Tag: Boza

Spotify Predicts the Latin Grammys Nominees Who Could Win Big in 2022

November 15, 2022

On Thursday night, the Latin Grammys will make its return to Las Vegas to celebrate the artists and industry professionals who make Latin Music the global sensation it is today. With more than 50% of Spotify listeners streaming at least one Latin song per month—amounting to approximately 215 million users globally—this annual awards show features many of the most-streamed artists on the platform.

Leading the pack of nominees is Spotify’s most-streamed artist of 2020 and 2021, Bad Bunny, who has earned 10 Latin Grammy nominations on the back of his blockbuster album Un Verano Sin Ti. Rauw Alejandro and ROSALÍA have each been nominated in eight categories this year, and Christina Aguilera, Jorge Drexler, and Tainy follow closely with seven nominations each.  

When it comes to the big four awards—Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Artist of the Year—the competition is fierce. Any of the nominees could take home the coveted gilded gramophone. But we have a few predictions for who will nab the top awards this year. 

Record of the Year

Often confused with Song of the Year, Record of the Year honors the performing artist on the song as well as the producers, sound engineer, master engineer, and sound mixers. Among those nominated, Spotify data suggests that it’s going to be a close call between Bad Bunny’s “Ojitos Lindos,” KAROL G’s “PROVENZA,” and Anitta’s “Envolver,” all of which have generated millions of streams.

Album of the Year

It’s been a big year for both ROSALÍA and Bad Bunny, who are two of the hottest Latin artists of this generation and our favorites to take home this major achievement.

ROSALÍA’s album MOTOMAMI has been loved by fans across the world, but especially in cities like Mexico City, Santiago, and Madrid. With its futuristic visuals and catchy, genre-bending sounds, fans couldn’t get enough of her music (and even showed their support by getting “tattooed” at our album release event in March).

Meanwhile, Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti has held the top spot on Spotify’s USA Chart for over 20 weeks. And the artist known as “El Conejo Malo” stayed true to his Puerto Rican roots, tapping a mix of rising and legendary acts from his home country to feature on his fifth album. This also marks Bad Bunny’s fourth nomination in this category. 

Song of the Year 

If Spotify streams are any indication, the winner for Song of the Year will come down to two widely loved tracks: KAROL G’s “PROVENZA” and Camilo’s “Indigo.” 

In 2021, KAROL G was Spotify’s most-streamed female artist globally. She currently sits among the top 50 most-streamed artists with more than 37 million monthly listeners. Inspired by the Provenza neighborhood in her hometown of Medellin, “PROVENZA” is nominated in multiple categories this year.

Also hailing from Medellin, Camilo is one of the most influential Latin artists, with five Latin Grammys to his name. And when it’s all said and done, it’s possible “Indigo”—a track about the birth of his daughter that also features his wife Evaluna Montaner—will earn him a sixth award. 

Best New Artist

With 10 nominees in the running, this category is packed with talent. But looking at our data, we think there are three artists in particular who could take home this award. 

Yahritza y Su Esencia have experienced a meteoric rise in 2022. Based out of Washington’s Yakima Valley, their unique brand of Mexican music has attracted nearly 4 million monthly Spotify listeners. 

Pol Granch also had a breakthrough 2022, reaching 6 million monthly listeners made up of fans from Spain, Mexico, Colombia, and Peru.

Silvana Estrada is the young Mexican singer-songwriter who was among the first artists featured on Spotify’s RADAR playlist when it launched in 2020. Her signature voice and emotional lyrics take listeners through feelings of love lost and found, sadness, and anguish.

RADAR artists continue to make an impact

Since the launch of our RADAR program in 2020, more than 50 Latin artists have been featured across our playlists. And over the last 12 months, these artists have collectively generated more than 2.5 billion streams and attracted more than 25 million followers.

But even more impressive, a number of Latin artists featured on RADAR have worked on some of the biggest tracks of the year, and their contributions are being recognized at the Latin Grammys. 

In addition to her nod for Best New Artist, Silvana Estrada’s album Marchita is up for Best Singer-Songwriter album award.

Ovy On The Drums, who was first featured on RADAR Andinos in 2020, is also nominated across several categories as a producer and songwriter. This includes Record of the Year (KAROL G’s “PROVENZA” and Sebastian Yatra’s “DHARMA”), Song of the Year (“PROVENZA”), and Best Urban Song (“DHARMA” and Becky G and KAROL G’s “MAMIII”).

And rounding out this list are Maria Becerra—whose album Animal is nominated for Best Urban Music Album—and Trueno—whose song “Dance Crip” is nominated for Best Rap/Hip-Hop Song. 

Along with these four artists, there are eight other RADAR artists who have been nominated for Latin Grammys in previous years: GIULIA BE, Lasso, Boza, Humbe, Covi Quintana, Los Dos Carnales, Nathy Peluso, and LOUTA.

The party kicks off at Casa Spotify

Given that Latin music streams on Spotify have grown more than 1,000% over the last seven years, November 17 is sure to be a big night. And that’s why we’re also hosting our Casa Spotify experience in Las Vegas.

Open today and tomorrow, Casa Spotify celebrates the achievements of the nominees and those who have pushed Latin music forward. It will also serve as an oasis for invited guests to network and collaborate, with a private room for listening sessions and meetings, a content capture studio, and additional photo-worthy areas throughout the space.

We’ll be sharing more from Casa Spotify as the week unfolds, so stay tuned and check back for the latest happenings. 

