October 30, 2025
by Parasition x Hugo
LET’S GET IT
As always, Hugo is catching all the trends you shouldn’t miss.
GLOBAL TIKTOK TREND (SOUND) OF THE WEEK
150k+ likes
Hotel Room | FLVCKKA & Maury & omgsleezy
Genre: Latin urban / Alternative
Video style: Specific trend
This sound is spreading fast not because of loud effects or choreography, but because of its atmosphere. It wraps the listener in a calm, almost weightless space, like being inside a bubble, where the visuals take full control. The borrowed lyric from a well-known song sparks instant recognition, pulling people in before they even realize why.
What really keeps viewers watching is the illusion of a coming drop (the tension that never quite resolves) creating anticipation that carries the video from start to finish.
Takeaways
— Familiar lyrics trigger recognition and emotional connection, even in new contexts
— Sounds that build subtle tension keep viewers engaged through expectation
LOCAL TIKTOK TREND (SOUND) OF THE WEEK
English-speaking countries
2M+ likes
Spooky, Scary Skeletons | Andrew Gold
Genre: Halloween song
Video style: Halloween theme
As Halloween content takes over feeds, this sound is leading the charge. “Spooky, Scary Skeletons” has that rare mix of nostalgia and energy: instantly recognizable, irresistibly sing-along-able, and impossible to scroll past. Its looping lyrics make it stick in your head, while the bouncy rhythm turns every clip into a playful, high-energy moment.
Creators are using it for everything from costume reveals to jump cuts and dance edits, proving how a seasonal classic can still dominate the algorithm when it’s this fun and familiar.
Takeaways
— Nostalgic songs tied to a season can spark massive re-engagement each year
Hugo spotlight
Hugo is officially live for beta users. The AI built for music marketing is now in action, watching over 100,000 social media clips daily, linking emerging trends to the songs driving them, and generating data-driven creative blueprints for labels, managers, and artists.
This is your first chance to experience how AI can redefine music marketing in real time. Request access at https://hugo.love/.
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SOCIAL MEDIA:
“Sunglasses challenge” shows some trends should be avoided
A new viral TikTok trend (the “Sunglasses Challenge”) is drawing criticism for promoting unhealthy body image. The challenge involves wrapping sunglasses around one’s waist to “prove” how small it is, which many mean reinforces unrealistic beauty standards.
While it’s spreading under the guise of harmless fun and positivity, it highlights how quickly trends can blur the line between entertainment and harm. Virality without awareness can come at a serious social cost, and everyone should be mindful of which trends they choose to replicate.
DATA | THE WORLD OF MUSIC QUANTIFIED
Spotify’s weekly global top 5 songs
— #1. The Fate of Ophelia | Taylor Swift // 66 m weekly streams
— #2. Golden | KPop Demon Hunters Cast // 49 m weekly streams
— #3. Opalite | Taylor Swift // 43 m weekly streams
— #4. back to friends | sombr // 35 m weekly streams
— #5. Man I Need | Olivia Dean // 31 m weekly streams
Spotify’s weekly global top 10 artists
— #1. Taylor Swift // Pop
— #2. Bad Bunny // Latin trap
— #3. Drake // Pop
— #4. The Weeknd // Alternative R&B
— #5. Sabrina Carpenter // Pop
— #6. Ariana Grande // Pop
— #7. Billie Eilish // Alternative Pop
— #8. Arijit Singh // Playback Singer
— #9. KPop Demon Hunters Cast // KPop
— #10. Fuerza Regida // Regional Mexican
TIKTOK VIDEO OF THE WEEK:
”Tricking your dumb friend their phone stopped working”
Views: 7,000,000 | Likes: 620,000
This video proves that clever simplicity can outperform even the most polished content. What starts as a basic “how to” clip suddenly turns into a playful mind game: the creator says “how to trick your dumb friend their phone stopped working”, then freezes mid-sentence with a pause icon on screen. For a few seconds, everyone watching thinks their own phone actually froze.
— #1. Unexpected interaction. The illusion of a paused screen flips the viewer’s role. Suddenly, they’re the ones being tricked. That reversal triggers surprise and laughter, which are powerful sharing emotions.
— #2. Built-in virality. Because people instinctively try to “unpause,” engagement (taps, comments, rewatches) skyrockets. It’s a perfect example of using platform behavior itself as part of the joke.
— #3. Relatable humility. Once you realize you’ve been fooled, you feel a mix of embarrassment and admiration. That playful self-awareness makes it instantly shareable, since viewers want others to “fall for it” too.
— #4. Minimalism that works. No fancy effects, no music, no editing; just smart timing and psychological design. It reminds creators that sometimes the most viral ideas are the ones that feel almost too simple to work
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MUSIC EVENT OF THE WEEK:
Escape Halloween California
Picture from AMF
Escape Halloween returns to San Bernardino, California this weekend, turning the NOS Events Center into a haunting playground packed with great electronic music. Hosted by Insomniac Events, it blends world-class artists like DEADMAU5 and DJ Snake with immersive horror-inspired production, elaborate costumes, and theatrical stages.
TIP OF THE WEEK
Front-load the hook (don’t wait for the drop)
Most creators build videos around the drop, but on TikTok, attention dies before it hits. Instead, lead with the payoff. Start your clip with the most emotional lyric, striking visual, or peak energy moment, then rewind or reveal how you got there. This inverted structure mirrors film trailers and instantly triggers curiosity. Viewers don’t want to wait for the reward, they want to see why it’s worth staying.
PARASITION: Campaign breakdown
800+ likes
San Francisco Boy | Hooja & Käärjiä
Genre: Electronic / Dance
Video style: Random
This track brings playful pop energy that feels bright, catchy, and made for fun, everyday moments. Its upbeat rhythm and cheeky lyrics make it perfect for storytelling around crushes, attraction, and lighthearted romance.
The featured creator nailed it through a highly relatable caption that instantly sparked comments and reactions. The framing was clean and well-lit, and there was just enough background motion to keep the shot alive without pulling focus from the main message. Everything worked together to make the clip feel natural and engaging.
Campaign learnings
— Here, we should have tried other briefs as well to increase engagement further
— Clean lighting and minimal distractions make for expressive content pop
ROUND-UP
— Atmosphere over noise. Hotel Room by FLVCKKA, Maury & omgsleezy is climbing fast by doing less. The sound feels suspended (calm, airy, and hypnotic) letting the video take center stage. A familiar lyric hooks attention, and the tease of a drop that never lands keeps viewers locked in until the end.
— Nostalgia still owns October. Spooky, Scary Skeletons by Doddie Savage is flooding feeds again, proving how seasonal sounds can loop back stronger each year. Its playful repetition and sing-along energy make it the ultimate Halloween earworm.
— Simplicity beats spectacle. The viral “how to trick your dumb friend their phone stopped working” clip shows that clever ideas can outperform heavy editing. One fake pause, one smart concept, and millions fall for it.
— Campaign range drives engagement. Our San Francisco Boy push with Hooja & Käärijä thrived on clean visuals and expressive energy, but broader briefs could’ve opened even more creative angles. Not every caption needs to mention the collab, sometimes vibe alone carries the story.
— Awareness over virality. The “Sunglasses Challenge” might be trending, but it’s also facing backlash for promoting unrealistic body standards. It’s a reminder that not every viral moment deserves replication. Creators and brands need to weigh impact as much as reach.
Nothing more from our end.
If you’ve missed it, the Hugo beta is now live. Don’t miss out :)
