Tag: dasha

It’s Never Too Early To Spread Festive Cheer, Our Spotify Holiday Singles Are Here

October 15, 2024

The air is turning crisp, and it won’t be long until everyone is walking around with an extra jingle in their step. As our listeners are continuing to seek holiday music earlier and earlier each year, Spotify is ready to give listeners an additional dose of holly jolly with our newly released Spotify Singles as part of our Holiday Collection.

Every year, a selection of artists can choose to record a cover of a classic holiday hit, or an original song that channels the spirit of the season. For 2024, we have five tracks to add to your holiday playlist. “We worked very carefully with each of our artists to pick the perfect holiday song for them—taking into account things like production style, voice, tone, and personality,” explained Talia Kraines, Senior Editor of U.S. Pop at Spotify.

This year’s festive hits are:

“Run Rudolph Run” by Mark Ambor

“Holiday Road” by Kesha

“River” by Max Richter

“Driving Home for Christmas” by Dasha

“Emanuel” by Miel San Marcos

Each track brings a sense of nostalgia as listeners hear some of their favorite seasonal lyrics in a whole new way. “Mark Ambor’s ‘Run Rudolph Run’ is a really rootsy, fun version of the song where you can hear the production he uses in his album, Rockwood, shine through,” said Talia. “It’s authentic and feels very real to him.”

“‘Driving Home for Christmas’ is a holiday song that is huge in the U.K. and Europe but isn’t known very well in the U.S. We saw this as a great opportunity to give this holiday song a whole new audience in America with Dasha while sharing a new version for countries where the song is already beloved,” she adds

And while the ’80s hit “Holiday Road”—despite its name—isn’t a traditional favorite, Kesha’s pop twist makes it a fun, upbeat track perfect for the season. “Her vocals make me think of The Go-Gos or The Bangles here,” noted Talia. “It feels like a monumental year for Kesha, and we’re thrilled to be a part of it—she’s reclaiming her joy and owning her own voice.” 

Find these tracks, as well as past Spotify Holiday Singles in our Holiday Collection playlist.

Check Out Our Updated Songs of Summer Predictions (Complete With Five New Wild Card Picks)

July 25, 2024

Last month, Spotify’s annual Songs of Summer predictions made their return, and fans have rallied around the anthems they can’t get enough of. Some have been working late (…’cuz they’re a singer), while plenty have been feeling so Julia. Meanwhile, others have been looking for someone to match their freak. 

Now, for the first time ever, we’re giving you a midsummer update that reveals the top 15 songs from our original list, along with five new “wild card” songs. These updated predictions reflect our final contenders for the Song of Summer as we approach the end of the season.

Backed by Spotify data and cultural buzz, and hand-picked by our global team of editors, our wild cards were either released after we made our initial predictions, or they’ve experienced a recent spike in global streams. Wild card track “360” by Charli xcx, for example, has experienced an 80% increase in U.S. streams in the past month, while streams of “HOT TO GO!” by Chappell Roan have spiked 110% globally on Spotify. 

Spotify’s updated Songs of Summer list 

(Listed alphabetically by artist first name; wild card picks in italics) 

Over the last year, we’ve seen increased popularity of dance and Afro house globally, and summer is the perfect time for these songs to cross over into the mainstream.

“‘Move’ has been an undeniable hit this summer and an obvious choice for our editors as one of our wild card additions,” said Luisa Kristen, Senior Editor, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland at Spotify. “The song features the perfect recipe of beautiful Afro house production, earwormy melody, and pop lyricism—sounds that tend to thrive with listeners in warmer weather globally.”

Luisa also noted that in the last few weeks, the song has charted all around the world across many parts of Europe, the U.K., and the U.S. It drove record streams for the German group globally on its release day and was recently added to Today’s Top Hits—a monumental achievement for German artists and the Afro house genre overall. 

“Stumblin’ In,” which was released in November 2023, is also a strong example of how a song can have an extensive lifespan, cross borders, and experience a cultural resurgence during different moments of the year. It highlights the power of Spotify—our editors have tested it in various playlists, and since its release, it has grown and reached new listeners around the world. 