Looking for more of the hottest tracks from top Latin artists? Press play on our flagship playlist, Viva Latino:

 

Quiz: This Week on ‘For the Record’

June 25, 2021

Think you're up-to-date on the latest in Spotify news, data, and trends? Take our quiz to test just how well you’ve been following along.

1. How many hours have listeners streamed Spotify’s most popular and influential playlist, Today’s Top Hits?
2. Boza is the latest artist to join the U.S. roster for our emerging talent program, RADAR. However, this isn’t the first time that the Panamanian singer has been picked to be a RADAR artist. In 2020, Boza was part of RADAR in what region?
3. Spotify announced a new podcast network, The Unbothered Network, in partnership with a creator. Which podcaster is at the helm?
4. New Spotify original podcast “Proxima Parada” brings its listeners daily news from the outskirts, or “quebradas,” of São Paulo, Brazil. When does the podcast premiere?
5. On our podcast “Spotify: For the Record,” we explored three local music genres: hyphy, chopped and screwed, and go-go. Which of these music styles originated in Washington, D.C., and was named the city’s official music?
6. This week at Cannes, Gimlet Managing Director Lydia Polgreen sat down with Brandy and Black Girl Songbook host Danyel Smith for a conversation about the power of podcasts. What was their big insight?

Panamanian Artist Boza Brings His Local Sounds to the Global Stage With RADAR

June 22, 2021

Panamanian artist Boza is making waves far beyond his geographical roots, and as the latest artist to join Spotify’s RADAR roster in the United States, his rise may very well continue.

The singer-songwriter is the newest RADAR artist in the U.S., but he’s no stranger to the program, which spotlights emerging talent from around the globe. In 2020, Boza was chosen as the first March RADAR artist of the month for the Central America and Caribbean region. Listeners quickly gravitated toward his music, and his success in the program is what led him to be picked as a 2021 RADAR artist for the U.S. region. Boza’s tracks can be found on over 80 Spotify playlists and he has nearly 12 million monthly listeners. Fans particularly love his song “Hecha Pa’ Mi,” which has racked up more than 330 million streams. On his debut album, Mas Negro Que Rojo, listeners will find sounds that follow a mix of dancehall, reggaetón, R&B, and more.

“Over the last two years we have witnessed Boza develop one of the strongest fan bases in all of Central America, which has quickly scaled throughout the rest of Latin America and Europe,” shares Jose Nova, a Spotify Senior Editor for Latin America. “Boza consistently provides his fans with unique storytelling through his lyrics that have deep connections with audiences around the world.”

Through RADAR, Boza will be featured on the RADAR playlist and will record music for our Spotify Singles program, and Spotify will provide a full suite of on- and off-platform marketing and promotional support. Spotify also worked with the artist to release a mini documentary, out today. Taking place in his hometown of Panama City in the La Meri neighborhood, the film gives viewers an intimate look at Boza and his journey from the streets to the stage. 

Watch the documentary in Spanish.

For the Record caught up with Boza to ask a few questions about his first album release, his musical style, and how he’s using Spotify to reach fans all over the world.

The last year has been quite busy for you, with your first full album release and the popularity of the song “Hecha Pa’ Mi.” What has it been like to see your career take off? 

Seeing my career take off with “Hecha Pa’ Mi” marks a before and after. To really see a track like this hit the whole world is what every artist dreams of. Seeing that they write to me from countries where they don’t even speak Spanish is so exciting.

Your music includes elements of the Panamanian style “canela.” How would you describe this sound to new listeners?

Canela is a little bit of Panama in my music. It is “The Hood” (El Barrio) and represents my friends, my experiences, and my life experiences in words.

What artists have inspired you the most, in terms of their sound and lyrics?

I really like Bad Bunny. I also like Kafu Banton from Panama—he is one that I always listen to, and I like his way of composing. El Roockie was also an influence. I also like all kinds of music such as salsa, merengue, Haitian, and rock and roll. I learn, gain knowledge, and take elements from everything that I listen to.

You’ve been working with Spotify’s RADAR program since 2020, when you were named  RADAR artist of the month for Central America & the Caribbean. Now you’re expanding as a U.S. RADAR artist. What has this experience been like?

This is another dream that I didn’t think would come so soon. It is very important to connect and see this happening in my country and in Central America, but as an artist, to come to the United States and see that my music is sneaking in everywhere, it’s wonderful. This is going to help me to grow that dream!

Your music has found international popularity in countries like Spain and Italy. Do you think working with Spotify and the RADAR program has helped introduce your music to other areas of the world, outside of Latin American?

The data available to artists on the platform allows me to know how many people are streaming my music in real time, how the number of listeners change over time, where they live, and to also be able to know which of my songs are liked the most. It’s incredible.

You can’t imagine my, and all my team’s, excitement when we saw we were number three in Spain. We were jumping with joy, because really when we entered the top 200 it was already an achievement, then at 100, and then at 50 we said, “Wow, the dream came true.” But when we got to number three, it is one of those moments that you thank God and reflect on all the effort and sacrifice, because it is not easy. It is almost impossible to have a number three in Spain with so many good artists there. In Italy, we asked ourselves, “How did it reach number seven when the song is in Spanish?” That is where one learns that music has no borders. 

What advice do you have for fellow emerging artists?

The best advice I can give you is to be prepared, and to 100% create your own style and your own music. Learn every day from everything you can in studios, in meetings—listen and know that your future depends on many things but the main one is that it depends on yourself.

 

Check out the latest music from Boza below and keep an eye out for his new track, “En La Luna,” coming out June 25.

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.”