Experimental Musicians Find Mainstream Success Through TikTok and Instagram
A new wave of artists, embracing unconventional sounds and performance styles, are bypassing traditional gatekeepers and finding audiences of millions on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. This shift echoes a moment in 1981 when Laurie Anderson’s “O Superman” climbed the UK charts, demonstrating the power of radio to propel experimental music into the mainstream – but with a distinctly democratized, DIY flavor.
The rise of these “bedroom virtuosos” suggests a public hunger for artistic innovation that challenges conventional norms. Musicians are captivating online audiences with everything from covers of popular songs played on microtonal scales – utilizing notes outside the standard Western scale – to unorthodox instrument preparations, like a pianist drawing circles across piano keys or a guitarist creating drones with polyester strings.
One prominent example is Chloë Sobek, a Melbourne-based musician who performs on the violone, a Renaissance precursor to the double bass. Sobek’s performances, which involve inserting cardboard between the strings or using a sheep’s bone as a bow, have garnered tens of thousands – and sometimes hundreds of thousands – of views on Instagram. “Despite how it might appear, I’m a reasonably shy person,” Sobek noted, highlighting the surprising disconnect between online persona and personal temperament.
This burgeoning scene extends beyond instrumental experimentation. Arkansas musician Precious Renee Tucker, who teaches piano part-time, recently performed for Solange Knowles after her expressionist piano and synth performances amassed millions of views. Tucker describes her TikTok feed as a “chaotic digital sketchbook,” filled with impulsive creations captioned with exuberant phrases like “i don’t know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” and “music is fabric!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”. She emphasizes a process of unrestrained creation, stating, “I’m always releasing things without thinking too hard about the need to comprehend them. It’s really these fragments of myself.”
Other artists, such as Maddie Ashman and Bryan Deister, are attracting attention with microtonal music, a style characterized by dissonant notes that fall between the standardized Western scale. A comment on one of Ashman’s songs encapsulates the impact: “This blows my mind, it’s like we’ve been living in a musical matrix of prescribed noises that are ‘OK’.” Ashman, a British musician, approaches her work with a spirit of inquiry, explaining, “I’m led by questions.” She blends microtonality with pop sensibilities and a vocal technique called hocketing – interlocking melodic lines – reminiscent of avant-garde composer Meredith Monk.
However, this newfound prominence isn’t without its detractors. Like Anderson’s success, these musicians often face criticism and skepticism. “People start having arguments on the comment threads,” Sobek observed, adding that viewers frequently express concern over her unconventional treatment of the violone. “Because it’s this beautiful Renaissance instrument and I look like I’m bashing it, people are like, ‘How can you do that?’ But the way I play is actually quite gentle if you saw it in person. I’m saying that these old instruments don’t have to be behind glass. In a way, I’m bringing them to life more than someone who’s stuck trying to replicate history.”
The attention garnered on social media is translating into real-world opportunities. But the success of Sobek, Ashman, and others is driven by a genuine desire for novelty, a reaction against the perceived monotony of mainstream influencer culture and artificial intelligence-generated content. “We are genuinely desiring something brand new, or at least to be inspired to have that perspective,” Tucker explained. “To let go of the past and detach from what we’ve seen before, and have the courage to do something creative that hasn’t existed yet.”
This phenomenon represents a re-engagement with the core purpose of experimental art: to provoke, challenge, and spark dialogue. “That is my favourite part about the experimental realm,” Tucker said with a smile. “I’m not necessarily saying the way that I play is correct or the standard. I really love the conversations that come up: Is this acceptable? Does this sound good? What is this?”
The conversation isn’t always positive. Both Sobek and Ashman have experienced misogyny in the comments sections of their videos, with male viewers questioning their artistic choices or expressing dismissive reactions. “There’s definitely an element of me being a woman doing something that’s confronting,” Sobek acknowledged. “I get a lot of men having strong reactions, and I do wonder, would it be different if I was a guy? Whether it would be slightly more accepted?” Ashman noted a similar pattern of unsolicited expertise from male commenters questioning the authenticity of her microtonal work, but expressed optimism that societal attitudes are evolving. “We’re now in a society where the majority of people can laugh at them rather than being hurt too much, which is amazing to be able to say.”
Despite their online success, these artists remain wary of the algorithms that propelled them to prominence. “Can I keep the same mindset of doing this for fun? Can I take a break, or do I need to keep making and push it out regardless?” Tucker questioned. Sobek argues that the internet, despite its promise of democratization, is still governed by “this gatekeeping algorithm. It’s all the same thing.” She also cautions that the emphasis on spectacle inherent in short-form video could potentially distort the perception of experimental art. “It’s pushing this idea of spectacle, and I don’t think art is just about spectacle,” she said. “I’ll post a video that’s more ‘musically serious’ and it won’t get anywhere near as much interest as the fun and crazy stuff.”
However, short-form video also provides new avenues for artistic expression – seen in the superimposed lyrics in Ashman’s videos or the cumulative effect of Tucker’s lo-fi clips – fostering a uniquely public dialogue between artist and audience. “It is surprising,” Tucker concluded, “that this many people are willing to be in this place of the unknown, and not having such an immediate answer in such an immediate digital space where you can have every kind of stimulant you’d like. I’m proud of all of us for having the bravery to go there.”