Tinashe’s “Nasty” also surged during the first two weeks of the Songs of Summer predictions reveal, both globally and in the U.S. Since then, the song has seen over a 110% increase in streams globally and in the U.S.

Celebrating 2024’s Songs of Summer

To continue the summer fun, we hosted our 2024 Songs of Summer event in Brooklyn this week, featuring electric performances from two of our contenders, Tinashe and Tommy Richman.

Spotify House Celebrates Five Years at CMA Fest 2024 With a Full Slate of Live Performances

June 3, 2024

Spotify House is returning to CMA Fest for a fifth year, bringing back our marquee country music showcase June 6-8. Once again, we’re taking over Nashville’s beloved Ole Red venue, welcoming fans to enjoy three unforgettable days of nonstop country music and special surprises.

Since 2018, we’ve brought our country playlists to life through Spotify House, creating the best destination to hear the different sounds and styles of country at CMA Fest. The 2024 Mainstage lineup will include many of today’s top country stars and standout rising artists, including Ashley McBryde, Avery Anna, BRELAND, Brett Young, Brian Kelley, Cole Swindell, Corey Kent, Danielle Bradbery, Dustin Lynch, Dylan Gossett, Ella Langley, Graham Barham, Jon Pardi, Jordan Davis, Koe Wetzel, Lady A, Lauren Watkins, Lily Rose, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Mackenzie Carpenter, Mason Ramsey, Matt Schuster, Michael Warren, Mickey Guyton, Midland, Mitchell Tenpenny, Old Dominion, Owen Riegling, Parker McCollum, Riley Green, Russell Dickerson, Sam Barber, Tucker Wetmore, and Tyler Hubbard, with more to be added!   

Spotify House will also welcome Lily Rose and Cassie DiLaura to serve as hosts for all three days.

“It’s hard to believe that we are about to celebrate our fifth year bringing Spotify House to CMA Fest in June,” said Jackie Augustus, Lead, Country & Folk, Artist Partnerships at Spotify. “Since we first started hosting this event in 2018, Spotify House has become a beloved part of our year-round support and dedication to all things country music. We feel so privileged to have been able to present the many incredible artists who have graced our stages, and we are excited to once again bring our playlists to life and showcase some of the best and brightest in country music today.”

Over the last five years, country’s popularity on Spotify has grown immensely, with a nearly 110% increase in U.S. streams during that time. But that’s not all:

  • Spotify’s Hot Country playlist has seen over an 80% increase in streams in the last five years.
  • In the last five years, over 193,700,000 user-generated “country” music playlists have been created on Spotify.
  • July is the top-streamed country music month on Spotify over the last five years.
  • Spotify’s Hot Country playlist is ranked in Top 10 most-listened-to playlists on Spotify, globally.
  • In 2023, Spotify paid out more to country music artists than any other year previous. Spotify continues to set that record amount year over year.

We’ve put a spotlight on country’s most dynamic new faces over the past five years at Spotify House, and this year’s lineup will keep the tradition going with a new wave of artists who have ignited the country scene in 2024: 

  • Rising country singer-songwriter Wyatt Flores will step on the mainstage for the first time after debuting at Fresh Finds Rooftop last year.
  • Country/hip-hop/R&B artist Shaboozey, whose guest appearances on Beyonce’s COWBOY CARTER catapulted his breakout anthem, “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” to the top of the country charts.
  • Soulful country singer-songwriter Tanner Adell, whose featured vocals on the COWBOY CARTER track “BLACKBIIRD” have firmly established her as one of Nashville’s most in-demand young singers. 
  • Dasha, who has emerged as one of country’s hottest new stars following the massive success of her viral hit “Austin.”

We’re also partnering with Meta throughout the event to bring an exclusive Instagram Reels experience to Spotify House. Director The Tommy B will be capturing content that you can find on featured artists’ Instagram and Facebook accounts.

Spotify House will be open to the public each day from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. Entry will be on a first-come, first-served basis. And fans can click here to find the full schedule.