The 30 day song challenge is a popular social media trend that has been gaining traction in recent years. The basic premise involves choosing one song per day for 30 days that fits a particular theme or criteria. This provides a way for people to discover new music, revisit old favorites, and share their musical tastes with others online. Here is a closer look at what the 30 day song challenge entails and how you can participate.
What is the 30 day song challenge?
The 30 day song challenge, sometimes called the 30 day music challenge, is a social media trend where you pick one song per day for 30 consecutive days that adheres to a specific prompt or category. Some examples of popular prompts include:
- Day 1: Favorite song of all time
- Day 2: Song that makes you dance
- Day 3: Song that reminds you of childhood
- Day 4: Song with a color in the title
- Day 5: Song by a female artist
The categories can vary, but the idea is to select one song each day that fits that day’s unique theme. You then share your daily selection on your social media profiles and tag other people to participate.
Where did the 30 day song challenge originate?
The origins of the 30 day song challenge are a bit murky, but it appears to have started gaining widespread popularity on social media around 2016. Music lovers on sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok began sharing their own 30 day song lists and challenging friends to come up with their own musical lineups.
The trend may have been inspired by other creative 30 day challenges such as the 30 day photo challenge, 30 day writing challenge, etc. However, the musical version has proven especially resonant due to the shared emotional connections we have with songs and the joy of discovering music.
How does the 30 day song challenge work?
The basic rules for the 30 day song challenge are as follows:
- Come up with (or find) a list of 30 categories or prompts for songs. Each prompt should focus on a different theme, mood, era, artist, or other musical dimension.
- Starting on the first day, share a song on your social media profiles that fits the prompt for that day. For example, on Day 1 you might share your favorite song of all time.
- Continue sharing one song per day that matches the prompt for all 30 days.
- Tag friends and family on your posts and challenge them to do their own 30 day song challenge lists.
- Engage with others participating by commenting on their song selections and discussing the musical choices.
That’s the basic gist! The fun comes from both sharing your own musical tastes and discovering new jams and throwbacks from others. It pushes people to think about music in creative ways based on the different daily categories.
What are some popular 30 day song challenge prompts?
There are endless possibilities for different 30 day song challenge categories. Here are some popular prompts that have been used:
Day | Prompt |
---|---|
1 | Favorite song of all time |
2 | Song that makes you dance |
3 | Song that reminds you of childhood |
4 | Song with a color in the title |
5 | Song by a female artist |
6 | Song from the 1960s |
7 | Song with a number in the title |
8 | Song you know all the lyrics to |
9 | Song that relaxes you |
10 | Song that makes you feel good |
And so on for 30 days total. Other popular prompts include favorite song from high school, song by an artist no longer living, best driving song, top workout song, song you never get tired of, etc. Get creative and tailor the categories to your own musical tastes.
What are the rules and guidelines?
While the 30 day song challenge is flexible, here are some general guidelines to follow:
- Stick to 30 consecutive days. This keeps momentum and gives the full range of musical choices.
- Only share one song per day that fits the unique category.
- Challenge at least a few friends to participate too and engage with their song picks.
- Include the hashtag #30daysongchallenge on your posts so others can find it.
- Provide artist and song title info with your daily posts.
- Feel free to share thoughts, memories, or details on why you picked that song.
- Make your own list or use an existing song challenge template.
- Consider making a playlist for all your selections when you’re done.
The important things are sharing a diverse musical lineup over 30 days and having fun seeing what songs others associate with the different prompts. Encourage both old classics and new discoveries.
Where should you post your 30 day song challenge?
You can post your daily 30 day song challenge picks on any social media platform that allows music and photo/video sharing. Here are some top options:
- Instagram – Post photos or short videos related to your song of the day.
- Facebook – Share song clips along with thoughts on each daily selection.
- Twitter – Tweet out song titles, artists, and Spotify links for your picks.
- TikTok – Create dynamic 30 second clips featuring your songs.
- Snapchat – Share daily song snaps with friends.
- YouTube – Make a playlist for each song used in your challenge.
Use relevant hashtags like #30daysongchallenge so your posts are visible to other music lovers participating in the trend. Also tag friends to help spread the word and keep the challenge going for 30 days.
Why do a 30 day song challenge?
Participating in the 30 day song challenge offers many great benefits:
- Discover new music – By following prompts, you’ll likely find new artists and songs you love.
- Reconnect with old favorites – Rediscover classic tracks you may not have heard in years.
- Learn about others’ musical tastes – It’s fascinating to see friends’ and strangers’ song associations.
