Welcome to This Week in TikTok Music, where we dig into trends, viral songs, and whatever else the algorithm has decided is sticky enough to camp out on your feed. With more people discovering music through TikTok than ever before, and viral clips capable of pulling an obscure ’90s song straight back onto the Billboard Hot 100, it feels worth pausing to ask the simple question: what the hell is going on over there?

Twisted N’ Luv

Catch Twisted N’ Luv on the streets — no, literally. They’re performing and rolling around on concrete city corners near you… well, if you live in LA.

The smooth R&B duo, made up of Benny Bellson and Sha Crow, are each solo artists in their own right, but together they’ve been making the rounds on TikTok by setting up a speaker, two mics, plenty of swag, and relying purely on talent. Their street performances showcase originals that echo the spirit of Thundercat or Anderson .Paak, though the live versions come off a little rougher and a little more raw in the best way.

@twistednluv

…rockin the dj

♬ original sound - twisted n luv

Watching their videos brings to mind that clip of MGMT performing “Kids” at Wesleyan University back in 2003, years before the song ever became a hit. It’s the same energy: two artists fully believing in what they’ve made, giving it everything they’ve got, even if the crowd hasn’t caught on yet. The comments seem to agree, with fans confidently predicting, “In a year or less they’ll be big, trust me,” and “This is the next MGMT”.

@twistednluv Replying to @Sean Saturn ♬ original sound - twisted n luv

So far, Twisted N’ Luv have only released a handful of singles, the most recent being “Just Tell Me What U Want”, which dropped a couple of weeks ago to kick off the new year. Individually, both artists already command impressive audiences—Benny Bellson boasts 1.2 million monthly Spotify listeners, and Sha Crow pulls in around 105K. As I’ve mentioned in this column before, those numbers are sizable compared to many beloved indie acts. For example, and in a completely different genre, Snail Mail – who just released a new single and announced a new album this week – sits at roughly 241K monthly listeners. It's a testament to how TikTok may be the new TRL in terms of a platform where folks are finding new music.

@twistednluv

TWISTED N’ LUV LIVE TONIGHT in Los Angeles at 7pm. Tickets in bio

♬ original sound - twisted n luv

With Twisted N’ Luv currently hovering around 80K listeners as a duo, they could very well be the next act to pop off. We might even have the rare chance to get in early, pre-debut, and watch this duo take off in real time in 2026. Or the street-performing, asphalt-rolling duo, who jokingly claim they look like “Chris from UK Skins and Jimi Hendrix,” could end up a flash in the pan. Only time, and the TikTok algorithm gods, will tell. Until then, enjoy the smooth tunes of Twisted N’ Luv.

@twistednluv

hitting the streets

♬ original sound - twisted n luv

Hope you enjoyed this installment of This Week in TikTok Music. Go check out some Twisted N' Luv clips for yourself. Just a fair warning: once you do, they will live in your feed forever. The algorithm is relentless. Enjoy!