A former music industry worker went viral on TikTok after pointing out similarities in different songs.
The video starts off with a clip of a man asking, “Give me an example of how your job has ruined everyday life for you.” It then transitions to user Atlanta Cobb (@atlantacobb) who says, “I used to work in the music industry for, like, ten years, so now I can’t listen to music properly.”
The TikToker continues by diving into how today’s songs are very similar to songs from the past. One of the examples she uses is how Lizzo’s new song "2 Be Loved" is very similar Lady Gaga's "Perfect Illusion" from 2016.
"All I can hear is Lady Gaga," she says of Lizzo's new song. "This happens all the time in my head. It's so annoying." She then continues to provide other examples of recent songs and their eerily similar counterparts.
The video has been viewed 1 million times since July 19. Many users agreed that the songs are very similar, and some felt there’s no originality in the music industry anymore.
“I took a theory of music class in uni and the prof said there’s almost no original chords anymore everyone just reuses them,” one person stated.
“I don’t work in music but same,” a second concurred.
“I knew the harry styles one reminded me of something,” TikTok influencer Sterling Monètt wrote.
Others commented that, like @atlantacobb, they also immediately think of a song's counterpart when they notice it sounds familiar.
“This happens to me all the time and it was never my job," one user shared. "I have a whole playlist set aside for songs that I know have a doppelganger."
“I've been able to do this with music my entire life," a second said. "I actually find it fun, because then I can sing other songs over top of each other.”
“IT IS ALL THAT I DO. My brain cannot stop itself haha,” a third wrote.
“Omg can you please do a series,” another user requested.
At the request of the user, and because the first video gained so much traction, @atlantacobb posted a second video of popular songs and their doppelgangers, which has since received over 96,000 views.
Update 1:28pm CT, July 26: When reached for comment, Atlanta told the Daily Dot she has always noticed similarities in songs, but it became more apparent to her after she studied music in college. "I don’t remember there being a defining moment, but easily by the time I had left music college," she said.
Atlanta said she has worked for both Columbia Records and Island Records. After spending a decade in the music industry, Atlanta said she felt stagnant and knew she wanted a change. She said she left the industry to travel and now creates travel content on TikTok. Although she has no plans to return to the industry, she said she still coaches and consults through TikTok.
"I do still dabble with some music industry consulting/coaching through my TikTok which is fun, but I definitely don’t plan on returning to a full-time role any time soon," she said.
@musicindustrymentor Replying to @victoria_isr due to a ridiculous amount of requests PART 2 of Songs That Sound The Same is OUT NOW. #songsthatsoundthesame #harrystyles #musicindustry #wlw #similarsongs @atlantacobb
♬ Late Night Talking - Harry Styles
