Tag: Arijit Singh

Five Artists Reflect on Five Years of Spotify in India, Reaching New Fans, and the ‘True Power’ of Music

March 20, 2024

Since launching in India in 2019, Spotify has opened up opportunities for artists and creators across the country and established new ways for listeners to discover and consume audio. Five years later, we’re now the most-loved audio-streaming platform in India, especially among Gen Z and millennials.

We kicked off our anniversary celebrations earlier this month by taking a look at the impact we’ve had over the last five years, from Indian music and podcast consumption habits to the most-exported Indian artists. For the country’s artist community, the results speak for themselves.

Spotify’s presence in India has connected talented local artists with global audiences, helping share their music far and wide. Today, more listeners than ever are discovering Indian artists around the world—in 2023, the global consumption of music from India grew by 85% year-over-year. And in fact, Indian musician Arijit Singh is the third-most-followed artist on Spotify worldwide.

Spotify has also deeply invested in educating Indian artists about Spotify for Artists, a platform that empowers artists by showing them how their music is being consumed and helping them better connect with fans. Today, more than 28,000 artists from India use Spotify for Artists, which is more than double what it was a year ago.

For the Record sat down with five artists—Anuv Jain, King, Jasleen Royal, Armaan Malik, and Jonita Gandhi—who’ve been with Spotify from the beginning of our journey in India to hear how they’ve found new audiences and created deeper connections.

Anuv Jain

Anuv Jain is one of India’s most popular independent music artists. His 2018 single “Baarishein” put him on the map. The singer-songwriter from Punjab relies almost solely on acoustics and soulful lyrics, drawing inspiration from his own life experiences.

How do you think Spotify has helped advance your career?

I am not sure whether people know this, but my music has been up on Spotify since before the platform even launched in India. So, we’ve had a long relationship. I think Spotify listeners want to explore a lot more music, as well as different genres, and that has definitely helped me out. All things considered, I think Spotify has helped me reach so many people, and I am truly grateful for that.

Share a story that highlights how Spotify has changed the way you connect with fans.

Spotify has given me a platform to gauge how my audience is perceiving my music, the age group my audience belongs to, the cities I have the most listenership from, the countries I have managed to tap into, and so much more. This informs the way I connect with my audience. Since my audience mostly includes millennial and Gen Z listeners, this influences the way I communicate with them on my social platforms, the content I put out, and the cities I want to visit and perform at. I just concluded my tour in the U.K. and Ireland, which happened because we found out that I have great listenership in the region. We sold out both shows in London, as well as the Dublin and Manchester shows!

King

After his 2019 breakthrough on the Indian reality show MTV Hustle, rapper and pop star King has delivered a slew of hits. His Hindi-language track “Maan Meri Jaan” was the most-streamed song of 2023 in India on Spotify, and he also teamed up with Nick Jonas on a bilingual remix, “Maan Meri Jaan (Afterlife).”

How do you think Spotify has helped advance your career?

Spotify has been a crucial part of my story ever since its algorithms and playlists took my song “Tu Aake Dekhle” and shared it with listeners around the country and the world. It has helped me not only connect with my Kingsclan, but also attract new fans who have supported me and my music unconditionally.

Share a story that highlights how Spotify has changed the way you connect with fans.

The fact that countless people have reached out to me over the years mentioning how they’ve found a safe space within my music always ends up reminding me of the true power of music and how it reaches people like I could’ve never imagined. I’m grateful for being able to share my music through this platform and being able to touch the lives of people in even the smallest way possible.

Jasleen Royal

Jasleen Royal is a self-taught singer-songwriter-composer who broke onto the scene in 2009 as a semifinalist on India’s Got Talent. She’s since built an impressive music career, including composing a number of hit Bollywood tracks.

How do you think Spotify has helped advance your career?

Spotify connected me to my fans, allowing me to share my music with them directly. It has given me exceptional reach across the world. Also, Spotify for Artists offers insights into how your songs are performing—and where—allowing you to use that information to plan even better.

Share a story that highlights how Spotify has changed the way you connect with fans.

I remember when my track “Kho Gaye Hum Kahan” suddenly picked up years after its release. With Spotify for Artists, I was able to see the spike in streams—which otherwise would have gone unnoticed—and study where it was coming from. These kinds of statistics are very insightful for an artist.

Armaan Malik

Armaan Malik got his start as a child singer in Bollywood. After cementing his position in the Indian music industry, the singer-songwriter forayed into the global circuit with his 2020 debut English single, “Control.” In 2022, he even teamed up with Ed Sheeran on a remix of “2step.”

