Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” Is Now A Viral Challenge On TikTok — Here’s The Guy Behind It

    Welcome back to 2008.

    Liz Richardson
    by Liz Richardson

    BuzzFeed Staff

    If you’ve been on the internet lately, you probably know about the surprise release of Taylor Swift’s eighth album, Folklore, which dropped last Friday, July 24. And if you've been on TikTok lately, you may have noticed her older music has ~also~ been getting some extra attention.

    Singer Taylor Swift
    Neilson Barnard / Getty Images

    Thadeus Labuszewski, known as Disco Lines (@discolines on TikTok), is a 22-year-old music producer whose unofficial remix of Taylor Swift's song "Love Story" has become a major hit on the app over the past few weeks.

    BuzzFeed spoke to Disco Lines, whose song currently has been used in more than 1.5 million videos on TikTok. "This all came out of nowhere. It was totally unexpected and really amazing," he said.

    Producer Disco Lines smiles for the camera
    Courtesy of Disco Lines

    A software engineer by day, Disco Lines has had a passion for music since the age of 4.

    During his junior year of college, he launched the "Disco Lines" project to produce music. Since then, he has opened for several artists, like Hippie Sabotage, Elephante, PLS&TY, Dombresky, Cut Snake, Justin Jay, and more.

    Disco Lines performs at a show in front of a large audience
    Courtesy of Disco Lines

    While Disco Lines' "Love Story" remix has had recent success, it was actually released back in April 2019. He remixed the 2008 Taylor Swift song for a tutorial video on his YouTube channel.

    Disco Lines sits at his desk with a laptop and keyboard in one of the shots of his YouTube video
    disco lines / youtube.com

    "I produced the entire song while recording the video in only an hour. After editing, I uploaded it to my YouTube and SoundCloud and thought nothing of it," he said.

    Fast-forward to more than a year later, and Disco Lines' track suddenly went viral through the popular "Love Story" challenge — a recent trend that started when TikTok user @ethanishung uploaded this comedic video hip-thrusting to the remix:

    @ethanishung

    Pov: We see you at a party and try to impress you with our dance skills (we couldn't stop laughing) #GimmeLove #impress #party #ReadingList

    ♬ Love story discolines - ethanishung

    The trend was then further developed when TikTok user @pokemonmasterzo uploaded his version of the dance. With his phone on a skateboard, he pushes the camera away midsong and then adds an iconic clap right before going into a series of hip-thrusts:

    @pokemonmasterzo

    POV: ur my phone on a skateboard being propped up by a bottle of all™️ free and clear laundry detergent for sensitive skin #fyp SlurpeeSummer

    ♬ Love story discolines - ethanishung

    Now the “Love Story” challenge — skateboard and all — has quickly become a huge trend on TikTok:

    @noahbeck

    ya.. @itstaylerholder @jeffxtingz

    ♬ Love story discolines - ethanishung

    The most iconic part is pushing away the camera before the video cuts to what’s basically a rave:

    @lucasranngel

    quero ver nos superar nessa trend @figchris @zoofficial

    ♬ Love story discolines - ethanishung

    And EVERYONE is getting in on the challenge, including popular TikTokers like Charli D’Amelio:

    @charlidamelio

    @rmohr0 💍💍💍💍💍💍💍💍💍💍💍💍💍💍💍💍💍💍💍💍💍💍💍💍💍💍💍💍💍💍

    ♬ Love story discolines - ethanishung

    And grandmas:

    Sometimes entire family reunions:

    Dogs even:

    @kelly_bove

    Who else thinks Zain nailed this challenge? 🙌🏻😉 #fyp #foryoupage #tiktokdogs

    ♬ Love story discolines - ethanishung

    The challenge has basically TAKEN OVER everyone's "For You" page:

    @cryingb0y

    that ending tho🤣😭

    ♬ original sound - cryingb0y

    "Every video I see of someone dancing to my remix puts a massive smile across my face," Disco Lines said. "I’m so glad to see people laughing and dancing to the song. It feels like the perfect shot of serotonin the world needs right now."

    Disco Lines DJs at an event
    Courtesy of Disco Lines

    Speaking of serotonin, people love putting their own wholesome spin on the challenge:

    @lobeeston

    Took me forever to find my old cheer uniform only takes 1 second to like :,) #romeoandjuliet #highschoolsweethearts

    ♬ Love story discolines - ethanishung

    Might as well throw in some roller skating, too:

    @joeysofo

    My mom is gonna be so pissed I had my blades on in the house #hockey #blades #fyp

    ♬ Love story discolines - ethanishung

    For Disco Lines, whose dream is to become a professional musician, seeing the trend develop has been an exciting experience. "If I’m able to make someone else's day doing what I love, it truly gives me a sense of accomplishment. I live for that feeling as someone who loves making music," he said.

    Disco Lines takes a moment to laugh as he works on a track at a computer
    Courtesy of Disco Lines

    So thanks, TikTok, for bringing 2008 back to us — with a twist.

    Big Machine Records

    For more music from Disco Lines, check him out on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Spotify, SoundCloud, Facebook, and Twitter!

    UPDATE

    This post has been updated to reflect the full context of the trend's origins.