Everyone deserves a shot, and if you use TikTok properly, it can really benefit you.”įrom a label standpoint, Warner’s vice presidents of A&R Chris Morris and Jeff Sosnow view TikTok as an “incredibly helpful” tool for discovering new artists and expanding audiences. There are so many talented musicians, artists, comedians… and it’s giving people a platform. “I don’t want to create music that I think will blow up on TikTok, which I think is seeping into the consciousness of artists,” Olson says. He’s skeptical of the app’s apparent ability to influence artists’ creative process, but he also appreciates how TikTok has disrupted the music industry and allowed creators to earn fame in nontraditional ways. While no one can predict which music trend TikTok will birth next, Olson says he credits the honest simplicity and universal lyrics of “I Love You So” with the song’s viral surge. Credit: TikTok, the app that popularized sea shanties, made Hoobastank cool again and shot Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” back up the Billboard charts four decades after its debut. While the Walters’ hiatus only lasted four years, the music industry has since experienced a seismic shift in how people discover and consume music. Olson says the “safety blanket” Warner provides allows him to sit back and focus on the music and shows. The band’s decision to sign with a label after several years of independence stems from a desire for structure. After four years, if we were to be presented this opportunity and we couldn’t get past, then we would be doing a disservice to ourselves, our fans and our family.” We had success at a young age, and it was overwhelming. The Walters’ breakup took an emotional toll on Olson, who said earlier this year, “The band broke up with me.” Now, Olson says the band’s reuniting has been seamless: “They’ve accepted me, and I’m accepting them.”Īdds Olson: “A lot of it is swallowing your ego and realizing that we were young. Meanwhile, the rest of the band stuck together and put out three singles as Corduroy. Martin and formed the twangy pop duo the Olson Brothers with sibling Anthony. When the Walters split back in 2017, Olson released solo music as L. With reverb-drenched guitar chords and dreamy vocal harmonies, the song precedes the bedroom pop craze that currently dominates Spotify’s indie playlists. In November, the band released an updated music video for “I Love You So” and put out a brand new acoustic version.ĭespite its 2014 release date, “I Love You So” sounds fresh as ever. and Chicago, the Walters are currently recording a new EP and planning an international tour.
With four sold out dates this month in New York, L.A. “There’s a reason why this song keeps coming back into our lives, and the TikTok virality was definitely the extra kick we needed to be like, ‘Okay, let’s give this another shot and let’s try to make the most of it.’” “It was a sign from the universe,” Olson tells Variety. With Warner Music - along with a handful of other labels - flooding the band’s inbox, the Walters launched a full-fledged return. 39 on the streamer’s Global Top 50.Īccording to the Walters frontman Luke Olson, the band had been flirting with the idea of reuniting before “I Love You So” blew up, but the song’s surprise success pushed them to act. (For reference, The Weeknd’s “Save Your Tears” soundtracks just over 130,000 TikToks, and Ariana Grande’s “34+35” is featured in 184,000 videos.) Since early October, “I Love You So” has spent nine weeks charting on Spotify’s Daily USA Top 50, peaking at No.
Now, “I Love You So” boasts over 200 million Spotify streams and is featured in over half a million TikTok videos, outperforming some of this year’s biggest hits. The Chicago bedroom pop darlings played 200-capacity rooms and released two projects - “Songs for Dads” and “Young Men” - without a record deal. Released in 2014, “I Love You So” helped boost the Walters to mild indie success. What happens when a band breaks up and then becomes TikTok famous? In the case of the Walters, they reunite and sign a record deal, seven years after the release of their now-hit song.