The internet is an odd place, where cultural memes can bring new attention to apps and ideas that might have left the spotlight. Ditty, a text-to-music app released in 2015, is the latest example, and it’s seeing a newfound outburst of love thanks to its use in a wildly popular Twitter meme.
Ditty has helped devotees of the “One Thicc Bih“ meme pay musical tribute to the sexual qualities of famous cartoon and pop culture figures. It began, of course, as most memes seem to do, with Spongebob Squarepants‘ Mr. Krabs and his “krussy,” but it’s since spread all over the web. You may have seen ones about James Comey and you definitely saw it during the web’s recent outing of the Babadook.
So where did Ditty come from? Ditty was developed by Zya, a California startup founded by former Virgin Records CEO and Grammy-winning musician Matt Serletic. The app was originally released as a third-party app for Facebook Messenger, allowing users to make short custom pop songs using text-to-speech technology for the lyrics. In September 2015, Zya released Ditty as a standalone app, where it quickly found success in the Apple App Store.
In fact, Ditty won an Appy Award in January 2016 for Best Music App. To fans of goofy customization apps, the reason why should come as no surprise. Ditty is a simple joy to use. It’s easy to pick up for newcomers but offers surprising levels of depth for more advanced users. It’s even compatible with every iPhone dating back to the 4s, so no matter what is in your pocket you can use it.
If you’re curious just how important the One Thicc Bih meme has been to Ditty’s resurgence , when you go to make a new song, the caption offered is “Tell us what’s THICC!” Skynet has become aware, and it has dank memes to share.
Creating your Ditty is as simple as picking a picture, some text, and a beat. You can pull images and video from your camera roll to star in your mini-music video, or select a GIF from its integration with Giphy. Users are granted a wide range of basic pop beats to play with upon downloading, and new songs drawn from today’s pop charts are available for purchase within the app. The song featured in the Mr. Krabs and Babadook meme is called “Good Day,” and it’s located under Hip-Hop in the music section.
Ditty also includes a social media component, allowing you and your friends to follow one another, like each other’s videos, and share to your heart’s content. If you make a Ditty that you don’t want to be shared with the rest of the world, it’s easy to set the clip to private. Ditty regularly promotes popular songs from public feeds, so with a little luck, maybe it will help you start to build a following.
Here are some examples we whipped up.
Whether you found Ditty through a love of song or its involvement in the meme community, there is just one thing that matters: You’re making music. That’s a beautiful thing.