The Most Popular Trending Instagram Reels Songs (September 2023)

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Brands that use outdated sounds, or use them improperly (the ‘tiny violin’ trend of 2022 showed many creators weren’t familiar with the ‘playing smallest violin ever’ concept) can come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.

Tips on How To Find Trending Sounds on Reels

Curious about how to find trending Reels sounds outside of this blog? To drive engagement, social marketers should: 

• Follow Reels: Scroll Instagram Reels consistently (and stay up-to-date with TikTok trends that often inform future Reels trends)  
• Stay up-to-date on the latest Instagram Trends: Read up on new Instagram Trends each month
• Watch Reels content: Follow trend-focused Instagram accounts 
• Read this: Bookmark and refer back to this blog (we update monthly)

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. 

Tips on How To Find Trending Songs on Instagram Reels.

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: 

• Look outside of Instagram: You might not be exposed to every song that presents a good opportunity for your brand. Fortunately, there are many Spotify playlists that round up the most popular songs on Reels, and this could spark an idea for your Instagram marketing strategy.
• Use ‘Original audio’: Be sure to only use trending videos with the ‘Original audio’ label, which means brands can use them. ‍
• Pay attention to audio permission: As a brand on Instagram, there are certain songs and audio not available — don’t use sounds with the ‘This sound isn’t licensed for commercial use’ label.

Tips on How To Find Trending Audio on Reels.

Wondering how to find trending Reels audio? Follow these steps to help you stay on top of trending sounds on Reels for your brand: 

• Pay attention to TikTok trending sounds: Sometimes these sounds trend on TikTok and Reels simultaneously, but sometimes they trend on Reels days or weeks after they appear on TikTok. 
• Don’t be afraid to be an early adopter: Don’t let the fact that an audio has a lower number of uses than you might be used to seeing. For growing trends, this often means the sound isn’t overly saturated — yet. Follow trends, but don’t be afraid to set them. ‍
• Pay attention to Instagram’s recommendations: While marketers might know this, it’s worth noting that there’s an arrow next to trending Instagram songs on the Reels Explore page that tells you if an audio is trending, and recommend related trending audio for you to use.

Trending Reels Songs - September 2023

As Fall approaches, songs that evoke nature are taking over the Explore page, but that’s not all — here are the songs trending on Instagram Reels in September. 

Popular - The Weeknd, with Playboi Carti & Madonna (367K Reels)

The Idol might be over, but it’s songs are still playing all over the Explore page. Use the song “Popular” by the Weeknd (and featuring Playboi Carti and Madonna) to suit the vibe of nearly any Reels content you share. 

bad idea right? - Olivia Rodrigo (17.7K Reels)

Using this song, "bad idea right?” by Olivia Rodrigo is decidedly not a bad idea — use this fast-paced song in the background of your content, share a series of videos or images to the beat of the song for an ultra compelling video.  

Meet Me in the Woods - Lord Huron (10.7K Reels) 

"Meet Me in the Woods" by Lord Huron is being usd in a variety of nature-themed content. Don’t let this limit you to Reels set in the outdoors — use it to showcase products with a nature-themed colour palette, books set in nature or anything other content that’s relevant to the outdoors and nature.

The Chase - Emmet Fenn (189K Reels)

Yes, this song, "The Chase" originates from a party-filled Reel, but it’s being used in a variety of video content from construction project, to real estate tours and travel vlogs. 

Work Song - Hozier (11.8K Reels) 

If any of your content features mountainous regions, "Work Song" by Hozier is the perfect song to use on your Reels content — however, even if none of your content has rolling hills or mountains in the background, this is still a beautiful, albeit haunting song, to use in any nature-themed or soft, delicate Reels content. 

Trending Reels Songs - August 2023 

As Summer comes to a close, this is what’s trending on Instagram Reels in August. 

Barbie World - Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice (745K Reels) 

Barbie continues to take over our Reels page with ‘Barbie World’, the latest hit from Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice. Use this sound for nearly anything — but especially any content that comes in shades of pink. 

Speed Drive - Charli XCX (41.7K Reels)

Another Barbie song climbs the Instagram Reels ‘charts’ this month, with Charli XCX’s ‘Speed Drive’ providing a catchy, fast-paced song to back your Instagram Reels content — pink or not.  

