Kira Ashwin on How TikTok is Shaping the Future of Electronic Music

TikTok UK’s Music Partnerships Manager Kira Ashwin stopped by to discuss why electronic music is one of the platform’s most celebrated genres and how the #ElectronicMusic hub promotes diversity.

In recent years, TikTok has become an undeniable hotspot for electronic music. It’s nearly impossible to scroll through your feed without encountering the infectious beats and addictive rhythms of many hit dance songs. Building on the success of the #ElectronicMusic Hub debut in the UK, TikTok celebrated the genre’s stellar growth and unveiled its global rollout at the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) this year.

One of the pivotal figures in shaping music on the platform is Kira Ashwin, TikTok UK’s Music Partnerships Manager. As a devoted fan with enormous love and passion for music, Ashwin views this hub as a key avenue to reinforce electronic music’s global reach and support the genre’s growth.

This year alone, TikTok garnered over 3.5 billion views of Tomorrowland, 40 million posts celebrating the music of Keinemusik‘s Adam Port, and over 100 million views of rising stars ANOTR. These figures highlight the fact that trending music moments like these can often become career-defining for electronic artists.

“The community on TikTok can take an electronic music track from niche to mainstream, exposing the artist to millions of viewers who might otherwise have never discovered their work,” Ashwin said. “When fans create content around a track, it extends the music’s reach and authenticity, fostering a communal experience. We’ve seen countless times that this exposure can lead to increased streaming and live attendance, which reinforces TikTok as a powerful tool for artists to grow their fanbase and global reach.”

Crucially, electronic music crosses cultural boundaries, making it universally accessible, and it allows people worldwide to connect over shared sounds and beats.”
Kira Ashwin

Breaking Cultural Barriers

In recent years, an increasing number of electronic music artists from underrepresented areas are stepping into the spotlight and showcasing diverse cultural expressions within the scene. Thanks to the #ElectronicMusic Hub, emerging DJs and producers now have a structured platform to be discovered, offering them greater visibility to reach a wider audience.

“The hub features curated content, interviews, and educational content around electronic music production to help emerging talent,” Ashwin explained. “This approach gives emerging talent more opportunities to gain followers, collaborate with other creators, and reach new fans. We’re committed to expanding these resources to ensure these artists can leverage TikTok as a true career-building platform.”

Electronic music has an incredible versatility that really resonates with the TikTok community. It’s a genre that invites creative expression across various contexts, whether it’s through remixing, live set recordings, or trends.
Kira Ashwin

Empowering Artists Long Term

While TikTok’s algorithm thrives on finding the next big thing, it raises a crucial question about an artist’s long-term sustainability. In other words, how can TikTok facilitate deeper connections between artists and their audiences beyond viral or one-hit-wonder moments?

Kira emphasized that TikTok provides artists with meaningful ways to cultivate lasting connections with their fans, which extends beyond the fleeting viral moments. She said, “Artists can engage in real-time with their audience, sharing behind-the-scenes content, insights into their creative processes, and even deepening that engagement through things like Q&A sessions.”

“The #ElectronicMusic hub encourages sustained engagement by showcasing diverse content around an artist, which keeps their presence active on the platform,” Ashwin continued. “By enabling artists to show more of themselves, we want to foster a sense of loyalty and connection that extends well beyond a single moment.”

With the global rollout of #ElectronicMusic, fans can anticipate more partnerships and collaborations with exciting content in the pipeline. “We’re always excited to partner with top electronic festivals and artists worldwide,” Ashwin added. “We recently featured Martin Garrix as our #ElectronicMusic artist for Europe. We’re also collaborating with emerging DJs and electronic music producers in our featured playlists to help spotlight artists at various stages in their careers.”

Ultimately, we want to create an inclusive space that nurtures new talent, broadens exposure for the genre, and helps artists develop meaningful, long-lasting careers on and beyond TikTok.”
Kira Ashwin

Inclusivity, New Talent, and Sub-Genres

Speaking about the future of #ElectronicMusic, Kira Ashwin envisions the hub becoming an inclusive and inspiring platform.

She shared, “Our goal with the hub is to reinforce electronic music’s global reach and support the genre’s growth. What I’m most excited about is bringing niche sub-genres into the mainstream. We hope the hub will inspire more creators to experiment with electronic music and share their work with the world.”

Kira Ashwin also expressed her excitement about the emerging talents whom he is eager to see flourish on the platform. “Artists like Jazzy from Ireland, whose track “Giving Me” soared to the top of the Irish charts, have been incredible to watch,” she revealed. “Similarly, Hannah Laing’s “Queen of DOOF“ style and Adam Port’s unique blend of Afrobeats and melodic house are just a few examples of emerging talents that resonate with the TikTok community. Each of these artists brings a distinct sound and approach, and we’re excited to support their journeys on a global scale.”

Visit TikTok’s #ElectronicMusic hub to discover new music, remixes, and live performances.