Katy Perry's 'The One That Got Away' is TikTok Song of Summer

Katy Perry’s 2011 single 'The One That Got Away' from her album Teenage Dream has been named TikTok’s Global and US Song of the Summer for 2026. The track soundtracked more than 42 million videos on the platform this summer, drawing over 55 billion views, and spent 21 weeks on the Billboard Global 200 while surpassing 1.8 billion streams on Spotify.

According to Luminate data, catalog tracks accounted for 75.8% of total US audio streams in the first half of 2025. This trend has heavily translated to TikTok's US Songs of the Summer list, where the entire top four positions are held by catalog or older releases. Mac Miller’s 'Cinderella' featuring Ty Dolla $ign sits at No. 2, Lenny Kravitz’s 1991 track 'It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over' takes No. 3, and Malcolm Todd’s 'Earrings' is at No. 4.

This follows previous shifts in platform trends, such as Connie Francis's 1962 track 'Pretty Little Baby' taking TikTok’s Global Song of the Year for 2025. Tracy Gardner, Global Head of Music Business Development at TikTok, noted the community's embrace of music across all eras.

For the UK, the Song of the Summer for 2026 is 'Do You Mind' by Kyla and DJ Paleface, dating back to 2008. The track generated over 543 million video views from 644,000 creations in the UK over the summer. Details on these milestones were covered by Music Business Worldwide.

As the industry navigates changing consumption habits, catalog music continues to secure significant market share from newer releases, a topic also seen in discussions surrounding Suno and BMG Announce Global AI Music Licensing Deal and related platforms like AIVA Alternatives: Top AI Music Generators Compared.