TikTok’s ‘What song are you listening to’ trend explained

Georgina Smith
Man being interviewed on the street

TikTokers are going viral with the interpretations of the wildly popular ‘What song are you listening to’ trend — here’s everything to know about what the trend is, and where it came from.

TikTok has seen a huge number of viral trends over the past few years, featuring anything from trending dances to bizarre challenges like the tortilla slap game.

Users never hesitate to jump on a new trend when they pop up on the app, and they often end up evolving in a variety of different ways.

One trend that has seen a resurgence throughout 2022 is the ‘What song are you listening to’ trend, where interviewers will stop strangers in the street and ask them what they’re listening to at that very moment.

Although the trend has been popular on YouTube since as far back as 2011 thanks to creators like Ty Cullen, on TikTok, the trend appears to have been partly popularized in 2021 by user Shan Rizwan.

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In videos that he originally uploaded to YouTube but later posted on TikTok, Shan would go up to random people wearing headphones on the street, and ask them what song they were listening to. Responses ranged from heavy metal, to rap, and musicals, and viewers loved seeing the variety of different responses.

These videos were wildly successful on TikTok, garnering millions of likes and views, and prompting others to make similar videos.

Since the trend blew up on the app, some creators have taken it to the next level and turned the interview format into a meme, using it as the basis for a series of viral comedy skits.

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People will set up different scenarios with their friends in advance, and use the fake interview as an opportunity to do anything from performing a dance, to giving the weirdest answers they possibly can.

It looks like this trend is here to stay, and there’s no doubt that you’ll be seeing it pop up on your For You Page for months to come.

About The Author

Georgina was formerly an entertainment writer for Dexerto. She covered all aspects of influencer culture on TikTok and more, including creators such as Charli D’Amelio and Addison Rae. She also wrote about hit reality shows such as Love Island and Below Deck.