TikTok, the popular social media platform, launched today a brand new programme called TikTok Elevate, aimed at recognising and promoting emerging music artistes from across the globe.

With its massive community of passionate music fans, TikTok has become the go-to platform for music discovery and promotion, making it an ideal space for aspiring artistes to showcase their talents.

The Elevate programme is designed to identify, amplify, and celebrate rising artistes from around the world. TikTok revealed the first class of artistes who will be part of Elevate: CHINCHILLA, a London-based emerging artiste; Sam Barber, an American artiste from Missouri; Omar Courtz, an artiste from Puerto Rico; Isabel La Rosa, an American artiste from Maryland; Kaliii, an American rapper from Roswell, Georgia; and LU KALA, an artiste from Toronto, Canada.

Elevate aims to provide meaningful support to these artistes, both within the TikTok app and beyond, as they build their careers in the music industry. The programme will showcase the incredible musical talent found on TikTok, celebrating the diverse stories and sounds of each artiste.

Rachel Dunham, North America artiste partnerships lead at TikTok, expressed her excitement for Elevate, stating: “Elevate speaks to the heart of TikTok and our commitment to honor and empower the diverse talent on the platform.”

As part of the Elevate programme, TikTok plans to provide unique artist experiences to fans, including exclusive performances at significant locations in the artists’ hometowns. Fans will have the opportunity to engage with their favorite artists on a global scale, gaining insight into their music careers and upcoming releases. Elevate artistes will be performing in their respective hometowns in Canada, Georgia, Maryland, Missouri, Puerto Rico, and the UK.

As a global powerhouse for musical creation, Jamaica has consistently produced some of the most iconic and influential genres; reggae and dancehall. Local artistes have already been successful in using the platform to present their music to launch their careers, an example being 1Biggs Don with his viral hit Bwoy Affi.

If the local music industry were to embrace Elevate, the programme could potentially provide a platform for emerging Jamaican artistes to showcase their talent on a global scale, reaching a wider audience and potentially securing a better pipeline to collaborations, partnerships, and recognition from international industry professionals.

The inaugural Elevate programme begins today and will run until October. TikTok plans to continue supporting artistes at every stage of their journey, with future details about upcoming Elevate cohorts set to be released in the coming months. To stay updated, fans are encouraged to follow the Elevate artists on TikTok and explore the #TikTokElevate hub.