"Old Town Road," a track by emerging country-trap artist Lil Nas X, entered the Billboard Hot 100 this week. The cowboy-centric song debuted at 83 on the chart and it owes much of its success to the Chinese video app TikTok.
Initially released in December 2018, the visual for "Old Town Road" featured gameplay from Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption 2. It soon became a viral sensation after TikTok patrons made it the official theme song of their Yee Haw transformations—a trend in which users showcase their cowboy or cowgirl alter egos.
Most TikTok videos only last between 10 to 15 seconds, but this internet movement earned the track 8.8 million US streams and 4,000 downloads by March 7. On top of entering the Hot 100, "Old Town Road" landed at 36 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and topped both the Apple Music country and Spotify U.S. Viral and Global Viral chart. Lil Nas X also managed to nab the 14th slot on the Emerging Artists chart.
Watch the TikTok videos for Lil Nas X’s "Old Town Road" below.
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