Daylight - David Kushner (365K Reels) 

You’ve probably heard this popular song ‘Daylight’ by David Kushner, but it continues to be popular with Reels users in August. While this song says ‘I love it and I hate it at the same time’, most users focus on sharing content that they love with this song — bonus points for nature and travel content. 

Past Lives - BORNS (467K Reels) 

This song, Past Lives by BORNS says, “don’t wake me up I’m dreaming…” Use this audio to back your dreamiest or most aspirational video content.

 I Can See you (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)  - Taylor Swift (48K Reels)

Speak Now, Taylor’s Version is here — and it’s only natural that a song ‘from the vault’ would trend on Reels. Use this song to back outfit videos, food content or nearly anything else you want to spotlight on Reels. 

Trending Reels Song - July 2023

What’s trending this month on Instagram Reels? Here are the songs to use in your content this July. 

If We Ever Broke Up - Mae Stephens (2M Reels) 

This song, If We Ever Broke Up, has been raging on socials since February, and it’s still going strong on Instagram. While this song does have a dance trend associated, it’s being used on Reels for a range of content from cooking to hair tutorials.

Makeba - Jain (2M Reels)

This funky song, Makeba, is the perfect upbeat backing track to complement your fun, Summer content. 

Fair Trade - Drake ft. Travis Scott (11.3K Reels) 

Fair Trade, by Drake featuring Travis Scott is popular and climbing the Reels trending songs, but has a great amount of views that will help your Instagram Reels stand out. 

Padam Padam - Kylie Minogue (42.3K Reels)

Is this is the song of the Summer? If you haven’t heard Kylie Minogue’s new track ‘Padam Padam’ yet — you will. This is a great song to use for transitions, or any particularly fun content you have to share to Reels. 

Radio - (250K Reels)

Sometimes a new hit is trending like the song above, and sometimes, a song is trending on Instagram Reels 11 years after its release. This is the case for Lana Del Rey’s song ‘Radio’  — use this in content that showcases how sweet life is, or could be.

Trending Reels Song - June 2023

June brings us a range of upbeat songs from popular artists to use with a range of Reels content.

Flower - JISOO (1.3M Reels) 

This solo release from Blackpink member Jisoo is the perfect Spring/Summer track to usher in Spring, Summer and of course, flowers. With a funky, modern beat, try your hand at the Flower dance challenge, or simply use this to back your video content. 

Say Yes To Heaven (Sped Up) - Lana Del Rey (1.4K Reels)

Despite being sped up, this audio is still smooth and dreamy. This song comes from a previously unreleased track from the artist, perfect to enhance your video content, especially for anything particularly dreamy.

THIS YEAR (Blessings) [Speed Up] - Victor Thompson, Ehus ‘D’ Greatest (214K Reels)

This sped-up upbeat song features a trending dance, but is also perfectly suited as a fun yet inspirational backing song for your Reels content. 

Cupid, Twin Ver. - FIFTY FIFTY (214K Reels) 

While this is another song trending on Reels with a dance trend associated with it, many Reels simply use it as a backing track for vlog content, recipes, or beauty tutorials. Feel free to learn some new choreography or add it as background music.

Trending Reels Songs - May 2023

May brings us a mix of vintage and vintage-inspired songs with positive vibes. So, which songs should be top-of-mind for marketers’ Instagram Reels in May 2023? 

She a Baddie (18.8K Reels) 

Ice Spice songs are taking social by storm — this audio clip from Ice Spice’s ‘In Ha Hood’ is no different. Whether it’s a person, place or even a product, use this clip to highlight any ‘baddie’ in your content. 

Hey Mickey - ImBabyTate (75.4K Reels) 

This song by @imbabytate samples the 1981’s ‘Mickey’ by Toni Basil, and opens with a big, building beat — use this song to back any sort of exciting or thrilling content. 

Make Your Own Kind of Music - Mama Cass (48.2K Reels) 

This 60’s hit, Make Your Own Kind of Music by Mama Cass is another song destined to make your Instagram Reels audio optimistic, airy, and fresh with a vintage twist. 

