The feature reports that the Belfast singer-songwriter secured the UK for a second consecutive year and placed fifth worldwide at the Global Final held on September 18
I'd stood on every stage that has a red buzzer attached to it. Then I put a phone on a stand in my living room and sang to 40 people.”— Jolene Burns, Singer-Songwriter
Tinsel Magazine has released "Back-to-Back: Jolene Burns Wins the UK at TikTok's Music on Stage for the Second Year Running," detailing that the Belfast artist claimed the United Kingdom at TikTok LIVE's Music on Stage for a second straight year and achieved fifth place globally during the September 18 Global Final.
As stated by the outlet, TikTok introduced the 2026 edition of Music on Stage on August 13. The contest attracted music creators from over 20 regions, and British singer-songwriter Cat Burns hosted the EMEA and Americas Global Final on September 18. Tinsel Magazine notes that prize winners receive recording, distribution, and promotional backing via SoundOn, TikTok's music distribution and artist-services platform, as well as performance opportunities at TikTok LIVE Fest, the All Things Go festival in New York, and the Breakaway Carolina festival.
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The piece references TikTok's disclosed statistics for the competition's debut year in 2025: over 8.2 billion impressions, more than 230,000 posts under the #MusicOnStage hashtag, and above 1.4 million viewers for the Global Finals, as counted by the company.
Per the publication, Burns secured the United Kingdom in the competition's first year and finished third globally. This time around she again won the United Kingdom and placed fifth worldwide at the September 18 Global Final, based on final rankings shared by Burns and by Moxie Media Marketing, the Texas firm that represents her.
Tinsel Magazine reports that Burns was raised in the New Lodge area of north Belfast, which is the focus of The Flats, a documentary by Italian filmmaker Alessandra Celesia. According to the article, Burns appears in the film and composed original songs for it. The publication states that the documentary premiered at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen in 2024, where it took the festival's highest honor, and later received the George Morrison Feature Documentary Award from the Irish Film and Television Academy in 2025, per its distributor, Icarus Films. The article mentions that the Sunday World featured Burns in June 2025 as a Belfast songwriter who had written for the documentary and was building a career as a singer-songwriter.
The article details an extended history on televised singing competitions. According to the publication, Burns advanced to the bootcamp stage of The X Factor in 2011, and in 2015 performed at the blind auditions of The Voice of Ireland, turning coach Niall Breslin's chair and joining his team. Tinsel Magazine notes that the Belfast press also lists Britain's Got Talent among her credits.
Burns described the shift when she started broadcasting from home. "I'd stood on every stage that has a red buzzer attached to it," she said. "Then I put a phone on a stand in my living room and sang to 40 people, and it was the first gig that ever felt like mine. Nobody was deciding whether I got through. People were just staying, and then they came back the next night and brought somebody with them. You can hear a room breathing on a live, even when the room is spread right across half the world and it's two in the morning somewhere."
According to the article, the broadcasts led to competitive outcomes. Tinsel Magazine cites Star magazine's March 2026 report that Burns finished first in her region and 12th globally at TikTok LIVE Fest in 2025, within a field the magazine estimated at roughly six million creators from more than 45 countries. Star characterized the broadcasts as nightly digital concerts held in locations ranging from the Caribbean to the United States.
Burns described the audience in geographic terms. "You're not just performing for views. You're building real relationships with people in Brazil, Germany, Japan, South Africa, places I've never even been yet. And they're showing up every night for you," she told the magazine. Of the run itself: "It felt like a world tour happening inside my phone. Every night was a different country. A different crowd. A different energy."
The article notes that during the first Music on Stage, in autumn 2025, Burns took the United Kingdom and placed third globally at a Global Final held in London on September 27 with Sam Ryder as host.
