Canadian rapper bbno$ went viral in 2021 thanks to TikTok, changing the course of his career.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
In 2021, a TikTok of Canadian rapper bbno$ raising his eyebrows to the beat of his single “Edamame” started gaining traction — and eventually changed the course of his career.
The platform’s Canadian team suggested he recreate the clip with a safari-themed filter, then helped push it globally.
“When that happened, the song just skyrocketed,” he says of the track, which features Indonesian rapper Rich Brian and went six-times Platinum in various countries.
bbno$ is among several Canadian artists worried about losing social media support that can make or break their careers as TikTok prepares to comply with a federal order to shut down its operations in Canada.
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For Canadian musicians, TikTok can be as vital as radio play once was. Its algorithm lets songs leap borders instantly, offering emerging acts — especially BIPOC artists facing barriers in traditional channels — a shot at global reach.
With Ottawa’s dissolution order set to take effect soon, TikTok Canada’s team has been running campaigns to show its value — and Canadian artists are rallying behind them.
“Being an artist in this generation is like, you’re basically a TikTokker,” says the Juno-winning rapper, born Alexander Gumuchian.
“Without having a TikTok team that I can relay information to — that could help me get banners, help me when things are starting to bubble — I’m losing ammunition to help fire my career up.”
In November, Ottawa ordered TikTok’s Canadian arm to dissolve following a national security review of its Chinese parent company, ByteDance Ltd., though the app will remain accessible in Canada.
The order cited “national security risks” but a government spokesperson declined to provide specifics due to “confidentiality provisions.”
Social media researcher Philip Mai says there are concerns around potential Chinese government access to user data, foreign surveillance of Canadians in sensitive sectors and misuse of information for propaganda.
“China’s National Intelligence Law legally permits data access, raising plausible risk concerns,” says the co-director of the Social Media Lab at the Ted Rogers School of Management.
Still, no public evidence shows TikTok has shared user data with the Chinese government, and the company denies it.
Mai says shutting down TikTok Canada reduces its physical and legal presence in the country, limiting the platform’s potential for data surveillance and its ability to influence policy or public opinion.
“This strategy is less extreme than banning TikTok, but more than a slap on the wrist,” he says.
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bbno$ says the platform’s Canadian team has helped bolster his social media presence. Without it, he warns, many Canadian artists will face a “bottleneck” in their careers.
Juno-winning Toronto band The Beaches says TikTok Canada has been “instrumental” in their rise.
“Without local teams championing Canadian musicians internationally, we’re left competing with American artists as outsiders, not as domestic talent,” says the group in a statement.
“This puts us at a disadvantage and pushes Canadian artists to leave the country just to have a shot at global success.”
Though The Beaches have enjoyed Canadian radio airplay for years, their single “Blame Brett” went viral on TikTok in 2023, helping them reach the U.S. Billboard charts for the first time.
Mai warns TikTok Canada’s closure would be a “big blow to Canadian artists,” reducing opportunities, support systems, grant programs and sponsorships.
“Forcing the closure of TikTok’s Canadian operation will likely decrease Canadian visibility in the algorithm,” he says, noting local staff often boost regional content via tailored campaigns, including ones highlighting Indigenous creators.
Last month, TikTok CEO Shou Chew asked Minister of Industry Mélanie Joly for an urgent meeting, warning that shutting down TikTok Canada would force layoffs, halt investments and pull support from creators and culture.
“The wind-up process is rapidly approaching a critical juncture,” Chew wrote.
TikTok declined to provide a date and to say whether it has heard back from Joly, who did not respond to questions about the meeting request.
The platform recently withdrew sponsorships for several Canadian arts institutions, including the Juno Awards and TIFF, and slashed the National Screen Institute’s TikTok Accelerator for Indigenous Creators, which has supported nearly 400 participants since 2021.
Indigenous hoop dancer James Jones says the federal government’s shutdown order shows a disregard for the country’s digital creators.
“It’s really unfortunate that they are taking away a team that has been so supportive of the BIPOC community and the Indigenous community,” says the Edmonton-based creator, who boasts over four million followers.
“I don’t think that anyone has ever asked us what we wanted or even reached out and said, ‘Hey, how is this going to affect you?’”
Jones says early in his career, TikTok Canada offered advice on maximizing his reach and facilitating key connections with brands and publications.
He says its Accelerator program has helped many Indigenous creators and small businesses.
Jones feels the government is sending a message that “we’re not being prioritized.”
“They don’t care what happens to us, they don’t care about our businesses, our brands,” he says.
“They don’t care about how it affects us personally to not have access to a team that supports us directly.”
Vanessa Brousseau, an advocate for missing and murdered Indigenous people, says the government’s decision feels “really painful, but familiar.”
“It feels like a pattern and a way of oppressing minorities, oppressing Indigenous people,” says the alum of the TikTok Accelerator for Indigenous Creators.
“TikTok is the only platform that amplifies our voices and makes sure we’re being heard.”
Brousseau worries that if the decision isn’t reversed, it will be “very detrimental” to Indigenous TikTok creators.
“Sure, TikTok will still be there, but we won’t be amplified anymore. We won’t have those connections. We won’t have those opportunities.”
