There’s no doubt that TikTok is taking artists to new heights.
As AfroTech previously shared, musicians across genres can partially thank the social media giant’s exposure for helping them reach new audiences. In Steve Lacy’s case, TikTok has recently led him to snag his first No. 1 hit.
Off of his sophomore album “Gemini Rights,” his single “Bad Habit” has taken the top spot on Billboard’s Hot 100, according to Billboard.
After spending a few weeks at No. 2 prior to the feat, Forbes reported how the momentum behind “Bad Habit” was greatly credited to TikTok. As of this writing, the hit has been used in over 494,000 videos on the platform.
The push from TikTok played a role in Lacy taking the lead over Harry Styles’ “As It Was” — which made history as the longest-running solo No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Along with being his first No. 1, “Bad Habit” marked his first entry on the chart as a solo artist. Formerly a member of The Internet, the genre-blending artist made his official solo debut in 2019.
Lacy credits 2021 as a pivotal year for his music. Following a breakup, he created deep connections with the likes of Fousheé and Tyler, The Creator — who helped him with “Bad Habit.”
“For a while, I was really shy — I didn’t want to ask anybody for anything,” he told Billboard. “But in order for me to grow, I couldn’t follow those same patterns.”
According to Lacy, Fousheé collaborated with him and helped him change the initial 2021 version’s melody for the chorus and verses. As for Tyler, he gave the word of advice to change up the beat toward the song’s end, as well as a lyric in the chorus.
“At first it was, ‘I wish I knew you/ I wish I knew you wanted me,’” Lacy shared. “And then he was like, ‘It’d actually be more memorable if you cut that word [‘you’] out,’ so shout out to Tyler.”
