Gen Z rediscovered classical music

Classical music is more contemporary than ever: while the TikTok hashtag #classictok has around 80 million views, a survey by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) shows that 74% of the under-25 audience in the UK is increasingly engaging with the genre. Beyond Gen Z, classical music is experiencing a new wave of interest among younger generations, including Millennials, a phenomenon driven by several factors. First, the consistent presence of orchestral compositions in pop hits, such as the South Korean TV series Squid Game or the American series Bridgerton, featuring arrangements by Kris Bowers. Additionally, micro-trend aesthetics of this era—like Dark Academia, a romantic subculture that celebrates the beauty of the past, often incorporating classical music to enhance Baudelairean atmospheres—and film productions honoring major figures of the genre, such as Tár and Maria. It’s no surprise that in an era of constant change, TikTok is leading the trend. Social media has made accessible a genre that, until recently, was considered outdated, dusty, and limited to an older audience.

Beyond audience age, the way people consume classical music is also changing, with the rise of talents like Yuja Wang, whose concerts sell out, or Jon Batiste and Jakub Józef Orliński, who are increasing the genre’s exposure among younger generations. Composers are riding the wave: French violinist Esther Abrami, with more than 350,000 followers on Instagram and around 450,000 on TikTok, was the first classical musician to be nominated in the Social Media Superstar category at the Global Awards. «I started posting some content and was amazed by the response I received,» the artist commented on her online success. «I opened a door to a completely new world» Classical music is gaining ground not only on Instagram and TikTok. React to the K, a YouTube channel where classical and jazz musicians reinvent K-pop songs, is achieving remarkable results. However, not everyone is pleased with the «democratization» of the genre, with some believing that classical music is losing its authenticity. Online, some even argue that «classical music has lost almost all its respect in this generation» or that it has «gone from being one of the most beautiful things a person could experience to being exploited sarcastically, distorting its purpose.»

In terms of socio-cultural shifts, AI plays a crucial role. According to the distribution platform iMusician, classical music is evolving thanks to increasing fusion with other genres, giving rise to unique melodies through artificial intelligence. This is the case for concert pianist Harriet Stubbs, who has been blending classical music with rock for some years. Her album Heaven & Hell: The Doors of Perception is inspired by William Blake and Marianne Faithfull and is the first project of its kind. «I always wanted to merge rock'n'roll with classical music and place them in the same space, supported by literature, philosophy, and other disciplines,» Stubbs explains in an interview, adding that her next album, created in collaboration with pianist and David Bowie collaborator Mike Garson, will be a fusion of «Bowie and Rachmaninoff.» When baritone training blends with a passion for hip-hop, the results can be extraordinary, as seen in the case of Babatunde Akinboboye, who is rapidly rising on social media, with one million followers on TikTok alone. His most appreciated content includes Largo al factotum performed over the beat of Kendrick Lamar's Humble, proving that classical music, like rap and pop, is in constant evolution.