You guessed it. We’re back with another installment featuring our favorite music-tok personalities and curators. Let’s hop right in. Here are six more hand-picked music-tokers that are undoubtedly worth the follow:

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1. @bobby.hendrickson

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Bobby Hendrickson is filling a void in TikTok curation. While most curators I’ve discussed in the previous installments of this series focus on pop, indie, or alternative music, Bobby Hendrickson’s passion lies in electronic dance music. After spending years growing an EDM media conglomerate to a reach of over a million followers, including EDM Lifestyle, DJ Lovers Club, and EDM.Loverclub, Bobby realized he never spent time curating his own personal brand. He recognized other curators in the space gaining recognition, and noticed a void of curation in the dance music space. Thus, Bobby started his own TikTok journey.

“EDM is a newer genre than many others,” Bobby tells me. “It’s been on the rise over the last several years. Because of this, the EDM curation space is eventually going to catch up.” Bobby plans to be at the forefront of this growth, already amassing over 65,000 followers on TikTok in less than half a year. He attributes a large part of his growth to his “chill edition” segment, which played perfectly for the summer. Since then, he’s begun curating “late night vibe” videos, and recounting songs that blew up artists, slowly expanding his content and testing what resonates with his followers. “There’s no better feeling than when someone finds me on IG from a TikTok video, and goes out of their way to DM me about making their day with a new song or showing me a new artist.” While Bobby enjoys serving his audience and helping curate new music, he also sees value in his content from the view of the artist. He told me, “One of my missions when I started my page is to help artists that don’t have a fan base yet.”

As the Bobby Hendrickson personal brand continues to grow, he has plans to expand content to platforms outside of TikTok. Looking to continue cultivating his already impressive community, Bobby points to both Discord and Twitch as possible expansions. “The idea behind doing a Discord and Twitch would be flipping the whole strategy: I’d be listening to songs that are suggested to me, rather than suggesting songs to my followers.” When asked about long form content, Bobby seemed certain that it was on the horizon. Telling me multiple different ideas are currently in the works, but not showing his hand, it’s clear that Bobby Hendrickson has big plans for the future of his personal brand. For now, find Bobby Hendrickson on Instagram, and be sure to follow his TikTok for the best dance music suggestions. 

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One artist Bobby Hendrickson would love to sit down with: Diplo

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2. @cyberexboyfriend

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When I asked why Laura Lisbon, AKA @cyberexboyfriend, started curating TikToks, he answered simply: “I just wanted to say stuff, in the same way people tweet stuff.”

This answer made perfect sense, as this is exactly what he does: from music curation, comedy, movie reviews, all the way to architecture history, there is nothing you can’t find on his page. Laura long enjoyed creating content on platforms such as YouTube, and decided to take on TikTok right before COVID-19 shook the world, becoming more serious about his content and brand.

Part of his content strategy, of course, revolves around music. He told me, “Everybody I know is like, I can’t find anything new right now. I’m bored with my music.” In turn, Laura began creating “What I’m listening to this week” videos, as well as curating monthly playlists that serve as footnotes for his current emotional state. From hip-hop to dream-pop, Laura appreciates all music, having produced his own in the past. “I’ve been really into music since about 14 or 15,” he told me, “Something I always say is to be a hobbyist. After putting together a bunch of demos for fun, it helped me articulate my thoughts when reviewing music.”

Laura has a calming and personable vibe, making his TikTok page near impossible to leave once you start scrolling. “It’s funny,” Laura says. “Nobody is rockin’ with you until everybody's rockin’ with you. It feels like people don’t trust their own musical taste. That’s where I can help.” You can find @cyberexboyfriend on YouTube, TikTok, and support him by subscribing to his Patreon. 

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One artist @cyberexboyfriend would love to sit down with: Frank Ocean.

