For most of modern pop culture history, nostalgia runs on a 10- to 20-year shot clock, with the biggest trends resurfacing after a decade or two of quiet. Just last year, the number of user-generated, 2016-themed playlists on Spotify jumped almost 800%. But with platforms like TikTok making that cycle even shorter, something their trend forecasters call nanostalgia, a song from just a few years ago can officially be vintage.
And for songs that explode in popularity long after their initial release, it’s the perfect formula. By the time Arlington, Texas-born artist and producer A-Wall had the viral hit “Loverboy” on his hands, the track was already two years old. In fact, he’d already moved on to other singles when it first caught on in 2021. Five years later, the track has made its way back to the top.
“When I made that song in particular, I had a feeling like, oh this one is special,” he explained. “I remember when I performed it for the first time at a local show. By the time the 2nd hook came in, the crowd was singing it back to me.” He had a hunch it would resonate, but nothing prepared him for what came after. The summer of 2021 would see the track used in endless edits, pushing A-Wall to 2.7 million monthly listeners on Spotify and the top spot on their Viral 50 List by fall.
Despite that initial success, it takes time to build the kind of infrastructure that turns a viral moment into a sustainable career. And in the middle of it all, A-Wall was still figuring that out in real time. “I remember getting just a flood of messages about this or that person using it. And I was just like, that's crazy. I still have to clock in to work today,” he said with a laugh. At its peak, artists like Taylor Swift and the Jonas Brothers and action star Sylvester Stallone all used the popular sound in their own videos—only adding to its reach. “Every opportunity or deal that came across to my team, I was constantly thinking about how to make this sustainable, you know?” Eventually he would partner with Duetti, a company that buys, manages, and markets music catalogs alongside independent artists, selling them the track to fund future projects while still maintaining his ownership.
In a deal that saw A-Wall keep 30% of his royalties and all his publishing, something largely unheard of in today's industry landscape, the campaign support arrived at exactly the right moment. The track was already pulling in about 3.5 million streams a month on its own thanks to creators on TikTok using it to reminisce about 2021. After tracking its performance in real time across social media, Duetti's team honed in on the song’s momentum and had a full, innovative campaign live in 24 hours; reviving the original trend format while pushing the sound into new territory with football, show, and blockbuster movie edits. With the help of Duetti's data-driven marketing, these numbers jumped to around 12 million streams, along with 4.3 million videos made on TikTok and 3.2B total views. “Social engagement by itself doesn’t mean a song is being streamed. Other signals are important, and they need to be paired with real cultural context,” says Angelo Sasso, Duetti’s Head of Marketing. “Once you understand that, you make the right content to amplify the trends you are seeing.”
But Duetti's involvement didn’t just stop at “Loverboy.” A-Wall says their relationship functions more like a partnership than a traditional deal, working collaboratively with a close-knit team and sharing new music —despite having no real stake in these new releases.”The ideas that they have for ways to market are fresh and fun and feel more genuine, and a big thing for me is they care about the new stuff too. That was huge for me,” he explains. Along with digital and in-person marketing campaigns in New York and L.A., Duetti released a limited-edition heart-shaped vinyl for the anniversary of “Loverboy” that is also set to include the next single. It's a move that would let A-Wall lean into solidifying himself as an artist capable of far more than just a viral moment. While he struggled with deciding between his artistic evolution and sticking with what works, A-Wall’s upcoming project is set to serve as a full-circle moment, connecting the college-aged innocence of early love on “Loverboy” with the wisdom he’s gleaned five years later. “I came out of a very long relationship before I moved to LA and had to navigate being single for the first time,” he explains, adding that navigating heartbreak led to a short hiatus from music. “I’m kind of just telling that story of that newfound love for myself and making music again, you know. So, I’m not also just talking about a person; I’m also talking about loving making music again.”
That evolution also means A-Wall wants to make sure he shows not just as the voice behind a familiar sound, but as an artist with more to say. “I look like a different person. I had blue hair, no beard. A lot of the people are discovering the song again but didn’t even know who made it,” he explained. “The goal is to be an artist that people recognize and not just a song that people recognize... I know I’m meant to do this. I’m just ready.”
This feature is presented in partnership with Duetti.
