Tabitha Smyth, who is 23 years old and from east Belfast, is gearing up to release her debut single ‘Sad About Nothing’ at the beginning of May.

She started her music career by recording cover songs in her bedroom, following in the footsteps of the likes of Justin Bieber and Grammy winner Olivia Rodrigo.

“I was only 18 years old when I did my first cover video on Instagram. I think I was slightly embarrassed, but the more you do it, the easier it gets. It was only when I had to perform in front of a live audience for the first time that I was extremely nervous.

“When you’re only singing for a TikTok or Instagram video, you can do as many takes as you want for it to sound perfect,” she said, laughing.

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She is using TikTok to highlight her new track, but said that the platform can be “difficult” when it comes to trends and music.

Tabitha said she aspires to have a career like American singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers, whom she calls an “inspiration.”

“Talent should speak for itself. You shouldn’t have to go viral for a song to become successful,” she added. “But just with the way the times are at the moment, and if you want something to be popular or gain worldwide attention quickly, TikTok is the thing to use.

“It’s difficult though; the trends come and go so fast. When I wrote my song, I was looking at trends that were popular, like speeding up songs or doing dances, but by now they can be over. You then need to start looking at what people are doing now to promote music.”

Singer and songwriter Tabitha Smyth

The app, which has over 1 billion active users across the world, often upends the commercial performance of tracks. If a track is used in a viral trend or as a video ‘sound’, it can race to the top of the charts.

Earlier this year, industry magazine Forbes said the video app was vital for the music streaming industry as talk of a ban loomed around the app, amid privacy concerns given its ties to China.

“It’s so fast-paced. It can be sad as well, you can have your song go viral for one week and then it can be gone the very next week.

“I love it, but it’s difficult from a talent perspective. You can have something peak for about a week,” added Tabitha, who has 20,000 followers on the platform herself.

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She said she hopes to use the video app for its wide ranging reach, with videos on the platform having the ability to instantly reach a worldwide audience or industry professionals just by appearing.

Outside of TikTok, Tabitha has a busy summer planned with performances at the music festival Output as well as some live gigs supporting artists from across Northern Ireland. Her debut single ‘Sad About Nothing’ will be released on Apple Music and Spotify on May 12.