Entertainment: Bubble Beats & Viral Moves: TikTok Crowns “Soda Pop” Korea’s 2025 Summer Anthem
- InsightTrendsWorld
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
What is the K-Pop x Film Soundtrack Viral Trend?
The summer of 2025 saw TikTok and K-pop collide in a perfect storm of animated aesthetics, dance challenges, and film-fueled soundtracks—with “Soda Pop” by the Saja Boys from Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters topping the Korean charts as TikTok’s official “Song of the Summer”.
Origin of the hit: “Soda Pop” is a fictional boy group anthem featured in the film KPop Demon Hunters—but its real-world success was anything but fiction.
Mass engagement: Over 970,000 TikTok videos were made using the track in Korea alone, with users performing dance covers, parodies, and film-themed cosplay content.
Saja Boys went viral: Though fictional, the characters have been fully embraced as digital pop stars, blurring lines between animation, music, and fandom.
Why it is the topic trending: Fictional Idols, Real-World Fame
Crossover between animation and K-pop: Fans are now treating fictional characters like real idols. The success of “Soda Pop” reflects a massive cultural blending of film, fandom, and music.
TikTok as a music launchpad: Instead of radio or charts, songs now go viral through dance trends. TikTok’s challenges drive listenership, streams, and brand partnerships.
Entertainment as ecosystem: The song’s success isn’t isolated—it’s part of a transmedia strategy with music, memes, filters, and cosplay woven together.
Replay value + relatability: Catchy, upbeat, and quirky—“Soda Pop” fits TikTok’s fast-paced content culture while tapping into nostalgia and youth rebellion.
Overview: When TikTok Crowns a Fictional Song, It’s Real Success
TikTok’s influence on the global music scene has never been stronger. In Korea, the platform didn’t just elevate a real boy group—it gave fictional idols a real number-one hit. “Soda Pop” became the face of summer through TikTok’s powerful challenge mechanics, signaling how K-pop, animation, and social media are merging to create the next generation of viral hits.
Detailed Findings: What Made ‘Soda Pop’ Blow Up?
Song of the Summer Korea 2025: “Soda Pop” by fictional group Saja Boys was the most-used track on TikTok in Korea this summer.
Connected to a film: The track comes from Netflix’s animated film KPop Demon Hunters—a title already boosted by pop-culture hype and stylized visuals.
Challenge-driven virality: Dance covers, parody skits, and themed challenges flooded TikTok, with over 970,000 uses of the sound.
Parody power: Comedy and fan edits enhanced engagement, making it more than just a dance trend.
Cinematic K-pop synergy: Saja Boys were written as a “meta” K-pop group within the film—cleverly designed to translate into TikTok-ready content.
Influencer and fan buy-in: Content creators embraced the challenge, dressing in film-inspired looks and adding choreography breakdowns.
Global vs local split: While Jess Glynne’s “Hold My Hand” topped globally, “Soda Pop” remained a homegrown Korean cultural moment.
Key Success Factors of Product Trend: Why This Worked So Well
Catchy + visual-first music: “Soda Pop” was designed to be seen, not just heard—making it perfect for TikTok’s video-first format.
Film integration: As part of KPop Demon Hunters, the song had a built-in narrative and aesthetic for fans to play with.
Interactive fandom: Fans didn’t just listen—they acted, dressed, and moved like the characters.
Memetic structure: The lyrics and beat were easy to parody, remix, or adapt for trends.
Strategic release timing: Dropped just before summer challenges ramped up—maximizing discoverability.
Key Takeaway: Fictional K-Pop May Be the Future of Real Virality
“Soda Pop” wasn’t just a fictional bop—it was designed to dominate TikTok, and it succeeded. Its viral spread confirms that the boundaries between real and animated, music and film, K-pop and global pop are breaking down—replaced by an ecosystem of content that thrives on creativity, speed, and interaction.
Main Trend: Music Meets Multiverse in the Age of TikTok
Fictional bands, cinematic K-pop, and algorithm-friendly music are no longer outliers—they're emerging as the new blueprint for viral hits. TikTok is not just showcasing what's popular—it’s creating it, often before it hits Spotify or charts.
Description of the Trend: Transmedia K-Pop Integration
This trend involves deliberately crafting songs, characters, and narratives across multiple platforms—with music, animation, and short-form content converging. The goal? Viral spread, cultural stickiness, and fandom immersion.
Key Characteristics of the Core Trend: Pop Culture Fusion
Fiction-to-fandom pipeline: Viewers treat film characters as real idols.
Soundtrack-first strategy: Music is crafted with virality in mind.
Aesthetic branding: Strong visuals built around every beat and lyric.
Challenge architecture: Songs include choreography-friendly hooks and repetition.
Platform-native storytelling: Each asset is optimized for TikTok trends.
