The TikTok musicians
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Anders Krøger4 min read|21. August 2025
A friend recently pointed out to me that a new phenomenon has appeared. Something that has existed elsewhere in the world for many years, but which seems to be quite new in the classical world. Musicians who use TikTok and Instagram to build a platform for themselves.
New paths to success
The traditional route to becoming a recognised classical musician is long. First you have to practise a great deal from a very young age (having established musicians as parents is not seen as a disadvantage), you have to get into the right schools and have the right teachers, and after a long bachelor’s and master’s course, it pays to know the right people who give you a place on the biggest stages.
Many musicians who have taken this route, and have become some of the world’s greatest musicians, have in time also built large accounts on social media where they create entertainment for their followers. Among these, Hillary Hahn and Rey Chen can be mentioned.
What we see now is something a little different. Musicians who, early in their careers, build up through social media a popularity that can almost match, and in some cases surpass, that of the established ones. Some who were early to the party were the YouTubers TwoSetViolin, who posted videos from their student days with discussions, games, game shows and other entertainment content for classical music enthusiasts. Around the world, tickets sell at express speed when the guys from TwoSet come to visit.
A queue a kilometre long in Cologne
One of the new big stars in the classical music sky is the organist Anna Lapwood. Although you can argue that she had a relatively decent career before she broke through on TikTok, it is safe to say that it was after her viral success that it really took off. Earlier this year she gave concerts in Cologne Cathedral for over 10,000 people, with several thousand more not even getting tickets.
Lapwood has a staggering 1.4 million followers on TikTok and 1.3 million on Instagram, so there is little to criticise about her popularity. It is wild to think how many people are interested in following an organist, which should be an inspiration to others who are doing something they think others are not that interested in.
Both Lapwood and the guys in TwoSetViolin are extremely skilled musicians and this is not an attempt to discredit them in any way. Nor is it an attempt to say that they do not deserve their popularity, or that it would not have arisen without their activity on social media. I am, however, very interested in the debate that follows this new development. What will the music scene of the future look like if the classical musicians who become the most popular are not those “approved by the professional community”, but those with the most followers on social media?
Another question is to what extent the “social-mediafication” of music shakes the core values of the art. Some will criticise (for lack of a better word) the TikTok musicians for lacking artistic integrity and depth in what they do. Several of the new stars release records of classical hits, mixed with pop music and film music to attract larger masses. Although the criticism is easy to make, and very often aimed at classical musicians who become famous in a short time, it is not unfounded. Is this a frightening development in which classical music is polished smooth into background music for the mass-consuming and restless social media person? Or would we in the classical world benefit from thinking a little more commercially?
A disservice or a successful media strategy?
Either way, I would say that it is in marketing and visibility that we as a community have the most to learn from pop music. There are plenty of artists who are very good at promoting themselves and their music on various digital channels.
There is admittedly a fine balance between a successful visibility project and a kind of American over-commercialisation of the classical music field, something I think very few want. However, I think it is very useful for our community to discuss how we show people all the good things we are doing.
My personal view is that I find it exciting that there are musicians, conductors and composers who are good at building a large presence on social media to reach new fan bases. Perhaps they find listeners who do not usually check their local orchestra’s concert calendar, but who are otherwise interested in seeking out classical concerts. I will put my general aversion to social media aside for a moment and cheer on those who make good classical music content on the platforms. Still, I have an appeal. In the search to reach broadly, do not turn classical music into an “easy listening/postcard” gimmick. Let people hear how raw, rough, sore and tragic the music can be, from the get-go!