Jerusalema, Rasputin, Enjoy Enjaami and other songs that went viral on social media

With the world facing uncertainties due to the impact of COVID pandemic, music played a major part in providing relief to people who were forced to sit at home for a longer period. Many music videos on social media platforms such as YouTube Facebook, TikTok and Instagram Reel became instant hits, topping the hit charts during the stressful COVID-19 period. Similarly, some of the old songs resurfaced with the support of the new generation on social media. Let's take a look at some of the significant numbers that caught the imagination of music lovers in the last two years.

JERUSALEMA: 'Jerusalema' by South African musicians Master KG and Nomcebo Zikode was a song in Zulu-language released in 2019. The song received international recognition when the #JerusalemaDanceChallenge went viral on social media. The global challenge began during the lockdown period in February, 2020. The challenge started when a group of friends in Angola shot a video of themselves dancing while they were eating, without dropping their plates. It was followed by people from different walks of life posting clips of themselves dancing to the tunes of Jerusalema.

RASPUTIN: The popular song Rasputin, performed by Boney M in 1978, was in the limelight again when two medical students from Kerala danced to the tunes of this classic. The video went viral and the students were praised for their efforts to give new life to the classic. Rasputin is the story of a Russian man Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin, who was a controversial personality in Czarist Russia. The song received some backlashes when it was released 43 years ago.

ONE DANCE: ‘One Dance’ was made by Grammy-award winner Drake featuring popstar Ayo Balogun, renowned as Wizkid. Though the song was released in 2016, it became a massive hit when Drake launched it on TikTok. It started trending on social media platforms and was listed as the 6th biggest song of the decade in the UK in 2019.

UP: ‘Up’ by American rapper Cardi B became an instant hit thanks to TikTok. The song has been used in more than 1.5 million videos. The music video was nominated for the BET Award for Video of the Year. She performed the song at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards on March 14, 2021.

ENJOY ENJAAMI: When A R Rahman’s production Maajja unveiled Enjoy Enjaami, the hip-hop song was expected to strike a chord with Tamil music lovers who have knowledge in the politics and culture of the state. Arivu, the lyricist-singer of Enjoy Enjaami, through the song tries to talk about the feudal structure, landless farmers and caste system. Enjoy Enjaami is the story of Arivu’s grandmother Valliamma, who was a plantation worker in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. The song, which hailed unity and celebration, went on to become an international hit. Also mention the composer since you mentioned the singer lyricist and the banner released it.

SAY SO: Doja Cat's song ‘Say So’ went viral with the help of TikTok star Haley Sharpe from Alabama. The song has been used in more than 14 million videos. Later Doja Cat incorporated the dance into her music video with Haley making an appearance. Something on Doja Cat

RENEGADE: Lottery (Renegade) (say who he is..) is one of the most used dances on TikTok. More than 24 million people have used the song in their videos. It went viral on TikTok following the dance of 14-year-old Jalaiah Harmon.

JALEBI BABY: The Punjabi-English song Jalebi Baby, sung and produced by Canadian rapper and producer Tesher, was initially released on November 13, 2020. However, when it went viral, a remix featuring American singer Jason Derulo was introduced on May 28, 2021. It is the Hollywood version of popular Hindi number Jalebi Bai from Bollywood movie Double Dhamaal, which was released in 2011. The video generated more than 20 million views in its first week on YouTube and Tesher has been named a YouTube Trending Artist on the Rise.

BUTTER: South Korean boy group BTS’s Butter set the record for the most viewers for the premiere of a video on YouTube when it generated 3.9 million concurrent viewers for its premiere on 21 May 2021. Within one day after its release, it broke the record for the most viewed YouTube music video in 24 hours with 108.2m views.

SAVAGE: ‘Savage’ by American rapper and songwriter Megan Thee Stallion two words about her) went viral on TikTok when TikTok star Keke Janajah from Florida helped create a trend. It has been used in more than 24 million videos.

JIMIKI KAMAL: ‘Entammede Jimikki Kammal’ from Malayalam movie 'Velipadinte Pusthakam', featuring South Indian superstar Mohanlal became a hit on social media in 2017. The song crossed the 100 million views mark on YouTube, becoming the first Malayalam song to touch such a milestone. People posted several dance videos on YouTube and Facebook. It received international recognition when American actor and television host Jimmy Kimmel tweeted about the song, saying that he loved it.