With its insanely catchy “pamparampampam” hook, the ‘Pajama Party’ dance challenge also went global after it trended among TikTok creators from Indonesia, Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam. Within 24 hours, ‘Pajama Party’ became the number one trend on TikTok Philippines, continuing to occupy the spot for more than two weeks.
Talk about overnight sensation: ‘Pajama Party’ was released in December 2020 by Filipino underground hip-hop group 1096 Gang, and blew up in January this year after TikTok user Vanjoe Lazaro posted a video of himself dancing to the track. However, it was hit with a copyright infringement claim shortly after, spurring debate on sampling and copyright issues in contemporary music production.
‘Omae Wa Mou’ then shot to the top of the Spotify Viral 50 chart in mid-2019 after it kickstarted a dance craze on TikTok. Featuring an obscure Japanese bossa nova sample over a drum loop, the song was already a recipe for meme-worthiness when it was sampled again in rapper Lil Boom’s track ‘ Already Dead ’. ‘Omae Wa Mou’ was produced in 2017 by then 18-year-old Noah Ryan Murphy under the moniker deadman 死人. This story is one wild rollercoaster ride. Unfortunately, Matsubara herself could not witness the newfound adoration for her beloved classic, as she passed away in 2004 due to cervical cancer. It went viral on the platform after users of Japanese descent played the track in front of their mothers and filmed the latter’s reactions when they recognised the song. City pop is no stranger to unexpected resurgence, and one example is Miki Matsubara’s 1979 hit ‘Stay With Me’, which got the ‘Plastic Love’ treatment on TikTok.