As TikTokers speed up songs, are we forgetting the original?

Some music fans now know 15-second sped up snippets of songs better than the real thing.

It’s thanks to an emerging trend on social media, particularly TikTok, of creators changing the tempo of popular songs by 25-30%, to accompany short viral videos of dances or other themes.

These versions are even helping some artists climb the official singles charts. In November 2022, fan-made sped-up versions of RAYE’s single Escapism helped the artist to achieve her first ever number one on the UK Official Singles Chart, nearly three months after its original release.

An initial trend developed based around the lyric: “The man that I loved sat me down last night and he told me it was over, dumb decision.” Users swiftly posted about their own “dumb decision” over sped-up versions.

The phenomenon presents a very modern challenge – how can singers create the next hit tune when the one people actually listen to might sound so different?

Sped-up listening emerged in the early 2000s as “nightcore”, launched by a Norwegian DJ duo of the same name, who sped up a song’s pitch and speed.

This is now commonplace on our social media apps, where the speed of podcasts, voice notes, movies and more can be increased so that we can consume them in less time.

Take Spotify, for example, where in 2023 more than a third of listeners in the US sped up podcasts and nearly two-thirds played songs at a quicker tempo.

The streaming service confirmed to the BBC that it was currently testing a new, more widespread, feature that could potentially allow us to remix the tempo of songs and share them.

Dr Mary Beth Ray, an author focused on digital music culture, says short-form video platforms like TikTok “constrain our ways of listening” into snippets – but those constraints also let you “experience a track in a new way”.

“Short clips provide a quicker line to that dopamine rush social media wants us to feel – so there is an addictive element which we’re pushed towards.”

BBC Radio 1 DJ Maia Beth feels it’s now become hard for established labels and musicians to ignore this trend because “it can sometimes feel like if they don’t release the [sped up] version, then someone else will”.

Beth, who admits she can’t imagine sitting and listening to a sped-up version of a song the whole way through, believes the trend shouldn’t necessarily be a major distraction for musicians though.

“Sped-up versions of tracks can help artists break through or go viral, although that initial success may not last,” the Radio 1 Anthems host said.

Unofficial sped-up or slowed down tunes are different to a professional remix – they are far shorter and can be easily made by anyone, including on TikTok, Instagram Reels and other apps.

But some of our biggest popstars are embracing them.

In 2022, Summer Walker released the first completely sped-up album, a remixed version of her 2018 record Last Day of Summer, which came after a dance trend on TikTok.

Billie Eilish has also released official fast and slow versions of songs, while Sabrina Carpenter’s record-breaking UK number one hits Please Please Please and Espresso received similar treatment.

TikTok says it has noticed an increase in the number of sped-up and slowed down versions of catalogue tracks taken off the platform, then become officially released.

These official changed-tempo releases are now grouped together with the original song in the UK Official Singles Chart, along with remixes, acoustic and live versions, helping artists to climb the ranks.

That said, not everyone is happy with the trend. The popularity of speed altered versions can make it harder to distinguish original from remix while distorting an artist’s intended pacing, mood and tone.

In March, speaking on the A Safe Place Podcast, Lil Yachty said he was so embarrassed when additional versions of his song “A Cold Sunday” were released that he asked for them to be taken down.

In October 2022, following one of Steve Lacy’s shows as part of his Give You The World Tour, the audience appeared to not sing along to much of his hit Bad Habit.

Some people shared videos of this online and suggested that a popular sped-up snippet version of the track was more recognisable to some those in the audience.

While some artists like them and others less so, it seems they are here to stay.

For 23-year-old artist and producer, tonka._.b, from London, adjusting speed and tempo is all part of her creative process.

“I like listening to my song, three times over – sped-up, slowed and normal,” she says, “as each gives a totally different feel, each opening the door to new audiences.”