How Tik Tok Brought Back “What A Time” by Julia Michaels and Niall Horan, and What Artists Can Learn From This Event
In early 2019, former One Direction heartthrob Niall Horan and “Issues” singer Julia Michael came together on a collaboration single, “What A Time”. The song is a slow pop song that mourns a lost relationship, and it was overall a very good track that had a lot of emotion to it. But somehow, it missed the mark with the public. “What A Time” did not receive as many accolades and chart toppers as would be expected from two high profile artists, only debuting at 95 in the Canadian Hot 100 and receiving one nomination for a 2019 Teen Choice Award for Choice Collaboration.
However, in May 2021, Tik Tok was able to bring the song back as it is now a viral sound with over 372 thousand videos. The trend began with users uploading videos of statements that ended up being false, taking advantage of the lyrics “what a lie, what a lie, what a lie,” in the final chorus. Some users took a heartfelt spin on the trend by posting videos about how “they say elementary school friends never last,” and then showing pictures of the lifelong friends they made despite the odds, or how they were told not to move forward with something in their life and yet found happiness in unexpected places. Other people took this on a much darker note, such as one video that has over eight million views stating that she expected to have a long life with her husband before his untimely passing.
However, many of the videos that follow this trend are humorous and lighthearted. Niall Horan himself put his own spin by saying “You don’t have to do the finger gun thing every time you see a mirror” and then proceeding to do the “finger gun thing”. He captioned the video “Love that this song @juliamichaels and I did years ago has come back,” showing that he is recognizing fans’ newfound love for an old song.
Tik Tok and social media possess the capability to bring attention to anything no matter how old or “outdated” it may seem. Other artists have experienced similar feats in which social media has made their previously unsuccessful song blow up so suddenly. This was the case for Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts” which gained traction in late 2019 even though it was already public for two years prior.
So what important takeaways should artists recognize in this situation? Firstly, if your song does not perform well right out of the gate, take it as a sign to not get discouraged. For some tracks, it truly is just not the right timing, however you never know which one of your old songs can be a major hit in the future. Additionally, artists should view these situations as opportunities not only to earn more recognition on one song, but to direct fans to your new music. It is a great opportunity to showcase your growth and development as a creative. As fans become familiar with who you are through your older music, you are given the ability to reintroduce yourself with your more recent tracks to showcase how you have evolved musically.
Lastly, these circumstances are key signs as to why an artist should never give up on their music. You should always continue pushing your music to your fans because you truly never know where and when you can score a hit song. Maintaining pride and faith in one’s music, no matter how it pans out with the public after release, is a large aspect of being a professional artist and creative.