- Express your personality – Your song selections showcase what music resonates with you.
- Find soundtrack suggestions – Discover music to accompany different moods and activities.
- Challenge your creativity – Committing to different songs each day pushes critical thinking.
In essence, the 30 day song challenge provides entertainment, connections, discovery, and creative motivation set to a soundtrack of diverse musical selections. The variations in genres, eras, artists, and themes make the challenge constantly interesting.
Tips for picking songs each day
Picking complementary songs that flow well can make your 30 day song challenge list more cohesive and enjoyable. Consider these tips:
- Aim for diversity across genres, decades, etc. over the full 30 days.
- Strike a balance between your all-time favorites and lesser-known hidden gems.
- Don’t overthink your selections – sometimes your first instinctive choice works best.
- Go beyond singles and include great album cuts.
- Consider songs in languages other than English.
- Think about how your daily choices transition and connect from one to the next.
- Ask friends for recommendations if you can’t decide on a song for a particular day.
- Keep a list of backup options in case you want to swap in other picks down the line.
Curating the perfect lineup takes some work, but that makes finally sharing your completed 30 day song challenge even more rewarding.
Types of 30 day song challenges
The standard 30 day song challenge focuses on categories encompassing different eras, genres, moods and themes. But people have also created many fun and creative variations, including:
- Decade challenges – All songs released in the 60s, 70s, 80s, etc.
- Artist challenges – Using just one artist’s catalog for all 30 songs.
- Lyrical challenges – Songs with specific words in the lyrics for each day.
- Genre challenges – All pop, rock, hip hop, country songs, etc.
- Movie or TV challenges – Songs featured in different films, shows, or franchises.
- Location challenges – Songs related to certain cities, states, or countries.
Mixing up the categories or adding limitations allows you to customize the 30 day song challenge to align with your taste and interests.
Benefits of taking the 30 day song challenge
Participating in the 30 day song challenge offers many great benefits for music fans including:
- Discovering new artists and genres – By sticking to daily categories, you’ll expand your musical knowledge.
- Taking a nostalgic musical journey – Relive cherished memories connected to favorite old songs.
- Learning more about friends’ tastes – See what songs resonate most with people you know.
- Finding hidden musical gems – The challenge pushes you to dig deeper into catalogs.
- Creating playlists for any mood or occasion – 30 days of songs make great playlists.
- Sharing your passion for music – Express your musical knowledge, memories, and personality.
Overall, the 30 day song challenge is a great way for any music lover to discover new auditory treasures, revisit classics, bond over favorite tunes, and share musical perspectives with friends and followers.
How to create your own 30 day song challenge
You can easily create your own tailored 30 day song challenge by following these steps:
- Decide if you want categories based around specific artists, genres, decades, themes or a mix.
- Write down 30 song challenge prompts that cover your chosen topics.
- Order the prompts so they transition well from day to day.
- Share your master list on social media and tag friends to do the challenge.
- Encourage people to make their own lists to share as well.
Customizing your own 30 day song challenge makes the experience more personal. You can focus on your favorite subjects or musical dimensions you want others to explore.
Here are examples of unique 30 day song challenges you could create:
- Songs from musicals challenge
- 90s alt rock challenge
- Movie soundtrack challenge
- Songs that mention coffee challenge
- David Bowie challenge
- Songs for rainy days challenge
The options are endless! Pick categories that align with your interests and passion for music.
Tips for completing the 30 day song challenge
Here are some top tips for sticking to the 30 day song challenge and getting the most out of it:
- Schedule time to pick each day’s song in advance so you don’t forget.
- Make back-up song lists in case you need to swap selections down the line.
- Take requests from friends if you get stuck on a category.
- Listen to your daily picks to appreciate each one before posting.
- Include lyrics or personal thoughts to provide context with your posts.
- Engage with others doing the challenge by commenting on their selections.
- Highlight lesser-known tracks to provide unique song suggestions for followers.
- Save your lists so you can compile past song challenges into playlists.
Staying committed for 30 days may take some dedication, but it’s well worth it for the musical nostalgia and discovery. Enjoy the creative process of theming songs to moods, activities, lyrics or other categories.
Conclusion
The 30 day song challenge is a fun trend that allows you to immerse yourself in music for a month straight. Following different prompts each day pushes you to dig into your musical knowledge, memory, and interests while discovering amazing new songs along the way. Creating your own version of the challenge tailored to your tastes makes the experience even more personal and rewarding to share with others online. Music connects us all, so participate in the 30 day song challenge to both showcase your own musical world and appreciate the diversity of other people’s song associations.