Viral TikTok challenges propel film soundtracks, past hits and new K-pop tracks onto summer charts
TikTok announced Friday that “Soda Pop,” a soundtrack from the Netflix animated film “KPop Demon Hunters,” was the most-used track on the platform in Korea this summer.
The short-form video platform unveiled its global and country-specific “Song of the Summer 2025” lists, based on over 630,000 videos created under the hashtag “SongOfTheSummer.” The challenge spread in the form of dance covers, lip-syncs and parody clips, driving music trends worldwide.
In Korea, the top spot went to “Soda Pop,” performed by boy group the Saja Boys in “KPop Demon Hunters.” The track inspired dance challenges and parody videos tied to the film’s universe, generating more than 970,000 pieces of TikTok content.
Blackpink’s Rose also claimed two entries on the Korean top 10. Her solo track “Messy,” released as part of the film “F1: The Movie,” ranked No. 9 thanks to the viral “AI mermaid” filter trend on the app. Meanwhile, her duet “APT.” with Bruno Mars placed at No. 10, boosted by its link to the “apartment game” meme. Both songs highlight how K-pop artists are extending their global influence through film soundtracks.
“‘Song of the Summer’ shows how TikTok enables over 1 billion users worldwide to discover music and drive global trends,” said Tracy Gardner, TikTok’s global head of music business. “We will continue to expand opportunities for artists and users to connect and grow together through music.”
Other challenges also made waves. Japanese dance group Super Yankees’ “Ikari Mark” climbed to No. 3 in Korea, powered by a gesture-driven challenge matching its chorus.
Past hits resurfaced as well.
Black Eyed Peas’ “Rock That Body” ranked No. 2, Girls’ Generation’s “Mr. Taxi” came in at No. 5, Dev’s “Bass Down Low” at No. 6 and Ryanghyun Ryangha’s “I Didn’t Go to School” at No. 8. “Bass Down Low” in particular was revived through a choreography challenge by Hearts2Hearts member Ian.
New K-pop tracks also showed strong performance.
BoyNextDoor’s retro-inspired pop-soul single “123-78” landed at No. 7 with its blend of nostalgic sound and youthful energy.
On the global chart, Jess Glynne’s 2015 hit “Hold My Hand” secured the No. 1 spot.
Repopularized through UK travel agency Jet2holidays’ advertisements, the track — nicknamed the “Jet2holidays Song” — became a meme for travel mishaps and everyday ironies. Used in more than 9 million TikTok videos with over 80 billion views, the challenge gained further traction through celebrity participation.