Per the publication, Moxie Media Marketing came aboard around the same timeframe. The company, run by Kenneth W. Welch Jr. from a base north of Houston, describes itself as a platform offering independent artists production, distribution, and promotion, and operates the Global Talent Billboard Directory, an artist platform it launched in October 2025. Tinsel Magazine reports that, by the company's own account, Moxie brought Burns to Aruba to record three songs and shoot three videos with island producers, and that the Belfast Telegraph has reported subsequent shoots in Antigua and Jamaica. Welch, who is engaged to Burns, told that paper: "Her magical voice is so unique. She is a true prodigy. She is self-taught and self-created."
The article reports that the Belfast Telegraph covered Burns signing a United States record deal with Moxie in August. Burns told the paper: "I've taken the record deal with Moxie Media Marketing and I'm going to stay with them."
The publication cites a reach figure of over 270 million views for her videos across Moxie's platforms, attributing that count to the company. Tinsel Magazine notes that the competition standings are TikTok's: first in the United Kingdom twice, and a top-five world finish in each of the two years the competition has been held.
According to the article, recording on the first of two albums begins within weeks, with soulful songs written for the first record and upbeat material for the second. The publication reports that the albums will be recorded in a studio Moxie built in Texas, which the company says is now complete, and that a tour is planned for next year, following a Las Vegas show in February at The Space that Moxie says was full.
Burns described the second title as the tougher of the two. "People keep asking me if the second one was easier," she said. "It was harder. The first year nobody knew who I was and I had nothing to lose. This year I had a title to hold onto and half of Belfast watching, and I wanted it more. I went back to the same stage a year later and did it again, and nobody can take that off me. Where I'm from you don't get handed a second go at anything, so I wasn't going to waste mine."
The full article is available now at https://tinselmag.com/jolene-burns-second-verse-same-crown/. A companion profile of Moxie Media Marketing and its chief executive is available at https://tinselmag.com/kenneth-welch-moxie-builder-behind-the-back-to-back/.
— Sources Cited in the Tinsel Magazine Feature —
TikTok Newsroom, TikTok LIVE's Music on Stage returns for 2026, August 13, 2026 – https://newsroom.tiktok.com/tiktok-lives-music-on-stage-returns-for-2026-to-discover-the-next-generation-of-global-music-stars?lang=en-GB&ref=tinselmag.com
TikTok Newsroom, TikTok LIVE launches Music On Stage '25, August 19, 2025 – https://newsroom.tiktok.com/tiktok-live-music-on-stage?lang=en-GB&ref=tinselmag.com
TikTok Newsroom, TikTok crowns global champions of TikTok LIVE: Music On Stage, October 15, 2025 – https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-gb/tiktok-live-music-on-stage-winners-announced?ref=tinselmag.com
Star, on Burns at TikTok LIVE Fest, March 12, 2026 – https://starmagazine.com/jolene-burns-took-on-the-biggest-names-at-tiktok-live-fest-heres-how-she-held-her-own/?ref=tinselmag.com
Belfast Telegraph, Roisin Gorman, August 12, 2026 – https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/belfast-tiktok-star-signs-us-deal-after-internet-trolls-death-threats/a/159922394.html?ref=tinselmag.com
Icarus Films, The Flats, directed by Alessandra Celesia – https://icarusfilms.com/if-flats?ref=tinselmag.com
Full source list published with the article: https://tinselmag.com/jolene-burns-second-verse-same-crown/
— About Moxie Media Marketing —
Moxie Media Marketing is a media and talent company led by chief executive Kenneth W. Welch Jr., operating from a base north of Houston, Texas. The company supplies independent artists with production, distribution and promotional support, and operates the Global Talent Billboard Directory, an artist platform launched in October 2025. Learn more: https://moxiemediamarketing.inc/
— About Tinsel Magazine —
Tinsel Magazine is a digital culture publication covering entertainment, style, internet culture, and the people shaping contemporary life. Based in Los Angeles, Tinsel publishes original editorial with a focus on the creative figures, cultural movements, and industry shifts that define modern media. The magazine's Tinsel Exclusive series profiles creators, artists, and cultural figures whose work is redefining their respective fields. For more information, visit https://tinselmag.com/
Broc Foerster
Moxie Media Marketing, Inc.
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