One of the biggest ways to harness the power of short form video is to use the right trending Instagram Reels songs — and the right trends.
Brands that use outdated sounds, or use them improperly (the ‘tiny violin’ trend showed many creators weren’t familiar with the ‘playing smallest violin ever’ concept) can come across as out of touch, inauthentic, and rushed.
Brands can leverage Instagram Reels to engage with their audience more effectively, gain more reach, and ultimately gain new viewers if they use the right sounds at the right times.
That being said, there are many trends to choose from, and the lifecycle of a trend can range from a couple of weeks to a couple of months. To aid social marketers’ Instagram Reels strategy, we’re sharing the top monthly trending sounds to use on Reels.
Curious about how to find trending Reels sounds outside of this blog? To drive engagement, social marketers should:
The virality of sounds on Reels is most popularly thought to be influenced by momentum. In this case, momentum is influenced by use and how often it’s saved.
Sometimes, you just need a song that enhances your Reel — whether this is a song that matches whatever you highlight in your Reel, or simply provides a pleasant background atmosphere.
Here are some tips to find trending Instagram songs:
Wondering how to find trending Reels audio? Follow these steps to help you stay on top of trending sounds on Reels for your brand:
Curious which songs are being used across Instagram Reels this May? These are the trends taking shake on Instagram’s Explore pages this month.
This trending song, 'Too Sweet' by Hozier, is being used in a wide variety of Instagram Reel content — use it to back OOTDs, POVs or recipes. Another popular use for this audio is to share a carousel in a Reel, featuring a glow-up — this can be your own, or even a product from your brand that’s gotten a facelift.
Hopefully no one’s working late — but Sabrina Carpenter is! This catchy, likely-to-be-song-of-the-summer, 'Espresso', can be used in almost any Reels content you want to post, from product flatlays, to styling inspiration and more.
This funky, lowkey (yet upbeat!) song is perfect for capturing ‘day in the life’ content, POV and many other IG Reels trends. Since the trending song segment is an instrumental, it’s fitting for almost any type of Reel you’d like to publish.
This new release, 'Fortnight', featuring Post Malone and Taylor Swift from her recent release, ‘The Tortured Poet’s Department’, is trending across Reels — and with fewer views than some of her other hits, making this a great song to use across your content before it becomes oversaturated.
These are the Reels songs trending across Instagram in April — this month’s trending songs fit a wide range of content that nearly any industry can tap into.
Use this new song 'i like the way you kiss me' by Atemas for every type of content from OOTDs, like the example shown below, showcase product or any content about love.
This song, Little Simz, has a strong, horn-filled opening, before opening into its funky, fun lyrics. It’s perfect for a big announcement, but suits almost any type of Reels content.
This interpolation of the Monica and Brandy song ‘the boy is mine‘ is suitable not just for love or relationship-centric content, but any type of
Sunday Morning is an easy-listening, relaxing — yet slightly faster-paced cover of Maroon 5’s Sunday Morning, that’s best for any type of easy, breezy Reels footage, from DIYs to styling inspiration.
These are the songs and sounds making an impact across Instagram in March.
This Sam Smith hit from 2019 is trending once again on Reels — this vibrant, modern track with an old-school feel is being used in recipe, beauty, fashion content and more.
Ariana Grande’s newest single is the perfect, catchy song to back your Reels content, or to use Reels content responding to unwanted questions.
Despite being around for the past 14 years, Frank Ocean’s song ‘Pink Matter’ is trending on Reels again. The drop in the song and the catchy beat makes it a great audio option for editing, particularly to showcase a variety of outfits, beauty looks or anything else you can think of.
This song, 'Saturday Love', lists the days of the week, making it perfect to showcase a week’s worth of content. The song’s lyrics and disco-vibes also make it perfect for Reels content celebrating your weekend adventures.
This song uses incorporates Nikki Minaj’s FTCU lyrics ‘high heels on my tippies’, before transforming into Fergie’s hit ‘Glamorous’. This is the perfect sound for nearly any luxury Reels content.
Unsurprisingly, February’s trending Reels songs hit on themes of love, positivity and comfort — try using these songs and sounds across your upcoming Reels content this month.