How do you think Spotify has helped advance your career?

Spotify has revolutionized my career. Its vast reach and the remarkable surge in listenership it enables has unlocked opportunities in countries I never even imagined reaching. Beyond the numbers, it’s the authentic connections with listeners from all walks of life that has been truly transformative. Spotify has been instrumental in shaping my pop career, catapulting it to thrilling new heights.

Share a story that highlights how Spotify has changed the way you connect with fans.

A fantastic method of engaging with fans and expanding my audience is through curated playlists, particularly those crafted by artists themselves. One example is my own playlist, Hooked. It not only showcases my personal music preferences but also serves as a platform for teasing upcoming releases through clever hints and hidden surprises. It’s been an innovative way to connect with fans and keep them excited about what’s next in my musical journey. Another great feature is Clips, which can enhance the storytelling, adding more layers to the song within the ecosystem.

Jonita Gandhi

Born in New Delhi and raised in Toronto, Jonita Gandhi’s Canadian and Indian heritage helped shape her diverse musical palette. Today, the artist is an acclaimed multilingual singer who has recorded songs for some of India’s biggest movies. Earlier this year, she released her debut EP, Love Like That.

How do you think Spotify has helped advance your career?

Spotify has really helped me understand who’s listening to my music and what they’re resonating with. As a versatile artist, it’s sometimes hard to know who’s invested in my music, but Spotify has helped me tap into my true fans.

Share a story that highlights how Spotify has changed the way you connect with fans.

The first billboard I was featured on in my hometown of Toronto and in New York City’s Times Square was part of a Spotify campaign. I really believe that changed the way I connected with my audience, especially internationally. It made me feel seen and it was a full-circle experience.

Dive into our I-Pop Superhits playlist to discover some of the hottest pop music from Indian artists.

Usher in Pakistan’s Wedding Season With Our Special Shaadi Hub

November 21, 2023

Shaadi Hits

In Pakistan, the shaadi (Urdu for wedding) is a rite of passage that’s often stretched out over multiple days with ceremonies, parties, and gatherings marking the merging of two families. The occasion has everything: delicious food, bright colors, friends, families, plenty of choreographed dances, and so much music. And Spotify is here to help kick off the party planning in Pakistan with our dedicated Shaadi hub.

The Shaadi hub, available to all Spotify Free and Premium subscribers in Pakistan, is your source for all the biggest hits of the season. It contains a collection of the top playlists created to soundtrack each part of the occasion. You can find the pre celebration Dholki Tappay playlist, the Baraat Entry and Dulhan Entry playlists for when the bride and groom enter the venue, and Rukhsati, which concludes the celebration and helps bid farewell to the newly married couple. And, of course, the ever-popular Mehndi Hits, Shaadi Bhangra, and Shaadi Hits will set the vibe for the pre-, mid-, and post-wedding celebrations. There’s a little something for everyone—even the cousin who keeps wanting to steal the aux cable. 

Broadcasting Desi Music to New Homes Around the World

August 7, 2023

Bollywood dance music, chill Sufi songs, hot Punjabi hits—all of these sounds make up the diverse and varied world of Desi music. They also represent artists and genres coming out of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives. Listeners across the region flock to Spotify to celebrate their culture and its music. And no matter where they go, their heritage moves with them. 

This South Asian Heritage Month, Spotify is celebrating the music of the region locally and across the South Asian diaspora. Listeners in the U.S., UK, and Canada remain the leading countries that stream Desi music, followed by Australia and Germany. Desi music is growing rapidly in the UAE, Australia, and Canada—and shows the largest increase in streams of the South Asian music genre—recording year-on-year growth of 72%, 54%, and 50% respectively. 

In Pakistan, too, 2023 has seen a phenomenal rise in the production and appreciation of Punjabi music. Compared to 2021, the total number of Punjabi track releases has nearly doubled, showcasing the industry’s vibrant growth and creative evolution. Punjabi pop, with its catchy tunes, has witnessed a remarkable 99% year-on-year increase in listener consumption in the market. Meanwhile, Punjabi Hip Hop has seen an astounding 106% growth in its listenership in Pakistan. This surge in popularity reflects the genre’s universal appeal, which then transcends borders and cultures.

“With Spotify significantly strengthening its position in South Asian markets, we are able to connect artists to their fans and communities across the globe, and have witnessed a growing love for South Asian artists and Desi music that reflects in the exponential growth of streams of our Desi playlists,” says Rutaba Yaqub, Spotify Senior Editor in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. 