‍This Magic Moment - Lakestreet Drive (60.5K Reels) 

This Magic Moment is a vintage-sounding song that was actually released in 2014 — this song is perfect to support all of your magic moments shared on Instagram Reels. 

Fantasy - Mariah Carey (69.1K Reels) 

It’s a sweet, sweet fantasy! Variations of Mariah Carey's Fantasy have been trending on social channels, but don’t discount the original — this song is perfect to describe any ‘fantasy’ moments of your life, or to simply romanticize your daily routine. 

Trending Reels Songs - April 2023

Which songs are climbing the ranks in popularity in April? Check out the following trending songs for the perfect audio to add to your Reels content:

Die for You - The Weeknd, Ariana Grande (142K Reels)

The Weeknd knows how to make a catchy hit for our headphones and our social media accounts — and how to give it new life, in this case, his hit ‘Die For You’ with Ariana Grande. Mellow enough for background music, but also great to highlight something you’d ‘die’ for.

All of the Girls You Loved Before - Taylor Swift (27.9K Reels)

This newly released Reels audio of ‘All of the Girls You Loved Before’ is perfect to celebrate the Eras tour — whether you managed to snag tickets or not. Use this to back your own Taylor Swift concert footage, or as catchy background music for nearly any other Reel.

Red Ruby Da Sleeze - Nicki Minaj (142K Reels)

Need an upbeat song to keep the energy going through your Reels footage? Look no further than ‘Red Ruby Da Sleeze’, a fairly new release from Nicki Minaj. 

Fly Girl - FLO ft. Missy Elliott (11.2K Reels)

This new release ‘Fly Girl’ by FLO, and featuring legend Missy Elliott is the perfect new Reels audio for early adopters — with only 2.8K Reels so far, this song is great to try and stay ahead of the curve.

El Merengue - Marshmello (4.5K Reels)

April is full of upbeat, energetic, songs to use for your Reels content — and El Merengue by Marshmello is no exception. This song is used on a range of trends, so feel free to add this song to any Reels that need an energetic boost.

Trending Reels Songs - March 2023

These are the trending Instagram Reels songs that users can’t get out of their heads — or off of their Instagram feeds this month: 

Boy’s a Liar Pt.2 - PinkPantheress, Ice Spice (479K Reels)

Boy’s a Liar Audio has taken over Instagram Reels, TikTok, and our personal playlists — this song is perfect to flex an outfit, makeup look, or anything else you want to highlight. 

Flowers - Miley Cyrus (4M Reels)

Flowers by Miley Cyrus is still popular from its January release, users on Reels and TikTok alike love this inspiring self-love anthem. 

Coca Cola - LIL M (787+ Reels)

Even if you don’t like soda, you’re bound to enjoy this catchy song, Coca Cola by LIL M. If doing the trending dance isn’t the right move for your brand, use this song for upbeat, memorable background music in your Reels  — bonus points if you’re promoting a Coca Cola product. 

Hundred Miles - Yall, Gabriela Richardson (410K Reels)

This bouncy, upbeat song by Yall and Gabrielle Richardson started trending in January, and it’s still popular on Instagram Reels. Perfect to lip-synch to or as background music to highlight a product release, how-to, or anything else your brand wants to promote.

Trending Audio on Instagram - September 2023 

September’s Instagram Reels trends are perfect to show off your favorite outfit, day in the life content, 

Too Bad I’m Immature (9K Reels) 

To use the ‘too bad I’m immature’ trend, write a statement or question that describes something you realize with maturity — when the song changes (to the ‘gitchi gitchi ya-ya da-da’ part of the chorus), add a text overlay that says something like “too bad I’m immature”. 

Woop Woop (94.2K Reels) 

This trending audio is fast-paced and upbeat, and mostly instrumental, making it perfect as a backing track on nearly any Reels content, from recipe hacks to beauty tutorials.

Fit Check With A Friend (2.3K Reels)

Want to showcase your fits throughout the week with a friend, partner or family member? In that case, this fit-check is the perfect trend. To do this trend, use this audio, cross your legs (while standing), and have one person in the video hold their hand while the other high-fives it. Take videos over the course of a week, day, or whatever timeline you wish to show-off your fits. Brands canuse this trend to showcase a week’s worth of office outfits, or with different ways to style their products. 

