Once deemed unattractive, certain regional accents - particularly those from the West Midlands - are now being dubbed "hot" thanks to TikTok.
Singer Jorja Smith's song "Crush" features her Black Country accent, with the 27-year-old showing off her accent in a rap verse alongside West London artist AJ Tracey. The song has gone viral on TikTok, with fans making videos to the popular sound.
British fans were quick to notice her accent, with lines like "know I got what you're after" and "you just wanna live with her" showing off her local dialect. One person commented: "The Walsall accent creeping through. Iconic." International listeners even dubbed the accent "exotic", much to the amusement of Walsall locals.
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Getty Images for Nike)Walsall-based TikToker Madson Hodgson joked: "Never in my life have I heard someone saying that Walsall is the most exotic accent in the UK." He said the accent is often mocked, once being dubbed one of the most unattractive in the UK.
Dr Danielle Turton, a senior linguistics lecturer at Lancaster University, told The Telegraph: "As soon as we start to have positive role models who speak with that accent, we see the perception shift, and we're seeing this with the West Midlands accent."
The shift in how people view the accent marks a dramatic difference from 2014 when a YouGov poll found the Birmingham accent to be the least attractive in the UK.
Academics recently found the "Brummie monotone" to be the least respected dialect in the country with the "pervasive accent bias" towards it still acting as a social mobility blocker.
But as more people around the world are being exposed to Midlands accents, they are finally "having their moment", according to Dr Turton.
She said: "With the success of Peaky Blinders and the rise of artists like Jorja Smith and other cultural figures, people are loving the West Midland accent."
Dr Turton also explained how portrayal of working class and regional accents in traditional media can often uphold negative stereotypes as characters with these accents are often "criminals". The Peaky Blinders is a prime example for the Brummie accent, with the show depicting criminals taking over the West Midland streets.
"So when we hear talented and charismatic people speaking with these accents, it challenges all stereotypes," she said
Dr Turton added: "There's always been individuals with Midlands accents who've been in the media. What is different now is we're seeing a more sustained presence across different areas of culture."
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