Tag: Alaina Castillo

Spotify Encourages Eligible U.S. Voters to ‘Play Your Part’ by Registering for and Voting in the 2020 Election

September 9, 2020

As the U.S. gears up for the 2020 election in November, Spotify is also preparing to play our part. We recognize our unique ability to use the power of audio to inspire our millions of listeners in the United States to take action by voting.

That’s why we’re unveiling a new, non-partisan campaign, Play Your Part, to encourage eligible voters to get out and vote in the 2020 U.S. Election—with a special emphasis on supporting potential first-time voters in getting ready to do so. We’re teaming up with artists, influencers, and creators such as Conan Gray, Alaina Castillo, King Princess, Chloe x Halle, and more to showcase the importance of voting and provide resources to guide listeners through the election process. This campaign is about making your voice heard.

Additionally, we’re providing resources from partner organizations like HeadCount and TurboVote to assist users in getting registered, as well as BallotReady to help our listeners make a plan to vote.

“It is crucial to the fate of our future that we get out and vote,” says singer-songwriter Conan Gray. “Our voices need to be heard, and together they will be! Right now, more than ever, we need to fight for the lives of the people we love, and voting is just one of the extremely impactful ways we can do that. Every single vote matters. Do your part. Together we can fight for the America that we want to see, one that is built upon unity, diversity, empathy, and love.”

U.S. listeners can look forward to on-platform content, experiences, and offerings including:

  • Our Voter’s Booth hub: The goal of the hub is to provide resources so voters can get informed, register, and make a plan to vote. There, you can also find music from new playlists by artists to soundtrack your vote and curated podcast playlists on changemakers.
  • Soundtrack Your Vote: Whether you’re submitting your ballot by mail or heading to the polls to vote in person, we’ve got music to move you every step of the way. We partnered with some favorite artists and influencers of our listeners who are voting for the first time to curate new playlists that will keep you entertained throughout the entire process.
  • First-Time Voter Messaging: On September 9, Spotify listeners who will be voting in their first presidential election will get encouraging messages to register to vote from fellow first-timers.
  • Curated Podcasts: Several highlighted podcasts will be featuring content about civic engagement and encouraging their listeners to get registered and vote. Famous Fates: Movers & Shakers will dive deep into changemakers who pushed themselves to defy the odds and challenge norms that would change the world for the better. On September 17, Dope Labs will be doing an episode dedicated to civic engagement in which they dig into the science behind political ads and how people digest them.
  • Playlists Providing Inspiration: We will be adding visual and audio reminders through stickers and exclusive video content to some of our flagship playlists to encourage users to play their part and get to the polls. Plus, we’re providing co-curated HeadCount and Seventeen Magazine playlists to inspire listeners even further.
  • Anchor Podcaster Voter Sponsorships: Anchor, a Spotify-owned podcast creation platform, will be launching a voter registration campaign with their Sponsorships tool by giving podcasters the opportunity to donate their ad space to HeadCount, BallotReady, or Democracy Works to continue to aid others in the voting process.

Stay tuned for even more voting-related initiatives—and don’t forget to Play Your Part.

Meet Alaina Castillo — Bilingual Singer-Songwriter and Featured U.S. RADAR Artist

March 30, 2020

Recently, Spotify launched RADAR, a global development program for emerging artists around the world. RADAR allows us to deepen our commitment to young talent at all stages and strengthen their connections to their audiences. One such young talent we’re excited to support is U.S.-based singer-songwriter Alaina Castillo.

Prior to her junior year of high school, Alaina’s musical career revolved around singing in the church choir. Then, she began posting original songs, covers, and ASMR content on her video channel. In a matter of months, the Houston native had accumulated nearly 800,000 subscribers and made a fan of RØMANS — a producer known for churning out hits from pop stars like Demi Levato, John Legend, and Clean Bandit. From there, her career took off. 

RØMANS went on to produce Alaina’s debut EP in 2019, Antisocial Butterfly, which showcased her ability to weave beautifully between her two languages, English and Spanish. The album’s hit single, “i don’t think i love you anymore,” raked in more than 3 million streams on Spotify and paved the way for her sophomore single, “Valentine’s Day.” Most recently, she released two new singles, “ocean waves” and “just a boy,” and two Spotify Singles recordings.

We caught up with the RADAR U.S. representative for an inside look at her EP Antisocial Butterfly, what it was like to collaborate with RØMANS, and life on Spotify’s RADAR.

36 New Artists Around the World That Are on Spotify’s RADAR

March 9, 2020

Lauv. The Blaze. King Princess. Lil Baby. Official HIGE DANdism. Jorja Smith. These are undeniably prominent artists in today’s global musical landscape. They’ve been making their way onto Wrapped cards and festival headliner slots—but not so long ago they were just starting out, working their way up for a chance in the spotlight. Each was assisted in this journey by Spotify’s commitment to bringing up-and-coming artists to your attention—something we’re excited to continue with the launch of RADAR.

Through RADAR, our global emerging-artist program, we’re deepening our commitment to emerging artists at all stages of their development and strengthening their connection to audiences. With this global launch, we’ll continue to build on Spotify’s history of working with emerging artists through 19 sister programs featuring up-and-coming creators from more than 50 markets worldwide, all focused on helping artists from around the world reach the next stage in their careers.

“Spotify is a major reason why I’m able to be an independent artist,” says American singer-songwriter/producer Lauv, who was featured through Spotify’s developing artist program a few years ago. “Having their support from day one in making my music accessible to millions of users around the world has allowed me to grow as an artist and share music on my terms over the past five years. To have fans, whether in the Philippines, Peru, or Philadelphia know the words to songs all before I ever toured there speaks to Spotify’s global reach and ability to speak directly to fans with music that resonates around the globe.”

The launch of the program brings a mixture of Spotify’s best-in-class editorial and marketing abilities. Our playlists feature new and emerging talent around the world, and our marketing campaigns provide fans with the opportunity to get to know their new favorite artists.

“Spotify is thrilled to announce the launch of RADAR this year with an incredible group of emerging artists from across the globe,” said Ned Monahan, Spotify’s Head of Global Hits. “RADAR will become an influential program for up-and-coming artists across all genres worldwide and a great way for our global marketing and editorial teams to support the next generation of international superstars.”