Romanticize Your Life (10.2K Reels)

This trend and audio are quite simple — the audio says “you’ll never regret romantizing your life.” Use this audio over a clip you want to highlight, or go the other way and use this audio with a funny clip for a dose of irony in your Reels content. 

Trending Audio on Instagram - August 2023 

August’s audio is a blend of travel-related trends, but also some unique trends that can be used to show off outfits throughout the week and anything you love. Here’s what’s trending all over Reels and the Explore page this August: 

This Part of My Life Is Called Peace (393K Reels) 

Use this trend with the audio ‘This Part of My Life Is Called Peace’ to showcase anything that’s inspiring peace for you — this could be home design, nature, travel or anything else that brings you comfort.

Around the World Camera Trend (214K Reels)

The ‘walking catwalk’ trend is taking over TikTok FYP’s and Explore pages — this trend is similar, with the camera travelling in a 360-degree loop while one or more people smile or pose.  This trend uses the song Popular by the Weeknd featuring Playboi Carti. 

Can I Show You Something I Love? (52.4K Reels) 

This trending audio asks, “Can I show you something I love?” This is an easy trend to partake in, simply show off anything you happen to love. 

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday… (76K Reels) 

This trend goes through the days of the week — use this audio to showoff ideas for outfits, makeup looks or recipes for each day of the week. 

Camera Snapshot (1.2M Reels)

Use this audio trend to share your summer photo dump or highlights of anything else you want to share — this audio is another that’s easy to partake in this month, with camera snapping sounds that let you showcase a variety of photos of your choosing — in video format for Reels, of course.  

Trending Audio on Instagram - July 2023 

July’s trending audio skews inspirational and motivational — however, these trending sounds can be used to make humorous content that still showcases what your brand does best. So, what audio is trending for Instagram Reels this July?  

Oh My God, I Get It (11.1K Reels) 

Whether you had a big realization, or just want to use this trend to showcase a product or service that some customers neglect. This audio says “Oh my God…I get it” — perfect for big realizations, too.  

I Want To Stay Happy (34.5 Reels) 

This audio says ‘I want to stay happy’ — while this audio does have an inspirational tone, this can be used to showcase anything in your Reels that makes you — or you think will make your audience happier. 

This Is My Favorite (108K Reels)

This is the perfect audio to show off your favorite items — for example, beauty brands could highlight their favorite summer beauty products, your favorite products from a particular color family or anything else you want to showcase. 

‍At The End Of The Day, The Only Thing That Matters (1.3K Reels) 

This audio courtesy of Emma Chamberlain says “the only thing that really matters is making life as pleasant as possible. Like that should be the goal, to make life as enjoyable as possible, because life is not easy and sweating about the small stuff does not make life more enjoyable, it makes life a lot worse.” This audio is used in ‘day in my life’ content, and is great to spotlight something that makes life enjoyable. 

Hi Barbie, Hi Ken (324K Reels)

This audio from @barbiethemovie, slated for release July 21 is trending on Reels — the audio features various Barbies and Ken’s from the film saying “hi” to each other. Use this audio to spotlight your best pink content — whether it’s a product, outfit or electronic. 

Trending Audio on Instagram - June 2023 

In June, upbeat audio is trending to usher in the warm Summer months. This month’s audio trends are filled with a mix of fun voiceovers and soothing Summer sounds to highlight the warm weather and beautiful scenery it brings.

Stolen Dance by Milky Chance (74.3K Reels) 

This sped-up version of Stolen Dance by @milkychance_official is making a comeback on Reels this month again, with a fun, upbeat track used to back video content highlighting warm weather, nature, adventure, and outdoor activities. 

Fast Car (15.9K Reels)

This remix of Fast Car by Tracy Chapman by @northernelg is currently trending for aesthetic, lifestyle Reels content — particularly for anything travel-related. 

No Days Off (1.5K Reels) 

Use this 'No Days Off' audio by @tenientertainer to highlight anything you’re working hard towards, or anything you refuse to take a day off from — this could be range from a product, food or activity. 

