Lola Young’s viral breakthrough hit “Messy” took off months after its release. But was it luck or strategy? Here’s how influencer buzz and smart digital moves turned a moment into lasting success.
by Mark Knight, Founder. via Major Labl Artist Club
British singer-songwriter Lola Young has achieved a UK number-one hit with Messy and made her US TV debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. But what fueled her rise? What can emerging artists learn from her journey? And how can short-term virality translate into lasting fan engagement?
Messy first appeared on Lola Young’s TikTok on May 16, 2024, ahead of its official release on May 30, 2024. Her initial posts gained 141,000 and 96,000 views, strong numbers but consistent with her usual engagement levels.
The real momentum came in November, six months after the single’s release. Influencer Jake Shane posted a 14-second clip of himself and Sofia Richie Grainge lip-syncing and dancing to Messy.
happy thanksgiving @Sofia Richie Grainge
Whether planned or organic, this moment sparked a trend, demonstrating the lasting power of influencer-driven virality, even long after a song’s initial release.
Side Note: Sofia Richie Grainge is married to Elliott Grainge, son of Lucian Grainge, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group (Lola Young is signed to Island Records, a Universal subsidiary). Was this a strategic second push to revive the single and album? We may never know, but either way, it felt authentic.
All music is new if you haven’t heard it before. Attaching your song to a cultural moment or trend allows you to reshare it repeatedly, reaching new fans each time. Just ask Mariah Carey. Don’t stop promoting a song six weeks after release, its biggest moment could still be ahead.
Sofia Richie Grainge’s backward shuffle quickly became a TikTok trend, inspiring thousands to recreate it. Today, there are over 250,000 TikTok videos featuring Messy, with high-profile contributions from Kylie Jenner and Reese Witherspoon.
Lola Young describes what makes an anthem:
“Anthems aren’t just pop songs; they start with something else, and then become a pop song.”
For Messy, that “something else” is the universal feeling of never being enough in a relationship an emotion that deeply connects with listeners.
Today, fans aren’t just passive listeners they are content creators in their own right. Most people will discover Lola Young through fan-generated content rather than content on her feed. For artists, success isn’t just about how well your content performs, it’s about how much your music inspires others to create.
According to Google, there were 2 million global searches for Lola Young in the last month an increase of 752% from the previous quarter.
We categorized the top search terms into three groups:
Since most people are discovering her for the first time, the low transactional intent isn’t surprising, fandom, like any relationship, begins with curiosity before growing into deeper engagement.
For Young and any new artist, the key is to nurture early interest and convert curiosity into lasting fandom.
Lola Young’s search presence is strong, fans can easily find:
If you want people to search for you, make sure they can find you easily. Your online presence should serve all three search intents:
Give searchers something to talk about, people love fun facts as social currency:
The more engaging stories you provide, the more likely people will spread the word.
With 2 million searches last month, only 8,000 people visited her website (4,400 unique visitors).
Using Ubersuggest, we found that live shows and ticket searches are driving traffic to Lola Young’s website. Her UK shows have already sold out. Knowing this, her website should be designed to meet visitor intent, with a clear focus on tour dates and ticketing rather than email sign-ups.
Despite 2 million searches for Lola Young, most of those searchers didn’t land on her website, so where did they go?
However, the real challenge for any artist is turning one-time listeners into repeat listeners and, ultimately, dedicated followers all without access to listener data. Right now, only 1.6% of Lola Young’s monthly listeners follow her on Spotify.
YouTube:
Lola Young’s journey highlights the power of viral moments, but sustained success requires strategic engagement, strong storytelling, and an optimised digital presence.
Words Mark Knight
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