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3. @danielswall

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Daniel Wall is a storyteller by trade, and curator by default. Forever possessing a passion for creating content, Daniel spent years working a full time call center job, only to come home and make videos at night. While creating content was just for fun at the time, eventually, Daniel Wall decided to commit to this passion, and began posting 3-5 videos every day. Like many other curators, Daniel Wall played a game of guess and check, moving from idea to idea, trying to find what his TikTok audience enjoyed. From entertainment lawsuits, to songs that sound the same, to telling the stories surrounding particular tracks, Daniel began to find his niche.

Nowadays, some of the content you can find on “Daniels wall” are videos detailing how artists’ got their name, shedding light on the stories behind artists, giving well deserved respect to songwriters, and plenty more. “I love deep diving into a new topic that educates people in an entertaining way,” Daniel tells me. “Take the Ryan Tedder video as an example. He is a songwriter that deserved so much more recognition, so I decided to make a video on his story and songwriting credits. I also poked fun at how he wasn’t great at making TikToks and with my community on TikTok, we were able to take his TikTok from 3,800 followers to 900,000 followers with just one video!” While many TikTok curators I’ve discussed have a simple mission: to provide the best new song suggestions, Daniel Wall’s mission is to inspire and help the new wave of creators, which is manifested by his goal to “Meet 100 musical artists” and tell their stories.

Having spent years making music himself, Daniel Wall understands how difficult it is for undiscovered talent to be heard. “I believe an extremely important area of TikTok is new undiscovered talent.” He goes on, saying, “If there’s an artist that I feel really connects with me, and has an interesting story I can share, I’d love to help share that story further.” While this isn't at the heart of Daniel Wall’s TikTok strategy, undiscovered and unrecognized talent plays a pivotal role in the curation of his content. The future for Daniel Wall is focused on filling three buckets: short-form, mid-form, and long-form content, as well as eventually expanding into a podcast. Between TikTok and YouTube content, Daniel Wall is becoming the next best storyteller in the digital entertainment world, so be sure to throw him a follow. 

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One artist Daniel Wall would love to sit down with: Paul McCartney, Pharrell Williams, Rick Rubin

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4. @DJGallixC

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‍Dj GallixC never fails to bring the energy. Starting on TikTok at the end of 2019, it wasn’t until February of 2021 when he started seeing consistent success on the platform. “At first I was all over the place trying to find what worked. Still, I saw the possibilities the app provided.” He continued, telling me, “I stayed consistent, and eventually figured out the best way to express my craft.” It’s clear that Dj GallixC is not your average TikTok curator. After seeing success on TikTok by proving his talent as a Dj, Branden Castillo (DJGallixC) was flown out by TikTok to DJ the Cannes Lions Festival this past June. What’s more? TikTok previously flew him out to Vegas and San Francisco to DJ additional events. Clearly, Dj GallixC caught the attention of TikTok, as well as the current 1.5 million followers he has today, but how?

It’s simple: engaging content. From tiered-out Dj mixes testing “millennial checks,” if you’re “invited to the party,” “what kind of fan are you,” and plenty of different segments, it’s impossible to leave his page once you’ve landed on it. Branden tells me, “This type of content compels watchers to see where they fit in. It’s very welcoming. At the end of the day, TikTok is a learning game. Rinse and repeat.” Dj GallixC didn’t consider himself a curator at first, and it wasn’t until his comment section began asking him to create playlists that he realized he wasn’t only a Dj, but the platform was allowing him to curate for the masses as well. Outside of TikTok, Dj GallixC has experienced unheard-of growth on Instagram, has expanded his YouTube using “Shorts,” and eventually plans to post mixes, reaction videos, vlogs and more on his YouTube page.

The future for Dj GallixC is rooted in the music he creates. He tells me, “The end game is producing my own music, playing at festivals, traveling, and Djing all over the world. Becoming my own artist will bridge the gap between myself as a TikTok curator and as a producer in the industry.” While this serves as the end goal, Dj GallixC still has plans for continuing to grow his online presence with additional YouTube content, and finding horizontal extensions for the Dj GallixC brand such as merchandising, fitness, tattoos, and several other interests. For now, though, follow Dj GallixC on TikTok to reminisce on some classic hits, and put a smile on your face. 

