Jess Glynne‘s ‘Hold My Hand’ has been named the “song of the summer” by TikTok after storming social media with the viral ‘Jet2 Holidays’ meme.
- READ MORE: Soundtrack Of My Life: Jess Glynne
In what’s now become a ubiquitous audio on social media, the airline’s breezy tagline “nothing beats a Jet2 holiday” is set to Glynne’s 2015 track to advertise their package deals, eventually becoming shorthand for holidays gone wrong.
The cheery jingle has now soundtracked over 4.5 million videos and garnered 50 billion views, having been embraced by everyone from Mariah Carey to Jeff Goldblum a decade after its release.
Speaking about its stronghold over the summer, Glynne said she was “buzzing” it had been named TikTok’s Song of the Summer. “This track is so close to my heart, and seeing it take on a whole new life with you all on TikTok has been surreal,” she said.
“Music has always been about connection for me, and knowing this song has soundtracked so many happy moments around the world… that’s the most special feeling ever. It’s the song that keeps on giving!”
As noted by the video sharing app, their UK top ten is packed with nostalgia, with half of their most-loved tracks at least a decade old. Their full list, which you can check out below, features tracks by PinkPantheress, Kesha, Sabrina Carpenter and more.
The ‘Jet2 holiday’ trend also extended stateside, with American audiences trying their hand at the jingle. Per Forbes, its enduring success on social media saw search interest in Jet2holidays at an all-time high back in July, with the search query “what is a Jet2 holiday” has nearly quadrupling that month, according to a Google trend report.
As such, the song also made it’s way to the top of TikTok’s global chart, but was far from the oldest track on there. The late Connie Francis’ 1962 song ‘Pretty Little Baby’ also made the Top 10, having had its own viral moment over the summer. Other artist on the global chart included the Black Eyed Peas and Jeezy.
Back in 2023, Glynne addressed the audio after criticism after passengers took to social media to complain about the song being overplayed by the holiday company.
“I don’t want to hear anyone on loop in my ear, but at the same time, I’m like, ‘You know you are going on holiday now if you hear the song, so you’re welcome,’” she said at the time.
While calling the growing trend “so funny”, she revealed she had never “actually got on a Jet2 flight”.
Last year, the ‘Rather Be’ hitmaker revealed that she almost quit music altogether due to “the scrutiny” she faced online, explaining that the “way it [online criticism] made me feel, the pure slog, the scrutiny,” were driving factors as to why she debated leaving her music career behind.
“The amount that I’ve put in and the self-belief and the fight and the battles (I’ve gone through with) myself and with people around me to get to where I am, I was like: ‘Nah man, you can’t throw it all away.’”
