TikTok Looks To Make Rising Musicians Into Superstars With Its Elevate Program

TikTok has recently been stepping up its game in the music industry with several high-profile moves. The company is working on becoming a serious player in the streaming music field with its own platform, while at the same time, aiming to raise the profile of lesser-known acts—something the app has been known to do without even trying.

“I think it’s become clear that TikTok has become the number one place for music discovery,” explained Rachel Dunham, North America Artist Partnerships Lead at TikTok, when discussing the company’s new artist-focused initiative, which sees the tech giant lending a helping hand to new talents that have already gained a following on the app.

This summer, TikTok announced the launch of Elevate, an innovative program designed to identify and nurture the next generation of musical talent who already seem destined to make waves worldwide…if they can only reach the masses.

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The inaugural class of Elevate artists features a diverse lineup of rising stars from around the globe, including Chinchilla, Sam Barber, Omar Courtz, Isabel La Rosa, Kaliii and Lu Kala. Some of these musicians have already scored some high-profile features and look like they’re on their way to the charts—Lu Kala was featured on the Barbie soundtrack, for example—while others are just getting started.

But why these musicians? Dunham explained that when she and her team were looking for talent to feature, they wanted, “to find artists that are super leaned in and engaged.” It wasn’t enough to be good or have a following—they needed those who were interested in TikTok and what it had to offer, as well as trying out the new features that are coming down the line.

One artist in particular, Chinchilla, fits that description perfectly. “To put it bluntly, TikTok has really given me a life-changing platform,” she shared via email. “I’ve been working really hard for so long and it feels so good that everything is finally paying off. I guess it’s partially about building your own luck and making sure that you are in the right place at the right time” she further commented about her relationship with the app and how she’s made it work for her.

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Through Elevate, TikTok is directly collaborating with these select few emerging artists, providing them with invaluable resources both within the app and beyond. “We’re really focused on four key things that I think help emerging artists break,” Dunham admitted, clarifying that they are, “Visibility and awareness. Fan engagement, music promotion, and brand building.”

The resources that TikTok will share with artists that fit into those four verticals include early access to cutting-edge features, enhanced visibility for their content and robust support from TikTok’s official social media handles.

But Elevate isn’t just about digital promotion—it’s about connecting artists with their fans on a deeper level. To achieve this, TikTok is offering fans of these musicians exclusive performances by each artist, hopefully creating a personal and authentic connection between the soon-to-be-star and their audience.

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Elevate’s opening run is set to continue through October, and it promises an exciting journey for these special musicians. As TikTok continues to be the go-to platform for emerging talents and music lovers looking for what might be the next hit to conquer the charts, Elevate is set to, well, elevate the music industry’s future stars, ensuring they not only ride the waves of success but make a lasting impact in the increasingly-volatile music industry.

This may be just the beginning for Elevate, as a new group of artists may soon earn the same love. And it’s one in a long line of moves from TikTok to help the musicians who are trying to break through via the app. Dunham says that at TikTok, they are trying to make “bigger strides than ever before in making sure that we’re the most artists-friendly platform possible.”

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