Clare Sellers


Lauren Spencer-Smith’s latest release ‘Flowers’ is taking the world by storm – and it’s majorly thanks to the following she’s created on TikTok.

The singer-songwriter came to popularity on TikTok ahead of the release of her first single ‘Fingers Crossed’, a heart-breaking ballad about an ex-love.

Now, with the release of her latest single ‘Flowers’, Lauren Spencer-Smith has begun to establish her name within the music industry, upgrading swiftly from the app that started it all.

However, TikTok still appears to be the singer’s favourite option for marketing her music, choosing to post small clips of her songs to build an audience and demand for the music before its even released.

“An emotional ballad detailing the problems she encountered in a previous relationship.”

It’s a strategy more and more budding artists are using, with the movement from YouTube to TikTok in order to build a following that allows for a successful start-up. For breakout star Spencer-Smith, the social media app was just the first step, and with her newest single she solidifies a style and genre for herself.

‘Flowers’ is an emotional ballad detailing the problems she encountered in a previous relationship. The lyrics, whilst similar in meaning to her first single, are striking and flow beautifully from one to the next. The music is riddled with advice and morals for listeners, as we listen we journey with Spencer-Smith through realisations and revelations about what a relationship should be, and the red flags that prove when one isn’t working.

“Her thick voice complementing her ballad style of choice.”

Caring messages display a desire to help and protect her listeners from following the same path she did, with the last lines ‘If there’s anything I’ve learned it’s you should watch yourself/ If it’s hurting you, then leave and go and get some help’ conveying the ultimate meaning behind her music.

Vocally outstanding, the singer once again hits notes and runs rather effortlessly, her thick voice complementing her ballad style of choice in the same way that has always worked for the likes of Adele. The chorus is catchy and melodic, and with its success on TikTok, the song is set to be a heartbreak anthem worthy of a sad car ride.

With half a million views on streaming platform YouTube since its release last week, the single is off to a strong start and won’t take long to catch up with former single ‘Fingers Crossed’ at 2.2 million views. At 18 years old, the British-born, Canadian-based singer-songwriter has set herself up for a blossoming successful career.

“Other TikTok sensations have begun to surface into mainstream media.”

Having previously posted covers to YouTube and bringing forth a whole new legion of followers on TikTok, she’s created a loyal fanbase that will likely see her produce an album soon, considering the success of her first two original singles.

Not the only one of her kind, other TikTok sensations have begun to surface into mainstream media after posting snippets of music and following suit in building up a following to support them. Among them is fellow singer-songwriter Leah Kate, whose single ’10 things I hate about you’ has just debuted on the US Spotify chart for the first time.

This newest sector of social media is increasingly becoming the place to be to discover the latest talent, and the place to be for artists to begin building a career. With the ability to have a single sound clip go viral and be used by other TikTok participants, performers like Spencer-Smith have capitalised on the catchy nature of their music to enrapture a whole generation of listeners, and it seems to be working.


Featured image courtesy of Irina Iriser on Unsplash. No changes have been made to this image. Image licence found here.

I am a 20-year-old multimedia journalism student in my final year studying at the University of Salford

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