“Millions in the South Asian diaspora long for a connection to home. Music keeps them in touch and Spotify wants to celebrate and enable that connection. So we’re celebrating South Asian Heritage Month this year by building a strong cultural connection between Desi music and its listeners through our South Asian Music Hub, where listeners can find and enjoy popular Desi playlists and more,” she added. 

That connection was felt especially this year with Ali Sethi and Shae Gill’s track “Pasoori.” After its release, “Pasoori” became a phenomenon that took its place on the global Viral 50 chart, the first Pakistani song to achieve this feat. It continues to be the most-streamed Pakistani track globally. This month, we also spotlight Ali Sethi and the influential Irfan Junejo in a Spotlight series on our platform.

Indian music preferences are a little more varied. The most-streamed songs from India in a majority of the largest diaspora markets, including the U.S., UK, UAE, and Australia, feature Bollywood hits like “Kesariya (from ‘Brahmastra’),” followed by “Besharam Rang,” and “Jhoome Jo Pathaan” (both from Pathaan). In Canada, however, the top 10-streamed Desi songs from the past year prominently feature Punjabi pop and hip-hop. “52 Bars” by Karan Aujla and Ikky was the most listened-to track. 

“South Asian music is undoubtedly here to stay, and India is one of the largest contributors to the export of artists from this region,” says Rahul Balyan, Head of Music, Spotify India. “With Spotify, sounds from across the world have become easier to discover and share, and for the Indian diaspora, which happens to be the largest in the world, music is an integral part of how they stay connected to their roots. All our data indicates that film, as well as pop music, appeals the most to those listeners, and Indian artists performing at international music festivals is testament to the impact that they are making even beyond the diaspora.” 

For the best of South Asian music, stream Desi Hits. 

3 Major Streaming Trends from Spotify’s First Year in India

February 27, 2020

It’s been exactly 12 months since Spotify launched in India, and my, how we’ve grown. There are now more than 6,400 Indian creators using Spotify for Artists, our platform that lets artists and their teams see who’s listening to their music and take control of their artist profile. Listeners from over 2,300 cities are tuning into more than 350 curated playlists in India—like New Music Hindi and Punjabi 101—and that’s up from 120 at launch. In honor of this anniversary, we dove into some of the trends and themes around a year’s worth of Spotify streaming in India. Here’s what we saw:

1. A lot of love for local artists

Spotify listeners in India have streamed over 130 artists each in the past year. Overall, we found that the top five most-streamed in the country are from India. Topping the list are three beloved Bollywood singers: Arijit Singh, Tanishk Bagchi, and Neha Kakkar. The age group of 35 to 44-year-olds stream Indian artists at a higher rate than any other.

Globally streamed hits are also very popular in India. The most-streamed international artist in India is Post Malone, who was also Spotify’s most-streamed global artist in 2019; BTS and Taylor Swift are popular with Indian listeners as well. The most-streamed track in India over the past year is the global smash “Señorita” by Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello, followed by Arijit Singh and Mithoon’s “Tujhe Kitna Chahne Lage” and Sachet Tandon and Parampara Thakur’s “Bekhayali” (both from the soundtrack to the popular Indian film “Kabir Singh”).

2. Music sets the mood

Love songs are a major part of Indian culture, which is why Spotify’s Bollywood Mush playlist is one of the top-streamed playlists among users. Interestingly, listeners in the eastern part of the country—West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Assam, Bihar, and Sikkim—have streamed the playlist the most (it seems love rises in the east!).

What’s more, during Diwali, India’s biggest religious celebration, the holiday’s themed playlists—which lean heavily on songs about love and partying—got major traction on the festival’s peak day on October 27, 2019, with plays increasing by almost 4,400%.

 3. Pressing play on podcasts and pop

India has fired up its podcast lineup, launching its first three Spotify original podcasts in December 2019. 22 Yarns With Gaurav Kapur, Bhaskar Bose, and Love Aaj Kal with Aastha & Ankit were each produced in India to cater to an Indian audience. These podcasts, which are all about pop culture, including cricket, fiction thriller storytelling, and relationship advice, respectively, also made it to the top five on the original podcast charts. 

The top three music genres streamed across India are pop, filmi (music from popular Indian movies) and hip-hop. K-Pop also has a growing fan base: Spotify’s most-followed K-Pop playlist, K-Pop Daebak, is a popular choice for Indian listeners. And India is in the top 22% of K-Pop listening in all of Spotify’s markets globally, based on streaming from the past 90 days. 

From the top-streamed artists to the most popular podcasts in India, see how listening stacks up since we launched in February 2019.

Download the infographic here.

For the uninitiated, be sure to stream Spotify’s Top Hits Hindi playlist.