Market and Cultural Signals Supporting the Trend: The Rise of Cinematic K-pop
Netflix’s role in K-content: Investing in K-pop stories and stylized animation built for global audiences.
Global audience for local hits: Korean TikTok content increasingly gets translated, reuploaded, and remixed worldwide.
Multi-format idols: Fans follow characters across music, film, and social media—blurring celebrity and storyline.
Fan co-creation: Users become collaborators through fan edits, choreography, and duets.
Cross-cultural virality: A Korean song becomes globally visible through challenges, memes, and shared aesthetics.
What is Consumer Motivation: Self-Expression Meets Shared Fandom
Creative participation: Users love interpreting, parodying, or performing music content.
Fandom immersion: Songs like “Soda Pop” allow fans to step into the world of their favorite stories.
Recognition loops: Joining a challenge is also about belonging and being seen in the algorithm.
Aesthetic identity: K-pop visuals allow people to express mood, style, and emotion.
FOMO: Viral songs compel users to engage before a trend “expires.”
What is Motivation Beyond the Trend: Platform, Performance, Persona
TikTok as cultural validator: If it's trending there, it's culturally relevant.
Performative identity: Users are performing their taste, wit, and rhythm—music is the tool.
Fiction as freedom: Animated idols like Saja Boys allow for safe and imaginative fan engagement.
Creative escapism: Participating in trends tied to fictional worlds is a way to escape and play.
Global-local blend: Korean content resonates globally, but trends often start hyper-locally, gaining grassroots power.
Descriptions of Consumers: The Global K-Tok Generation
Consumer Summary:
Age: 13–30, Gen Z core
Gender: All genders; strong female and non-binary representation
Income: Mostly mid-income digital natives
Lifestyle: Mobile-first, visual communicators, aesthetic-driven
Habits: Binge K-dramas and TikTok in parallel; follow fictional characters as seriously as real idols
How I See Them:
They're fluent in fan culture, trends, and K-pop aesthetics.
They blend cosplay with humor, memes with music.
They care less about “real or fake”—it’s about emotional resonance and engagement potential.
They treat TikTok as a music discovery platform first, entertainment second.
How the Trend Is Changing Consumer Behavior: Fandoms Are the New Music Labels
Fictional content drives real behavior: People stream and share songs not for reality, but for how it feels.
Soundtracks gain independent identity: They chart like singles.
Trend participation = fandom loyalty: Engaging in the “Soda Pop” challenge was like buying merch.
Cultural “buy-in” replaces genre loyalty: Users follow aesthetic tribes, not just musical taste.
Transmedia discovery: Viewers discover K-pop through animation, not just idols.
Implications of Trend Across the Ecosystem: Media Is Converging Through Music
For Consumers
More immersive, hybrid experiences where music, narrative, and content intertwine.
For Artists and Studios
Fictional characters and narratives can be fully monetizable pop stars.
For Platforms
TikTok now serves as chart influencer, music label, and content discovery hub.
Strategic Forecast: TikTok-Fueled Transmedia Is the New Pop Formula
Fictional artists will chart: Expect more animated or virtual idols with real-world fanbases.
Soundtrack-driven music launches: Movies and shows will pre-release songs designed for virality.
Integrated character TikToks: Characters may have TikTok accounts posting in-universe content.
Collaborative content: Brands will co-create with fans using built-in TikTok effects, sounds, and templates.
Aesthetic-centered marketing: Campaigns will prioritize style, color, and choreography before even releasing music.
Areas of Innovation: Where Fiction Meets Functionality
1. Animated Idols as Influencers
Saja Boys-style groups could go beyond film and post real content.
2. Music Designed for Challenges
Artists may start building songs around 15-second hooks.
3. In-Character Fan Engagement
Fictional stars may “duet” or reply to fan videos via TikTok.
4. Soundtrack-First Film Marketing
Soundtracks will now lead marketing campaigns, not follow.
5. AR Filter-Fueled Trends
Custom filters tied to fictional music videos (like Rose's “AI mermaid” filter) will be standard launch tools.
Summary of Trends
Core Consumer Trend: Interactive Fandom Expression – Fans want to be part of the world, not just watch it.
Core Social Trend: Blurred Realities – Fictional content is now treated as culturally real.
Core Strategy: Platform-Native Music Releases – Songs are built for TikTok first, charts second.
Core Industry Trend: Transmedia K-Pop Domination – K-pop is no longer confined to stage or screen.
Core Consumer Motivation: Playful Participation – TikTok users want music they can act out, remix, and share.
Final Thought: When Fictional K-pop Stars Go Viral, They’re No Longer Fictional
The success of “Soda Pop” shows that K-pop’s next era isn’t just global—it’s multidimensional. Powered by TikTok, fans don’t just listen to music—they inhabit it, remix it, and redefine what’s real. When animation, music, memes, and fandom collide, summer anthems don’t need a stage—they need a sound, a challenge, and a TikTok hashtag.
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