Tag: Diversity Inclusion and Belonging

Celebrate Black History Month With These Captivating Audiobooks

February 18, 2025

February is Black History Month, a time to honor the rich cultural heritage, triumphs, and adversities of the Black community. One powerful way to celebrate is by listening to stories from Black authors. On Spotify, our Black History Month hub includes an audiobooks shelf featuring a range of titles, from compelling narratives to thought-provoking memoirs. Here are five editor-approved picks to begin your journey.

Death of the Author

By Nnedi Okorafor

Narrated by Liz Femi, Anthony Oseyemi, Jason Culp, and Chris Djuma

In this tale by bestselling author Nnedi Okorafor, a disabled Nigerian American woman pens a successful sci-fi novel but loses control of the narrative as her fame rises. It’s a poignant drama about art, identity and, ultimately, what makes us human.

Lucky Me: A Memoir of Changing the Odds

By Rich Paul with Jesse Washington, foreword by LeBron James

Narrated by Rich Paul and Dennis Logan

As the founder and CEO of Klutch Sports Group, Rich Paul is one of the most influential figures in the multibillion-dollar sports industry. In this memoir—featuring a foreword by long­time friend and client LeBron James—he shares his learnings about business, people, and the values that lead to success.

Black Country Music: Listening for Revolutions

By Francesca Royster

Narrated by LaNecia Edmonds

This timely work tells the story of how Black musicians have changed the country music landscape and brought light to Black creativity and innovation. Francesca Royster uncovers the Black performers and fans, including herself, who are exploring the pleasures and possibilities of the genre.

The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life’s Direction and Purpose

By Oprah Winfrey

Narrated by Oprah Winfrey, Full Cast

Oprah Winfrey opens each chapter of The Path Made Clear with key lessons and personal stories that helped set the course for her best life. She then brings together wisdom and insights from various luminaries, inspiring listeners to consider what they’re meant to do in the world and how to pursue it with passion and focus.

Good Dirt: A Novel

By Charmaine Wilkerson

Narrated by January LaVoy

Bestselling author Charmaine Wilkerson’s sophomore novel is an engrossing epic that examines how the past informs our present. It follows the daughter of an affluent Black family  as she pieces together the connection between a childhood tragedy and a beloved heirloom.

Looking for more inspiring listens? Check out our selection of Black History Month audiobooks on Spotify.

Spotify, The Black List, and The Jed Foundation Team Up To Champion Mental Health in Fiction

February 12, 2025

Stories have the power to change the way we see the world, and when it comes to mental health, the right story can make all the difference. That’s why Spotify is partnering with The Black List, a platform for writers to showcase their projects for industry professionals, and The Jed Foundation (JED), a nonprofit that protects emotional health and prevents suicide among our nation’s teens and young adults, to launch the Spotify x JED Impact Award—an initiative supporting exceptional depictions of mental health in unpublished fiction.

The Spotify x JED Impact Award will provide five $10,000 grants to recipients with unpublished manuscripts, with the goal of reshaping the conversation around mental health, diversifying mental health narratives in fiction, and promoting positive storytelling around mental health. As part of the initiative, Spotify will cover fee waivers, which will allow up to 140 writers to receive a free month of hosting and a free evaluation on the Black List platform.

“Stories about mental health have immense power to erase stigma and help people get the help that they need,” said Casey Acierno, Social Impact Lead at Spotify. “We’re so excited to partner with The Black List and The Jed Foundation to uplift unpublished manuscripts with meaningful depictions of mental health. Having entered the audiobooks space, Spotify knows the power of storytelling, and we’re thrilled to support writers in looking after themselves and the way they write about mental health.”

Supporting mental health through storytelling

This initiative underscores Spotify’s commitment to both creators and consumers, recognizing the power of storytelling to humanize mental health and foster understanding. In addition to supporting the creation of powerful new literature, we’re also working to amplify existing mental health audiobooks on our platform.

“Narratives in fiction can have a very real impact on our mental health—helping shape how we see ourselves, perceive our place in the world, navigate challenges, and discover possibilities for healing and growth,” said Courtney Knowles, Senior Media Advisor for The Jed Foundation. “JED and I are proud to partner on this initiative, celebrating and inspiring unpublished novels that entertain while creating connection and fostering emotional well-being.”

