Image caption Fan-made versions of the song ‘Escapism’ have helped singer RAYE climb the UK charts.Article information
- Author, Author, Christian Brooks
- Role, Role, BBC News
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16 minutes ago
Some music fans are now familiar with 15-second sped-up clips of songs that are better than the original version.
This is due to an emerging trend on social media, particularly on TikTok, in which creators are changing the tempo of popular songs by 25 to 30 percent to accompany short viral dance videos or other themes. These versions are even helping some artists climb the official charts.
In November 2022, fans prepared sped-up versions of British singer RAYE’s single “Escapism”. These versions helped the artist reach the top of the UK’s official charts for the first time, approximately three months after the original song was released.
An early trend developed from the song’s lyrics: “The man I loved sat me down last night and told me it was over, stupid decision.” Users quickly posted their own “stupid decision” in sped-up versions of the song.
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Speed of sound
This phenomenon poses a modern challenge: How can singers create the next hit recording if, in fact, people are hearing a version that may sound so different?
The habit of listening to fast songs began in the early 2000s, when nightcore albums appeared. They were released by a Norwegian DJ duo of the same name, who increased the pitch and speed of the songs.
Today, these editions are common in our social media apps, which can increase the speed of podcasts, voice notes, movies and everything else, so we can consume them in less time.
Spotify is a good example. By 2023, more than a third of listeners in the United States would speed up podcasts and about two-thirds would listen to songs more quickly.
The streaming service confirmed to the BBC that it is currently testing a new, more general feature that could potentially allow us to remix the tempo of songs and share them.
Digital music culture writer Mary Beth Ray believes that short-form video platforms like TikTok “limit our listening modes” to snippets of music — but those restrictions also allow us to “experience songs differently.”
For her, “short clips offer a shorter path to the dopamine hit that social media wants us to feel. So there is an element of addiction that we are being led towards.”
Pressure for launch
BBC Radio 1 DJ Maia Beth believes it is now difficult for record labels and established musicians to ignore the trend. “Sometimes it feels like if they don’t release the version [accélérée]someone else will do it,” she said.
Beth admits that she can’t imagine listening to a sped-up version of a full song. She thinks this trend shouldn’t necessarily be a major concern for musicians.
“Sped up versions of songs can help artists achieve success or go viral, but that initial success may not last long,” says Beth, who presents BBC Radio 1’s Anthems show.
Unofficial songs that are sped up or slowed down are different from professional remixes. They are much shorter and can be easily done by anyone, especially on TikTok, Instagram Reels, and other apps. But some of our biggest pop stars are embracing the trend.
Canadian singer Nelly Furtado was “called back” to singing and writing when her hits started trending on TikTok.
In 2022, American singer Summer Walker released her first fully sped-up album – a remixed version of her 2018 album Last Day of Summer, which emerged after a dance trend on TikTok.
Billie Eilish has also released official versions of her songs, both slower and faster. And Sabrina Carpenter’s UK No. 1 singles Please Please Please and Espresso have received similar treatment.
TikTok said it has seen an increase in the number of sped-up and slowed-down versions of songs from its catalog being removed from the platform and officially released.
These official up-tempo versions are now added to the original song in the Official British Singles Chart, alongside remixes, acoustic versions and live versions. All of this helps artists climb the charts.
But not everyone is happy with this trend. The popularity of speed-altered versions can make it harder to differentiate between the original and the remix, distorting the speed, tone, and mood the artist intended.
In March, American singer and rapper Lil Yachty spoke on the podcast A Safe Place about being embarrassed when asked to remove alternate versions of his song A Cold Sunday.
In October 2022, during one of the concerts of American singer Steve Lacy’s Give You The World tour, the audience did not seem to sing along to his hit Bad Habit much. Some people shared videos online indicating that some of the audience recognized the popular version of a fast part of the song better than the original.
Some artists may like the new releases more than others. But it seems like they’re here to stay.
For 23-year-old London-based artist and producer tonka._.b, adjusting speed and tempo is part of his creative process.
“I like to listen to my songs three times: fast, slow and at normal speed,” she explains. “Each one offers a totally different feeling, each one opens doors to new audiences.”