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One artist Dj GallixC would love to sit down with: J. Cole

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5. @syspenceyo 

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‍Syspenceyo started on TikTok almost a year and a half ago using the platform as a vessel to promote his own music. Through trial and error, he came across the storytelling format that is now native to his page. Once Syspence realized that he struck a chord with the TikTok algorithm, he put his music career on hold, and continued to tell the stories of underground hip-hop artists. Overtime, he has methodically grown his platform to over 350,000 followers. Known largely for his “who is?” TikTok series, Syspenceyo strives to create content that gives fans context around any given artist, rather than simply featuring a song.

“If you want to get to know an artist,” Syspence tells me, “You can go watch a 20 minute video on them… Or, you can get the condensed version on my TikTok page.” Learning about an artist’s story and articulating it clearly and simply to an audience is what Syspence is most passionate about. When asked about the importance of featuring undiscovered artists on his platform, he told me, “It really all started to take off when I focused on artists with talent, but no recognition. Now that I have a real platform, I can move a needle for any artist. If anything, creating content on TikTok motivated me to search for new acts more often.” The power of TikTok is limitless, and Syspence notes that even when a video doesn’t go viral, opportunities for developing artists can arise from the right people seeing it.

Beyond the Syspenceyo brand, he is building a media company dubbed “BluehouseTV.” The idea behind BluehouseTV is to host different shows, conduct interviews, and leverage the social media space into longer-form content on YouTube. “People know Syspence,” he tells me. “The plan is to familiarize my current following with BluehouseTV. I don’t want only my voice to have a platform, I want to build BluehouseTV into a pillar of the music and hip-hop industry.” In the meantime, Syspence has been also hosting an AMP radio show, in which every Monday at 10am PST, he recounts the stories of new and mainstream artists, leaving his audience with something they can take home (i.e. a playlist). His “who is?” AMP radio show correlates directly with his TikTok, and gives his followers another outlet to enjoy his content. While Syspenceyo serves as one of the top notch hip-hop curators on TikTok, he’s really just a storyteller with great music taste. 

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One artist Syspence would love to sit down with: Curren$y

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6. @boredface___ 

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While most of the curators on these lists started with music, Cristian (AKA boredface) has a different journey into TikTok. After launching a candle company “Nose Best” in Brooklyn, music became central to his business model. Every “Nose Best'' candle comes with a curated playlist, as well as a unique cocktail menu. Something Cristian refers to as “A party in a jar.”

When I asked Cristian about the reason for launching this company, he told me, “During COVID-19, everyone was afraid of losing their senses. I wanted to curb these fears with something fun altogether. Since I was a kid I loved sharing music with friends, so music has always been a big part of my life. I needed to incorporate music curation into my business.” After launching the company, boredface decided it was time to take his love for music curation to TikTok, creating a series of “Songs you should already be listening to.” Cristian adds, “This gave me a small, personal community to talk about the music I love.” Since talking with Cristian, he has expanded his curation into multiple different types of labels, such as “Songs to swim in outer space to,” “Songs for your next house party,” and more. 

Cristian’s music taste puts a spotlight on pop, referring to musical influences such as the Black Eyed Peas, Missy Elloit, Outkast, and more. “This is just the music I enjoy,” he tells me. “I’d rather have my curation act as everything for someone, rather than giving a little bit of something for everyone.” With plans of expanding his content as the page grows, he wants to be sure to take it slow. “Naturally, the next progression would be longer form reviews and content on Youtube, but for now I’d like to stick to TikTok and avoid getting burnt out. I really enjoy curating, and want it to stay that way.” You can find boredface on TikTok, and check out his company “Nose Best” for a party in a jar. 

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One artist @boredface__ would love to sit down with: Charli XCX.

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