Beyond the grants, Spotify is offering additional resources for authors, including:

    • A mental health resource hub: Developed in collaboration with JED, the hub provides support both for writing about mental health and for writers’ own mental well-being. Resources include:
    • 1:1 consulting with JED for awardees: Providing personalized support and guidance.
    • Programming and content focused on authors’ mental well-being: Addressing the unique challenges faced by writers and offering support for their mental health journeys.

“The Spotify Social Impact team and The Jed Foundation are important stewards of intentional programming with meaningful impact. I’m thrilled to be partnering with them on this initiative to amplify exceptional depictions of mental health in unpublished fiction,” said Randy Winston, Creative Director of Fiction at The Black List. “Storytelling and mental health go hand in hand. Through powerful conversations, this partnership will raise awareness and empower writers at all levels to prioritize their well-being.”

Submit your story

Submissions are now open on The Black List’s website and will close on July 8, 2025. Authors can submit their English-language manuscripts globally. A judging panel featuring experts from Spotify, The Black List, and JED, along with soon-to-be-announced notable authors, will select the five winning manuscripts.

Award recipients will be announced on October 10, 2025 (World Mental Health Day). For more details on eligibility and the application process, visit the submission page.

Spotify Teams Up With UK Charity Youth Music To Support Grassroots Youth Spaces

November 27, 2024

Over the past decade in the U.K., financial constraints and shifting community resources have put many grassroots music spaces under increasing pressure. There is an urgent need to protect spaces that offer young creatives a platform to explore their talents, collaborate with peers, and pursue their artistic ambitions. That’s why Spotify is excited to partner with Youth Music, a leading U.K. charity committed to helping marginalized young people make and monetize music. 

Together, we’re creating a dedicated fund to support 15 grassroots youth spaces across the U.K. that are currently facing imminent closure or struggling to survive. This initiative will provide essential resources to sustain spaces where young people gather, create, and engage in music and other forms of artistic expression, especially in underserved communities. 

“We recognize the incredible role that grassroots spaces play in shaping the future of music and creativity, especially for young people who rely on these spaces to express themselves and develop their craft,” said Dina Gabriel, Spotify’s Global Head of Diversity, Equity, and Impact. “By working with Youth Music, we can make a meaningful impact in safeguarding these spaces and the opportunities they create.”

The funding will support a wide range of initiatives across those community hubs, such as a band project for disabled young people, a youth-led studio in a remote coastal town, and a music project to promote inclusion for minoritized women and people of marginalized genders. 

“These spaces are the heart of local communities, giving young people a place to feel connected, inspired, and empowered,” said Matt Griffiths, CEO of Youth Music. “With Spotify’s support, we can give these vital spaces a lifeline, ensuring that they continue to serve young people for years to come.”

Earlier this year, Youth Music’s Sound of the Next Generation Report revealed that engaging with music is young people’s favorite thing to do and a vital part of their lives. This was in stark contrast, however, with the report’s findings that young people are getting less access to music education. Many grassroots youth spaces that provide out-of-school music and creativity are at high risk of closure.

The report revealed that two-thirds of youth music spaces are focused on short-term survival, with a quarter considering closure. The situation for young people is equally dire: 98% have reported increases in mental health issues, 69% are experiencing poverty, and 47% are going hungry. Demand for services is going up while costs, rent, and bills are rising. At the same time, donations and funding are decreasing.

“The grassroots music sector is the beating heart of our world-famous music industry,” said Lisa Nandy, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, U.K. “It is vital for emerging artists to hone their talents, as well as providing thousands of jobs and spaces for young people to explore their love of music. But for too long, the sector has been under increasing pressure, with many spaces at risk of closure.

“This partnership between Youth Music and Spotify is a welcome contribution. Along with our Supporting Grassroots Music Fund, we can collectively continue to do more to secure the future of these vital community assets and protect the talent pipeline.”

The partnership is part of Spotify’s larger Creator Equity Fund Program and is a continuation of Spotify’s commitment to supporting youth well-being and protecting youth spaces, following an earlier partnership with Mentivity, a youth mentoring organization based out of South London. 

