TikTokers Are Declaring This Emotional Song the Next 'drivers license'

TikTokers have barely had a moment to dry their tears since Olivia Rodrigo shocked the world with the instantly viral, Taylor Swift–praised song "drivers license." Another emotional breakup song just hit the video app, too, with a similarly promising future.

Musician Ben Laine just released a clip of his upcoming song "Did You Call Me Last Night" and it's given him pre-release fame already. The song is about a former lover calling their ex. Was it intentional? Or was it by mistake?

Laine's original video, which has over 2 million likes, shows him belting out the lyrics in his car. "Were you lying on the floor letting time pass by/Were you needing something more than just a Monday night/Did you press my name and let the phone ring on/As your heart sunk low cause I didn't respond," he sings.

The caption implied that Laine imagined others singing the song in their cars, too. And TikTokers may not have the full audio yet—"Did You Call Me Last Night" will be out officially on January 29—but they've committed to making the song a sensation.

Laine's lyrics capture the feeling of heartbreak and longing to talk with someone you miss. They're synonymous with what TikTok does so well. Unlike other social media apps, people choose TikTok to share their vulnerabilities. And now, it's one of the most downloaded apps: maybe because it gives users a platform to be imperfect.

That may be why, in just the first few days of 2021, two emotionally devastating breakup songs have captured more than a sliver of the digital conversation. TikTok's dedicated users may be dealing with their own pieces of heartbreak, whether fresh or formerly recovered. Or maybe, they just like endorsing a platform that allows space for such vulnerability and the strangers who relate.

Laine has seen TikTok as a platform of emotionally honest users. "My generation has tapped into the idea of being able to become open about one's emotions," he told Newsweek. "Due to that, a lot of people are now more comfortable talking about the hard stuff. This is simply where we're at, and I think the response to my song is a clear effect of it. People being able to publicly relate to something that they might not have opened up about in the past is a huge step towards healing and just simply pushing towards the idea that authenticity is incredibly important."

"Did You Call Me Last Night" has been dueted to narrate a list of personal moments, from people just enjoying the music alongside Laine to them narrating their own hurt to the emotionally exhaustive lyrics. Some TikTokers have already begun transforming Laine's song into a duet, too. You can browse through different representations of the track below.

If Rodrigo's success after posting "drivers license" is any consolation—it's become the No. 1 song on the Billboard charts, and has already been declared gold—Laine may have the next hit song in the works. Of course, fans will ultimately decide Laine's musical fate when the song is released on streaming platforms. Until then, we expect it will continue to collect praise on TikTok from listeners who hear pieces of their own past in the lyrics.

Laine began writing music at the age of 9. He was drawn to the industry after a concert he attended at age 10. "I saw that people's lives were being changed by the music and words said onstage that night and I was hooked," Laine explained. "Since then, the driving force behind every song I have written has been to ultimately show people the true Love and Hope I have experienced directly from God. Do I think this song will also do that? Yes. I made the decision very early on to never chase fame or a big paycheck. Rather to just do everything I can to make my music heard by as many people as possible. With hopes that this song does very well, that exact thing will be happening!"

As for the response to his song? "As a creator, we're all searching for a response to our art," he said. "Whether it be a painting that is beautiful or a movie that displays a story. The response is where the gold is. I would have never imagined a song that I wrote could elicit such a response, and because of that, I am in awe and simply humbled."

Updated 01/19/21 at 3:05 p.m.: This article was updated to include comments from Laine.