that ‘Too Sweet’, which is more pop-driven, has had over one billion streams in under a year.

TikTok’s influence on pop music isn’t just about virality — it reflects a deeper shift in how audiences consume and connect with music. In an era of short attention spans and endless content, songs are being built for instant impact and shareability. Whether or not artists consciously write with TikTok in mind, the platform’s algorithm has become a powerful filter for what breaks through. 

No matter how much the way we access music has changed, the number one rule for any pop song remains the same: It has to be a banger, and it has to be memorable.

“A good-sounding pop song that’s well written, well composed, well structured, well produced that’s what’s going to get our attention,” Clarke says.

And today, that attention is often born of a 15-second snippet on someone’s For You Page.

Article: Charlie Jones is a second-year Bachelor of Arts student at La Trobe University. You can follow him on X at @charliejones63.

Photo: Person Holding Black Android Smartphone by cottonbro studio found HERE and used under a Creative Commons license. This image has not been modified.