That partnership saw Spotify provide funding to support the opening of Mentivity House, a new youth hub on the Aylesbury Estate in Peckham, in addition to the creation of The Centre, an award-winning short film that showcased the vital role youth spaces played in the early years of some of the U.K.’s leading music artists, including Youth Music alumni and Mercury Prize winners Ezra Collective.

Take a Beat and Tune In to Nature for World Mental Health Day

October 9, 2024

Research shows that nature sounds can have a positive impact on your mental health. So, this World Mental Health Day, we’re inviting you to take a beat and tune in to nature. 

We’re reintroducing our “Take a Beat” campaign, which aims to help nature sounds become part of people’s everyday lives by highlighting the positive impact they can have on your mental health and well-being. Turning to nature provides listeners an opportunity to do something intentional for themselves by tuning out the background noise and tuning in to their own needs. We’re encouraging listeners to pause, reflect, and immerse themselves in the soothing sounds of nature. 

For Spotify, positive mental health is a state of well-being that allows people to better cope with the daily stresses of life, function productively, and make meaningful contributions. With this in mind, through Heart & Soul, our global mental health initiative for all Spotify employees, we are also encouraging employees to tap into Take a Beat and connect with nature through internal programming that helps educate, inspire, and normalize the idea of taking time away from their desks and spending time in nature.

Nature, mental health, and well-being are inextricably linked. A study of ~20,000 people found that those who spend at least two hours in nature throughout the week report consistently higher levels of mental health and well-being compared to those who don’t. Whether it’s the sound of ocean waves, a birdsong at dawn, or the rustle of wind through trees, the natural world offers a sense of calm and grounding that’s hard to find elsewhere. In today’s fast-paced world, these moments of stillness can feel distant or inaccessible. That’s why Spotify is proud to use its platform to bring these soothing sounds directly to people, wherever they are.

The Take a Beat hub 

The Take a Beat hub is filled with the best nature sounds available on Spotify—from field recordings to nature-themed albums, guided meditations to inspiring podcasts. The highlights in the hub are all backed by science, and the destination also features content from our partners, Sounds Right and Calm. 

Sounds Right, which launched earlier this year, is about recognizing Nature as an artist. By listening to NATURE’s tracks, fans are directly protecting the environment—a portion of royalties are disbursed to high-impact conservation initiatives. The Take a Beat hub includes tracks like Louis VI and NATURE‘s “Orange Skies” (featuring Mick Jenkins and Jelani Blackman); UMI, NATURE, and V’s (of BTS) “wherever u r”; and Cosmo Sheldrake and NATURE’s “Soil.” Our friends at Calm have curated an exclusive selection of nature-themed meditations that can be found in the hub. Listeners can find suggestions like We Are Nature, Nature Walk, Grounded Like a Mountain, Mindful Walking Meditation, and Nature All Around (the last of which is narrated by Jay Shetty). 

Collabs with Louis VI and other artists and influencers

With this year’s initiative, Spotify has teamed up with zoologist, BBC Creator in Residence, and rapper Louis VI, whose main purpose is to use sound to strengthen our connection to the natural world.

His collaboration with the campaign will help showcase how deeply nature and music are intertwined. “Having a strong relationship with nature is so important for both our mental health and creativity,” said Louis VI. “I draw inspiration from the natural world. Its rhythms, sounds, and energy are often a source of healing and creativity when making music.”

The Take a Beat campaign offers an open invitation to everyone, encouraging a deeper connection with the world around us through sound—whether it’s on World Mental Health Day or any other day.

Artists Maejor, N3WYRKLA, and Ralph Castelli are also joining us to share how they take a beat and tune in to nature, along with U.K.-based creators Char Bailey, Nadeem Perera, and Tash LC.

Community impact 

As a part of the campaign, we’re also making donations to organizations that are doing inspiring work to support people to connect with nature for their mental health and well-being. Three of these groups include Dose of Nature in the U.K., Climate Mental Health Network in the U.S., and The Global Fund for Mental Health. 