Jack Harlow has another hit trending on social media, this time from his song ‘Lovin’ on Me.’ While this song might not fit every brand’s needs, it can be an excellent fit for a brand with a mature audience — try using it in product-related content to capitalize on its upwardly-trending status.
Yes, this instrumental mimics a sound from a cat, but don’t expect loud meows or purrs — instead, this sound uses funky horn sounds and is an uplifting and fun and groovy track to back almost any positive Reels content.
Whether you know ‘Unwritten’ from The Hills or any number of popular movies, you’re likely unsurprised that this song is trending once again. Use this on uplifting Reels content (without speaking or other noises) to let the inspirational, feel-food message fully inspire your audience.
On Instagram Reels, ‘Home’ is used to enhance travel and nature-based content, while the sound is used on TikTok to pay homage to the people and places that make us feel like we’re home. However, this song is used by creators in many different types of content, like the ‘day in my life’ example below.
This rap, MONACO, from Bad Bunny starts with a classical sample before the beat drops, making this a perfect sound to build anticipation and excitement.
Use this breezy, lo-fi song by @zimmer90music to share a recap of your year with a series of rapid-paced photos or videos.
This jazz-inspired pop song, Dance With Me, is perfect for any Reels content that features dancing, but it’s also perfect to back get ready with me content, beauty tutorials and more.
This throwback from 1931 is the perfect old-school instrumental tune to back recipes and food tutorials — the fact that it’s instrumental means it fits a variety of Reels content.
This audio from Mel Robbins (@melrobbins) is quickly gaining traction on Instagram Reels, and offers a great message to inspire your goals and New Year resolutions. “Doing something little by little is so much better than doing nothing at all. There have been so many times in my life where I didnt get started or I talked myself out of doing something because I didn't think it was big enough or I didn’t think that I was ready or I didn’t think I had enough time..” This sound is perfect to share an inspirational message with your followers as we welcome 2024.
With the Holidays rapidly approaching, these are the songs trending on Instagram in December.
Whether you hear sleigh bells or you don’t, Sleigh Bells by Ella Fitzgerald is the perfect festive tune to enhance your decorating content, holiday outfit Reels and any other cozy, seasonal content.
This familiar holiday tune, Maestro, from the modern classic movie ‘The Holiday’ is the perfect instrumental song to back any cozy holiday content — it’s especially useful for tutorials or DIYs with multiple steps so viewers stay focused on your instructions.
Would it be Christmas on social media without ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ by Mariah Carey? This song suits any Christmas-themed Reels content.
This song, ‘Can I Call You Rose?’ has a fun and thumping intro beat, making it perfect to share a quick succession of images, with some users even layering image elements to the beat. This song is used in a range of content from the home industry, fashion accounts and more.
‘Surround Sound’ by J.I.D. featuring 21 Savage and Baby Tate samples Aretha Franklin’s ‘One Step Ahead’, giving the song an old-school feed before the beat drops and it transforms to a boisterous, hype rap.
Here are the audio trends being used on Instagram Reels this May.
This audio hails from the Play Station game ‘Grand Theft Auto’, where Cara Delevigne provided audio for a radio DJ. While this audio can be used in the background of other content, try using it to feature something you love while lipsynching to the words, ‘it’s time you fell in love with something that will love you back’.
This trend originated from TikTok, and has quickly began trending on Instagram. In this trend, creators use the song ‘Blue Monday’ by Above & Beyond (the extended mix), while taking an old-school video game ‘fighting stance’. To the beat of the music, add a text overlay that communicates a common discussion or disagreement you have with a friend or colleague.
This original audio is on trend, and being used across a variety of content — one of the most popular trends being used on this audio is the ‘POV’ trend, where users share a perspective from their life to share with their followers.
These are the trends and corresponding audio users are adding to their content to increase reach and play with trends.
This a fun Reels trend that involves asking the Shark Tank ‘sharks’ for an investment — but not necessarily for a business idea, but something silly and fun. Use this opportunity to plug your best-selling products, or make another cheeky joke.
Audio: Hello Sharks
Have you been taking care of yourself and prioritizing your needs? Use this trending audio for any content that centers around self care, from health and wellness, beauty and skincare and even travel.
