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- Tiffany Trump, the former president's daughter, released a song called "Like A Bird" in 2011.
- While Trump didn't pursue a career in music, the song has cropped up online every few years.
- Now, it's circulating – and sparking discussion – on TikTok.
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In 2011, Tiffany Trump released a single called "Like a Bird" that somehow managed to land about a decade before its time. TikTok users are rediscovering the song in 2021, comparing it to a new electronic music genre embraced by creators on the app that's been dubbed "hyperpop."
"Like a Bird" features the artists Sprite and Logic (a different Logic, it appears, than the rapper of "1-800-273-8255" fame) alongside the daughter of former President Donald Trump. The song is bizarre, dreamy, and heavy on the synth strings and autotune, morphing Trump's voice into something reminiscent of a Grimes record, making it the app's latest meme.
While the song doesn't appear to be available to stream on Spotify or Apple Music, it is available for purchase on Amazon, and there are unofficial uploads of it on YouTube.
"I love music, it's always been a big passion for me," Tiffany, 17 at the time, said during a 2011 "Oprah" segment. "It's more of a hobby right now, but we'll see in a couple of years if I actually do want to take it to the next level, to a more professional level. But right now, my priority is focusing on school and getting into a good college."
Trump did turn to education following the single's release, leaving her pop dreams in the dust. She went on to earn her bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania before studying law at Georgetown University.
Her song, however, has cropped up over the years as a kind of bizarre cultural artifact, prompting stories like "Listen to Tiffany Trump's Forgotten Pop Song" from Vanity Fair or "Tiffany Trump Put Out A Pop Song In 2011 & It's So Fascinating To Listen To Now" from Bustle.
Now, in 2021, TikTok is in on the fun as well. An upload of Trump's song onto the app by the user @fudgeparty has been used in just over 1,600 videos, some of which have gone viral. @fudgeparty introduced the song onto the app with a viral video, saying through TikTok's text-to-speech function, "remember when Tiffany Trump tried a music career."
In turn, people began to use the sound, commenting on the song - whether they thought it was good, or bad - and comparing Trump to other artists like Grimes.
The song's burgeoning popularity brought comparisons of Trump to TikTok musical icons like PinkPantheress, a breakout artist who has had multiple songs like "Break It Off" and "Just for me" go mega-viral on TikTok.
There has also been criticism focused on Trump's familial ties and support of her father Donald Trump's presidential campaign. Some videos called those who use the song or compare it to PinkPantheress' music "performative activists," implying that associating with Trump's single reflects some level of condoning her political actions.
It doesn't seem likely that Trump is gaining much revenue (if any) from the song's popularity on TikTok, given that the song's upload came from a different user and not the artist herself. As of Friday, she doesn't appear to have an account on the platform.
Read more stories from Insider's Digital Culture desk.