We also worked with our partners Good Energy to create a resource page where people can learn more about the intersection of mental health and climate change, discover simple ways to look after your mental health through nature, and learn more about partners working in this space. 

Explore the healing sounds of nature in our Take a Beat hub here.

Celebrate Latin Heritage Month With These Powerful Audiobooks

September 20, 2024

Latin culture has made an impact far beyond its geographical boundaries. The rich traditions and vibrant lifestyles have had a tremendous influence on the worlds of music, literature, art, and more.

Look no further than music to understand the mark Latin artists have made around the globe: In the last decade, the number of worldwide Latin music listeners on Spotify has skyrocketed by 986%.

September 15 through October 15 marks Latin Heritage Month, a time to highlight the diverse cultural landscape of these communities and to celebrate the widespread impact they’ve had on the U.S. On Spotify, we are recognizing Latin creators and their far-reaching contributions in the music, podcast, and audiobook spaces.

Our audiobooks spotlight is new this year, and we are excited to feature some of the many Latin authors who have captivated the world with their powerful words. We are highlighting the legacy of Latin storytelling and storytellers in our Audiobooks hub in a section called Celebrate Latin Heritage Month. Listeners can also browse through Spotify’s “This Is” playlists, which feature bestselling and beloved Latin authors including Gabriel García Márquez, Isabel Allende, and Paulo Coelho. They can also find their next pick in our curated themed playlists like Latine Magic and Legends Past and Present.

Don’t know where to start? From fantastical tales to community-driven storytelling, we rounded up five audiobooks from Latin authors that made it onto our must-listen-to list. 

The Alchemist

Written by Paulo Coelho
Narrated by Jeremy Irons

Author Paulo Coelho combines magic, mysticism, wisdom, and wonder in his inspiring tale of self-discovery. The masterpiece tells the story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different—and far more satisfying—than he ever imagined. 

How We Named the Stars

Written by Andrés N. Ordorica
Narrated by Christian Barillas

Andrés N. Ordorica’s How We Named the Stars is a debut novel of love, heartache, redemption, and learning to honor the dead. When Daniel de La Luna arrives as a scholarship student at an elite East Coast university, his roommate, Sam, changes everything. As their relationship evolves from brotherly banter to something more intimate, Daniel soon finds himself in love. But then Daniel experiences a brutal turn of events that changes his life forever. 

Tías and Primas

Written and narrated by Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez

Author Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez was born into a large, close-knit family in Nicaragua and grew up surrounded by strong, kind, funny, sensitive, resilient, judgmental, messy, beautiful women. Whether blood relatives or chosen family, these tías and primas fundamentally shaped her view of the world. In her new book, Prisca explores these archetypes. 

Her Body and Other Parties

Written by Carmen Maria Machado
Narrated by Amy Landon

In Her Body and Other Parties, Carmen Maria Machado blithely demolishes the arbitrary borders between psychological realism and science fiction, comedy and horror, fantasy and fabulism. From a wife refusing her husband’s entreaties to remove the green ribbon from around her neck to a sales clerk making a horrifying discovery within the seams of the store’s prom dresses, this book features a collection of short stories that maps the realities of women’s lives and the violence visited upon their bodies. 

The Book of Jose: A Memoir

Written by Fat Joe and Shaheem Reid
Narrated by Fat Joe

Grammy-nominated, multiplatinum-selling artist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Fat Joe pulls back the curtain on his larger-than-life persona in this gritty, intimate memoir about growing up in the South Bronx and finding his voice through music. The memoir reveals how he navigated that traumatizing landscape until he found—through art, friendship, luck, and will—a rocky path to a different life.

Looking for more? Check out our Latin Heritage Month audiobooks selection, and be sure and tune in to top music picks from the Our Voice playlist found on the Latin hub, all on Spotify.

A New Spotify Documentary Spotlights UK Youth Centers

August 1, 2024

Youth spaces are crucial for the well-being of children and young people, as they instill a deep sense of belonging and ignite creativity. But in the U.K., these spaces have been in rapid decline due to decades of funding cuts, leaving young people with fewer places to be creative and engage with their communities in positive ways.

