TikTok has become one of the most popular apps for discovering new music and viral sounds. With countless songs and audio clips used in TikTok videos every day, it can be frustrating trying to identify a catchy song you heard in a TikTok but don’t know the name or artist of. Not knowing the title, lyrics, or artist of a viral TikTok song makes it difficult to search for and find. This article will provide helpful tips and tricks for tracking down a TikTok sound when you have limited information to go off.
Search Lyrics
One of the easiest ways to find a TikTok song you don’t know the name of is to search for lyrics you remember from the song, even if it’s just a line or two. TikTok’s search engine is quite advanced and can often identify a song based on just a few words. Try searching a phrase or lyrics in the TikTok search bar and see if the song pops up in the results. You can also try searching the lyrics on Google or other lyric sites like Genius, which may lead you to the song title and artist. According to this TikTok newsroom article, the majority of TikTok users discover new music on the platform, so searching lyrics is a great way to track down TikTok songs.
Use Sound Search
One of the easiest ways to identify a song you hear on TikTok is to use a sound search app like Shazam or SoundHound. These apps listen to a short sample of the song through your phone’s microphone and compare it against an extensive database to find a match. Recently, Shazam added the ability to identify songs playing not just from your microphone, but also on other apps like TikTok and Instagram [1]. This makes it even simpler to quickly Shazam a TikTok sound without leaving the app.
To use Shazam or SoundHound to find a TikTok song:
- Open the TikTok video with the unknown song playing.
- Open the Shazam or SoundHound app and tap the button to start listening.
- Hold your phone’s microphone near the speakers playing the TikTok video’s audio.
- Let Shazam or SoundHound listen to the song for 10-15 seconds to identify it.
- Once matched, the app will display the song title, artist, and other info.
Sound search apps like Shazam leverage music fingerprinting technology to instantly recognize songs against a catalog of over 40 million tracks [2]. This makes them extremely effective for finding TikTok songs, especially trending tracks getting high engagement. If you hear a catchy new tune on TikTok, sound search is often the quickest route to putting a name to it.
Check Your Likes
One easy way to find a TikTok song you can’t remember the name of is to check your Likes. When you like a video on TikTok, it saves that video to your Likes page so you can easily find it again later. This is useful when you want to rediscover a song from a video you previously enjoyed.
To check your Likes, simply tap the heart icon on the bottom toolbar of the TikTok app. This will bring up your Likes page showing all the videos you’ve liked. Scroll through until you find the one featuring the mystery track. Once you locate the video, tap on it to open it up and the song name and artist will be displayed.
TikTok has become a major platform for music discovery, with studies showing TikTok users are much more likely to seek out new music compared to users of other social media apps (source). Checking your Likes takes advantage of the fact that if you liked a TikTok video, chances are you enjoyed the song too and will want to find it again later.
Use Hashtags
One way to find a TikTok song you can’t remember the name of is to search hashtags associated with the video the song was in. TikTok allows you to use unlimited hashtags in your captions, so creators will often pack their captions full of relevant hashtags.
Think about any details you remember about the TikTok video – what it was about, who was in it, what hashtags it used. Search those hashtags on TikTok and you may come across the video again. You can also search broader hashtags related to the genre or mood of the song.
For example, if it was a dance video, search hashtags like #dance, #dancetrends, #songsfordances. If it was a comedy sketch, try #funnysongs or #soundsforcomedy. Browse the videos under those hashtags and you may recognize the song.
Using hashtags can be a great way to rediscover TikTok songs you only vaguely remember. With creative searching through relevant hashtags, you can often track down the name of that catchy song that’s stuck in your head.
Contact the Creator
One simple way to find an unknown TikTok song is to directly ask the creator of the video what song they used. You can comment on their video asking for the song name.
Many creators are happy to share the title and artist when asked, as it can help the song gain more exposure.
According to TikTok’s own research, music discovery is a major part of what draws users to the app. Over 70% of TikTok users say they have discovered new artists on the platform. So creators often want to spread the word about songs they feature.
Commenting takes just a moment, and often yields the fastest and most reliable way to ID a mysterious TikTok tune. However, not all creators may be responsive, so having backup methods can be useful. But contacting the creator should be your first move if you hear a catchy song and absolutely need to know what it’s called.
Search by Trend or Meme
One of the most common ways that songs go viral on TikTok is through memes, trends, or challenges that utilize the track. Identifying any memes, viral trends, or TikTok challenges associated with the song in the video can help track it down.
Pay attention to any dances, visual effects, trends, or commonly used sounds present in the video. Search TikTok and YouTube using keywords related to any memes or trends spotted in the clip. For example, searching for “TikTok handshake challenge” or “TikTok upside down challenge” can surface videos using the same tracks.
TikTok’s discovery page highlights trending sounds, memes, and effects which can also lead you to the original song. Look for familiar movements or effects and click through to find the sound being used. Compilation videos of popular TikTok songs can also help identify by sight or sound.
With dance challenges, transitions, reactions, and more tied to specific songs daily, tracing a tune through the associated meme can quickly solve the mystery.
Browse Playlists and Compilations
Playlist creators often identify songs in their video titles or descriptions. Search YouTube for “TikTok songs” or “TikTok hits” to find large compilations. Popular channels like Tik Tok Songs Playlist – Top TikTok Songs 2024, TikTok Music Playlist – Popular TikTok Songs 2024, and Popular Songs from Tik Tok (Compilation) can help you identify trending TikTok songs.
Look through the video titles, thumbnails, timestamps in the comments, and video descriptions to find the name of the mystery track.
Check Pinned Comment
Many TikTok creators will pin a comment with the song name and artist to the top of the comments section. This helps their audience find the sound if they want to use it in their own videos. According to an article on the TikTok Help Center, creators can pin up to 2 comments to the top of their video’s comments section. [source]
So when trying to find the name of a TikTok song, it’s worth scrolling down and checking if the creator pinned any comments that identify the track. TikTok influencer @kontentqueen often pins comments with song info to help her followers. [source] If the song is listed there, it can save you time searching elsewhere.
Use Third-Party Tools
Sites like TikTokTunes can help search by lyrics. TikTokTunes allows you to search for sounds and songs using keywords, lyrics, artists, usernames, hashtags, or by browsing trending sounds.
To use TikTokTunes to find a song:
- Go to the TikTokTunes website.
- In the search bar, type in lyrics you remember from the TikTok sound.
- Browse through the results to see if you can find the song.
- Click on a result to go to that sound’s page on TikTok, where you can confirm it’s the right song.
TikTokTunes makes it easy to search through their database of popular TikTok songs and sounds. So if you remember even a few lyrics, it’s a helpful tool for identifying that catchy TikTok tune.
