Around the world, Asian and Pacific Islander (API) artists continue to impact music culture at large, extending far beyond K-Pop. As a whole, global interest in music from Asia is on the rise, including emerging subgenres such as Gacha Pop, Pinoy hip-hop, T-Pop, and Punjabi music. In the U.S. and Canada specifically, Asian diaspora stars are rising on Spotify. And this May, during Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (APIHM), Spotify is celebrating and supporting the diverse community of artists and genres that extends across the diaspora. API voices at full volume Year-round, we amplify ..read more

As one of the fastest-growing sounds worldwide, Música Mexicana is more than just a genre. It’s an essential part of Mexican culture, encompassing its history, traditions, and values. Take the corrido, for example—a traditional form of song born from Mexico’s revolutionary times, and one of Música Mexicana’s most prominent styles. Corridos tell the stories of both real and fictional characters, inviting the audience to immerse themselves in heroic lyrics that convey past and present experiences.  But the genre’s impact isn’t limited to Mexico. Instead, it resonates with fans from differen ..read more

Como uno de los sonidos de mayor expansión en el mundo, la Música Mexicana va más allá de ser un género. Representa un componente vital de la cultura, abarcando su historia, sus tradiciones y sus valores. Un claro ejemplo son los Corridos – canciones tradicionales que surgieron durante la época revolucionaria de México. Estos constituyen uno de los estilos más distintivos de la Música Mexicana y narran las vivencias de personajes tanto reales como ficticios, invitando a los oyentes a explorar letras heroicas que reflejan experiencias pasadas y presentes. Más allá de sus fronteras, el impacto ..read more

Spotify has an unwavering commitment to supporting emerging artists across all genres, to helping them launch and thrive in their careers, and to connecting them with fans across the globe. We are also dedicated to fostering gender equity in the music industry and beyond via our EQUAL Global Music Program.  And now we’ve added another dimension to both initiatives by teaming up with ELLE, the world’s largest fashion magazine and media brand. Together, we’re spotlighting the breakthrough women featured in its May 2024 Music Issue.  “ELLE is both a window that showcases inspiring stori ..read more

If you aren’t familiar with Danny Ocean’s music, it’s only a matter of time. The Venezuelan singer and producer is a veritable global phenomenon. His hit song “Me Rehúso” surpassed 50 million streams on Spotify in just two months and went on to reach an astounding 1 billion streams. When “Me Rehúso” joined the Spotify Billions Club in 2020, it was the first time a song from a Latin solo artist had ever achieved that milestone. Danny was also the first independent artist to appear in the Top 10 in Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Spain, and Argentina. “Me Rehúso” broke a record by becoming the Latin so ..read more

With more than 600 million users around the world tuned in to Spotify, there’s no shortage of opportunity for brands and businesses to connect with their fans in creative ways on our platform. Last year, we launched Spotify Sparks to help educate advertisers on why Spotify is the destination for reaching the most engaged audiences and leveraging culture-shaping content for impactful advertising campaigns. Following two successful summits in Brazil and India, we brought Spotify Sparks to the U.K. for the first-ever London edition. On May 1, Spotify executives, industry leaders, content creators ..read more

Spotify is committed to amplifying the voices of underrepresented groups, and that starts with empowering the creators who will shape our industry’s future. NextGen is Spotify’s ongoing program designed to infuse, activate, and grow podcast and creator culture on college campuses. Through our Creator Equity Fund (CEF), we’ve expanded NextGen to support historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), including Spelman College, Howard University, North Carolina A&T State University, and Hampton University.  This year, the program has funded $60,000 in scholarships to Hampton Unive ..read more

All around the world, millions of Spotify fans love listening to hardcore punk music—and some science shows that plants love it too.  Hold up. What? Yep, you read that right. Horticulturist, author and lecturer Chris Beardshaw says that research shows hardcore music helps plants grow. Stacked against other sonic selections like classical and pop, plants nurtured by hardcore are stimulated into amplified growth. “Surprisingly, a increasing body of research shows that the frequency of hardcore music helps plants grow,” Chris told For the Record. “The thumping, repetitive, high-decibel ..read more

Records smashed. History made. It’s been just five days since Taylor Swift unveiled her 11th studio album, THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT, and the reception from Swifties worldwide has been rapturous. On April 22, 2024, THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT became Spotify’s most-streamed album in a single week. And as of today, the album has surpassed 1 billion streams since release, the first in Spotify history. Did we mention it’s been just five days since its release? Adding to the medal count, on April 19, 2024, the album became the first in Spotify history to reach over 300 million streams in ..read more

Spotify is once again teaming up with Les Flammes, the only music awards dedicated to rap, R&B, Afrobeats, and popular culture in France. Spotify helped create Les Flammes in 2023 to celebrate and highlight the French-speaking artists who are actively shaping new cultural trends. Rap is a hugely prominent genre in France—on Spotify, the top five most-listened-to artists in the country have hailed from rap, hip-hop, and R&B for the past several years. Ahead of the ceremony on April 25, let’s take a moment to highlight the impact of last year’s inaugural event, and also spotlight the 202 ..read more