To underscore the importance of youth spaces in the U.K., Spotify has teamed up with the London-based youth mentoring organization Mentivity to release our new short film The Centre. Filmed and directed by Adeyemi Michael, The Centre showcases the transformative impact youth spaces can have on burgeoning local artists and U.K. music culture at large, which has birthed influential genres like grime and U.K. drill.

Featuring hip-hop duo Young T & Bugsey, rapper Ms Banks, drummer Femi Koleoso from the Mercury Prize-winning jazz quintet Ezra Collective, and MC and producer Novelist, The Centre chronicles the ways each artist’s youth club experiences helped inspire their creative journeys and the music they produce to this day.

Keeping youth spaces alive

While 750 youth spaces across the U.K. have closed since 2010, they still play a vital role in fostering the creative development of young people across the country. In fact, these spaces have helped shape the careers of some of today’s leading artists and musicians. Take Young T & Bugsey, who met at age 15 and spent the following years honing their craft at youth spaces in their hometown of Nottingham. To date, they’ve racked up more than 850 million streams on Spotify.

According to a recent survey commissioned by Spotify, 70% of young people in the U.K. feel that youth clubs help nurture creative talent, and 74% want to learn more about creative industries. More than three quarters (77%) believe youth spaces create a safe environment for young people.

In addition to highlighting the ways youth spaces have meaningfully impacted U.K artists, The Centre celebrates the opening of Mentivity House, a newly developed youth space in the southeast London neighborhood of Peckham.

“Mentivity House is an example of how we reclaim our block,” said Mentivity founder Sayce Holmes-Lewis. “Over a decade in the making, this is a full-circle moment for me. Growing up and working here for 25 years, I’ve seen regeneration change the area. We’re committed to strengthening our roots and creating a lasting legacy for our community, helping young people become the best versions of themselves.”

Our partnership with Mentivity follows our global partnership with UNICEF to help ensure that young people around the world can access trusted and engaging mental health audio content. We teamed up with UNICEF to create the Our Minds Matter hub on Spotify, where listeners can find music and talk playlists that support mental health and well-being.

Amplify LGBTQIA+ Voices With These Audiobook Authors and Narrators

June 25, 2024

June is Pride Month, a time to honor and celebrate the vibrant LGBTQIA+ community and its rich history, culture, and achievements. It’s also a time to elevate, uplift, and spotlight voices that have been historically marginalized and underrepresented, which is the driving force behind the work of Nicky Endres (they/she).

Nicky is an Asian American non-binary transfeminine queer actor, comic, voice artist, and audiobook narrator. Their projects span the gender spectrum and provide an authentic and versatile voice, which was just awarded the Publishing Professionals Award at this year’s Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the Lammy Awards. In partnership with Spotify, this year’s Publishing Professional Award honors an individual in the LGBTQIA+ community whose innovative work in the publishing industry helps amplify important LGBTQIA+ literature.

For the Record sat down with Nicky to learn more about their upbringing, their experience as an artist and actor, the intimacy of audiobook narration, and more.

Congratulations on winning the Publishing Professionals Award! How does it feel to be recognized for your work helping queer and trans authors reach more readers across mediums?

In a word? Affirming! I’m humbled and grateful. Amplifying queer and trans stories and connecting people to queer and trans hearts is very present in everything I do. I care deeply about representation, communication, and community. I care because I grew up in a homogeneously white, conservative, and religious small town without knowing there was anyone else like me in the world. Before I was consciously aware of my identity, I found myself committed to the arts. I think it’s because of art’s ability to communicate between words and concepts, to connect to an audience without necessarily having to clearly define itself, or to just exist—as if existence itself is the point, inviting itself to be experienced. Art was a way for me to “be” before I could explain who I was. 

Building bridges and opening hearts and minds—especially inviting people of all identities into the hearts and minds of queer authors and their stories—aligns directly with what inspires and drives me as an artist and actor. Narrating audiobooks is the perfect nexus where all the things I love most meet. It’s very affirming to know that the love and care with which I approach this work is being felt and shared by authors and listeners, as well as by publishers, producers, fellow narrators, and of course, Lambda Literary and Spotify!

Audiobooks have become a popular way to consume novels. As a narrator, how do you think reading the words aloud changes the experience for the listener?