I Think You Should Treat Yourself (146K Reels)

Another uplifting Reels sound by @lukefranchina, this audio encourages you to treat yourself, and is perfect for voiceover or to back any video content that encourages luxury, fun and treating yourself in general. 

Food Is A Love Language (12.4K Reels)

Use this 'food is a love language' Reels audio @fromnatewithlove to support any Reels content featuring delicious food, restaurants or recipes.

Trending Instagram Audio - May 2023

In May, expect upbeat, fun audio backed with infectious beats to take over your Explore page. 

Did You Check on Me? (82.3K Reels) 

This cool, light remix from @djdiscretion has a great beat, and is used as backing audio for a range of Reels content — from beauty tutorials to recipes. 

Only Been Hours but It Feels Like Days (75.3K Reels)

This Jackie Brown remix by Sturdyyoungin_ is another fast-paced, yet relaxing sound that’s the perfect backing for almost all your Reels content — some of the most popular videos showcase real estate, your outfit of the day, hairstyles, and more. Looking for a catchy, yet generic audio? Look no further.  

Party People in the Place (45.4K Reels) 

This audio edit FEEL SO GOOD by by @veggibeats is another upbeat track to usher in the start of Summer. Despite the ‘all my party people’ cry at the beginning of the audio preceded by jazzy horns, this audio is perfect backing for a variety of Reels content, from recipes to ‘a day in my life’ videos. 

Wes Anderson Edit (18.9K Reels)

This Reels trend involves romanticizing your life as a Wes Anderson film — this could be from a trip, your daily commute, or any place or routine you want to treat with the Wes Anderson aesthetic featuring this audio from Anderson’s film The French Dispatch. 

Obsessed With You? (10.2K Reels) 

Me? Obsessed with you? Use this audio by @itsjovynn for any content that features something you’re obsessed with. 

Trending Audio on Instagram - April 2023

These are the audio and trends taking Instagram Reels by storm in April:

Calming (34.2K Reels)

Popular for nature-centric content, this calming audio provides a soothing background presence for your Reels content.

Why Do You Take Your Camera Everywhere? (14.6K Reels)

Why do you take your camera everywhere? Use this audio to highlight a collection of photos you’ve taken — bonus points if you’re a photography account.

Do You Feel Bonita? (8.9K Reels)

...Because you feel Bonita! Lip sync to the ‘Do you feel Bonita?’ audio from TV show Family Guy for moments you’re really feeling yourself — or you think someone else should be.

Because You Know Everything (2.6K Reels) 

You should use the ‘Because you know everything’ audio when you want to complain about something you’re not in-the-know about, a bad habit you’re tired of being lectured about, or simply to express your annoyance with the know-it-all in your life.

We’ve Lost Dancing (99.9K Reels)

April is rounded out with one final upbeat audio, the ‘We’ve Lost Dancing’ audio has 94.5K Reels and is perfect for highlighting adrenaline, action-filled Reels content.

Trending Audio on Instagram - March 2023

Here’s the audio trending on Instagram this month: 

Big Subwoofer (59.7K Reels)

This trending audio, Big Subwoofer, doesn’t have a specific trend attached, making it the perfect audio to flex a recent trend or anything else your brand wants to show off. 

Rude Boy (385K Reels) 

Still riding the Rihanna Super Bowl halftime show high? So are Reels users, with this Rude Boy remix one of the top audio sounds to use in March. 

Until I Found You (20.8K Reels) 

You might be familiar with this Stephen Sanchez song from TikTok — this remix is reimagined in a slower, dreamier audio that suits a Reel highlighting a featured product, or used to highlight something you love — anything that made your life better when you found it. 

Inspirational (7K Reels) 

This inspiring original audio from Gymenity says “what’s the best advice you ever received”, “what if it turned out better than you can even imagine” — by all means, use this for a video that’s truly inspirational, or use it to showcase a brand best seller or new release in a tongue-in-cheek way. 

How Dash Hudson Can Help Schedule and Auto Publish Your Reels

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.

FAQs

How do I find trending audio on Instagram?

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. 

What is the most used audio on Reels?

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.