Natalie Taylor
Five years after its release, the ballad “Surrender” experienced an unexpected resurgence in the past couple of months. Streaming numbers across digital platforms spiked.
Natalie Taylor, artist behind the song, was perplexed. “What’s going on?” she wondered. As it turned out, “Surrender” became the latest song to go viral on the video sharing app TikTok.
“We noticed that my Spotify audience was growing and were like, ‘Where is this coming from?’ We had no idea. But when I checked TikTok, I saw that it has been used in so many videos. So that’s why,” she told the Inquirer in a recent video interview.
If she could describe her music, it would be, simply, “emotional.” And that probably explains why the song became so popular as background music for sad or heartwarming life moments. “My music is emotional, honest. I try to keep it true to who I am,” the American singer-songwriter said.
From April to May, “Surrender” was used in 30 to 35,000 new videos on TikTok every day. The total number of posts is now at 3.6 million—the three most viewed of which have notched 15.5, nine and eight million views, respectively, so far. The song has more than 115 million views on Spotify and 64 million collective views on YouTube.
The song’s success eventually paved the way for a record deal with Sony Music’s Columbia Records, which hooked her up with Danish DJ-producer Martin Jensen for “Surrender’s” remix version. Natalie’s work has also been used in TV shows like “Jane the Virgin” and “Grown-ish.”
Raised in Alabama and now based in Tennessee, Natalie started singing when she was a child and writing songs when she was a teenager. She grew up listening to Americana, country music and R&B and cited such artists as Dixie Chicks, Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men and Destiny’s Child as some of her biggest influences.
What do you make of this success on TikTok?
It worked out very well. It was a whole different ball game compared to what I was used to. I’m still not 110 percent sure how to work the app exactly, but I do my best! But it’s great; it’s another way to get your music out there.
Were you surprised by the song’s success?
Yes, very much so. The song is five years old. It just had this whole other life and it’s been crazy to see that happen. It’s a once in a lifetime thing.
What are your thoughts about people using the song for their videos?
It was amazing because I got to see different interpretations of the song, for every different reason you could think of. I have watched a lot of those videos and was really inspired. There are sad and happy ones. One of the first videos I saw was of a girl ringing the bell because she had just finished cancer treatment. I cried.
Seeing the impact social media has had on your music, will you be more proactive using these platforms?
I started with MySpace! You need to have a presence on social media these days. It’s one of the biggest platforms available to you.
I have a 3-year-old child, so I’m expecting that it’s going to be difficult to put out content all the time. But yeah, I am going to keep doing that for sure.
Will you be doing more TikTok-friendly songs?
I would continue doing my own thing. Like I said, I try to only release music that I fully believe in, and that’s who I am as an artist. I wouldn’t want to write music for any other reason. If a song does well again on TikTok, then that would be good. But I’m sticking to honest music.
Can you tell us the story behind “Surrender?
”My husband and I wrote it. When you’ve been together for a long time and you get old together, you can find yourselves in a place where you’ve changed. The song is about coming back together, surrendering to each other. It wasn’t a hard song to write, but we knew it was special.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine affected you?
I’m fortunate to be able to do everything in our house. But, obviously, it’s such a weird time … a dark time for everybody… But as far as creativity goes, I have managed to continue writing through everything. And luckily, we have a place to do that.
Is there any disappointment that the success came at this time?
It was a light during the darkest time. So, just watching these videos is a cool experience. They helped us through, so I don’t think there’s anything to be bummed about. INQ