Audio: Happy Girl Era
Use this audio to enact any moment that makes you feel like a characters straight out of a mid-2000’s romcom. This can range from anything to simply reading a book, like the example below, or even just crossing the street.
Audio: Built This Way - Samantha Ronson
These trending sounds are shaping the Instagram Explore page this March.
Use this audio, which says ‘thank you so much for 20 followers’, as a tongue-in-cheek way to celebrate getting your Instagram brand off the ground, creating your first Reels or even to poke fun at a social media post you thought would help you go viral on Instagram.
This trending audio featuring a ringtone turned beat drop, is perfect to showcase exotic travel destinations — to start, share a brief video of your travel destination (during the ‘dial tone’ portion of the audio), before the beat drops. Then, using the ‘Fast Pictures’ or other CapCut template, share a rapid-fire selection of photos from your trip.
To use the 'exactly what I'm going for' audio and its corresponding trend, simply use text to describe something that’s become your entire personality. Use the phrasing, ‘If you’re not careful, ___ will become your whole personality,” with a corresponding photo or video.
Explore trending Instagram audio to use in your content this February.
Lipsynch to this audio from The Office — “Is it easy? No. Do I like it? No, I don’t. But do I do it? Yeah, I do.” Use the text overlay feature to describe a situation you dislike doing.
Use this audio illustrating mental calmness, which uses the sound of chatter filling the room, eventually stooping to a light, relaxing music, to describe an activity that calms you and your mind.
Use this audio, featuring Kylie Jenner explaining that she wants the best for her best friend, to describe the love you have for your friends, family or team.
These are the sounds shaping our explore pages as we usher in 2024.
This audio uses a remix of vocals saying ‘how I love being a woman,’ pairing them with an upbeat techno beat.
This bedroom-pop ballad remix is a great way to infuse your video content with a fast-paced song that’s still calming and neutral enough to back nearly any Reels content.
This shoegaze-eqsue mash-up is a subtle, low-key song that still holds plenty of drama, making it a perfect complement to low and high-key Reels content.
This cheeky audio says, “I can’t come to the phone right now I’m a little bit busy with girl therapy, but I’ll get back to you as soon as I can…maybe.” Use this to complement any especially girl Reels content focused on spa days, self care or beauty routine.
This instrumental version of Her’s ‘What Once Was’ is great subtle background music for everything from outdoor adventures to travel content.
Which audio trends are taking off this month? These Instagram sounds are making their way to your feed and explore page this month.
This audio is the perfect opportunity to share images from your camera roll — share a variety of photos timed to the camera ‘click’.
This lo-fi take on ‘Pure Imagination’ sung by Gene Wilder in the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie is a whimsical, calming audio that makes a perfect backing track to any relaxed, calm and cozy Reels content.
‘Dance With Me’ by Alex Blue is a funky song that’s perfect for OOTD content, makeup tutorials, recipes, DIYS and anything else.
This audio is a chill, lo-fi and old-school-sounding song. This is yet another audio that’s cozy, comforting and perfect to complement related Reels content.
This audio is fun and upbeat, combining the trending song ‘It Girl’ and Gwen Stefani’s Hollaback girl. This is perfect for OOTD’s, makeup tutorials and any upbeat content — it works particularly well for sped-up video footage.
One of the challenges of staying on top of trends is the 24/7 nature of social media — and even social marketers and managers need a break.
Dash Hudson’s Multi-Channel Social Media Scheduler feature makes it easy to stay on top of trends, and avoid any rush. When your boss inevitably reaches out about that new audio trend they read about or scrolled by, you have the pleasure of telling them it’s already in the pipeline.
In addition to the scheduler feature, Dash Hudson’s Creative Intelligence features tell you what visual platforms have the best likelihood of performing well.
You can find trending audio on Instagram by navigating to the Audio tool in Reels, and searching through the Instagram audio library — look for arrows that indicate an audio is trending.
One of the most used audio on Reels is ‘As it Was’ by Harry Styles with 3.4 million uses, and ‘Wait a Minute’ (Remix) by DJ Exe is the second-most used Instagram Reels song at 1.3 million uses.