Blog #8: Claire Rosinkranz and charlieonnafriday

This week we are continuing to look into how TikTok has influenced the music industry, causing artists to rely on "going viral" for the public to respond to their music. I argue that TikTok has become the new ad agency for young artists. However, this still brings to question the legitimacy of their fame. Continue reading to discuss Claire Rosinkranz and charlieonnafriday.

Claire Rosinkranz

At just 16 years old, Claire Rosinkranz found internet fame through the public’s discovery of her music on TikTok. She released her first singles in 2019, and her first EP, BeVerly Hills BoYfriEnd, in 2020. According to her label, Republic Records, Rosinkranz was “predestined for musical greatness,” due to her family history of musicians and creatives.

The most consequential is her father, who she writes, records, and produces with in their home studio. In her own words, “i make music w/ my dad and u can listen 2 it if u want.”

At just 18, Roskinkranz has accumulated over 1 billion global streams, growing every day. Her immediate success was found at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, after her song, “Backyard Boy” went viral on TikTok. As of November 13, 2022, this song has been used in 1.8 million videos on the platform.

This is not the only one of her songs to find success on the app. Her 2022 single, “Don’t Miss Me,” has been used in 45K videos. More impressive, an unassociated TikTok user made a sped up version of the song that now has 82.5K videos under the sound.

She now remains active on TikTok, promoting her music and sharing bits and pieces of her life as a musician. Most recently, she announced her third tour and upcoming completion of her debut album.

charlieonnafriday

Charlie Finch, known as “charlieonnafriday,” has broken through as an up and coming rapper, at just 19 years old. Like the other young artists we've discussed, all it took is one song to go viral on TikTok.

However, Finch did not just wake up one day and decide to make a viral song. He, like many others, started on YouTube at a very young age. Sound familiar? (If not, go read just about any of my previous blog posts.) Like Rosinkranz, COVID-19 allowed Finch to explore his music. Since the pandemic closed schools, the high school junior was able to explore this without the fear of judgment from his peers.

It sure paid off, as he now has 1.7M followers on TikTok where he teases the release of his new music and shares videos of his concerts with packed crowds singing his own lyrics back to him.

It started with his single, “After Hours,” which now has 135.5K videos on TikTok (both sounds) and 47 million streams on Spotify alone. He followed this single with his debut EP, ONNAFRIDAY, in April of 2020. Since then, he has created his next viral hit, “Enough.” This song’s success even led him to use his fanbase on TikTok to gauge the interest of an acoustic version.

His use of TikTok has created a platform for himself, and he’s only getting started.

Overall

Claire Rosinkranz and charlieonnafriday are just two more examples of young musicians that have capitalized on their internist fame. Their platforms are filled with their music, as it is the industry they take part in and surround themselves with. They would not be where they are today if it wasn't for their “TikTok fame.” Does that make them any less of artists? Are they artists, influencers, or both?

Make sure to share what you think and follow along on Twitter and TikTok! Posts from here on out will be less consistent, but continue to share topics or people you want to discuss! Thanks for tagging along and follow me on my personal accounts to keep up!

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- Kate Frey (ArtistVsInfluencer)