My favorite thing about the oral telling of a story, as a narrator, is crafting the feeling of intimacy that invites emotional experiences that are different—not better or worse—from reading text visually. For some books and for some readers, this difference can feel deeper, more personal, funnier, or scarier depending on the genre, or—especially in the case of queer and trans books—it can add an additional layer of authenticity and representation. For some nonfiction books, listening can sometimes make the information easier to digest. Certain types of humor can also feel more dimensional in audio than on the page. But most of all, I think the biggest benefit of the audiobook experience is the accessibility. Accessibility is freedom. Having the choice to enjoy literature both visually and auditorily means literature can reach more people. And all people deserve to enjoy literature, no matter their situation.

What’s your earliest memory of stories’ being read aloud to you—audiobooks or otherwise?

I am so lucky that my mom was a kindergarten teacher! My sister and I had the enormous benefit of being read to quite regularly by both our parents. But my mom had a special knack for connecting with kids, and she never got bored of reading the same books to us multiple times. My sister and I both grew up taking literacy for granted. It wasn’t until I grew up that I realized what a gift and privilege that was, because she wouldn’t just read to us; she made learning to read fun, involving us in the stories. And now my parents can listen to me read to them! 

What is your favorite audiobook genre to narrate and why? 

My favorite genre to narrate is LGBTQIA+ literature. I love it for two reasons: Firstly, living as a queer trans person in a cisgender, hetero-normative world, I seek stories that include and reflect my lived experience in intimate, knowing ways. Secondly, I love that LGBTQIA+ as a “genre” is incredibly multidimensional. It’s less a “genre” in the traditional sense and more a category with the flexibility to include, blend, and overlap all genres. And I love that, because even as a genre/category, LGBTQIA+ literature is just like queer identities and queer culture: diverse and inclusive within the umbrella of what is “queer.”

You have mastered so many dialects across your range of work. Do you have a favorite?

I’m very fond of British Modern London dialects, or “Estuary English,” which features aspects of both British Received Pronunciation and Cockney. Honestly, I like it so much that I pull it out anywhere I’m not likely to have repeat interactions. And it was very validating when I last visited England that people assumed I was from London!

What are you listening to or reading right now?

I am having a blast listening to Greta & Valdin by Rebecca K Reilly, narrated by Gary Furlong, Eilidh Beaton, Natalie Beran, Jackson Bliss, and Nico Evers-Swindell. It’s an absolute delight and has made me both LOL and “awww” several times.

Here are more LGBTQIA+ author and narrator recommendations from Spotify’s audiobooks editors, who have curated our GLOW audiobooks shelf for Pride this month on platform as part of our GLOW hub. You can also check out our podcast shelf within the hub.

The Risk it Takes to Bloom: On Life and Liberation

Written and narrated by Raquel Willis 

Born in Georgia to Black Catholic parents, Raquel Willis spent years feeling isolated, even within a loving, close-knit family. There was little access to understanding what it meant to be queer and transgender. It wasn’t until she went to the University of Georgia that she found the LGBTQ+ community, fell in love, and explored her gender for the first time. But the unexpected death of her father forced her to examine her relationship with herself and those she loved. In The Risk it Takes to Bloom, Raquel recounts the possibility of transformation after tragedy and how complex moments can push us all to take the necessary risks to bloom.

And Don’t F&%k It Up: An Oral History of RuPaul’s Drag Race (The First Ten Years) 

Maria Elena Fernandez

Narrated by Alec Mapa

Dive into this definitive history and celebration of the groundbreaking show RuPaul’s Drag Race in its first decade. And Don’t F&%k It Up follows the growth and evolution of the show from its beginnings in a Burbank basement set all the way to the Emmys, as told by its creators, stars, producers, and fans.

The Gay Best Friend

Nicolas DiDomizio

Narrated by Daniel Henning

Domenic Marino has always been the token gay best friend and has become an expert at code-switching between the hypermasculine and ultrafeminine worlds of his two soon-to-be-wed best friends. But now stuck between the warring bride and groom, he decides he’s ready to focus on something new: himself.

The No-Girlfriend Rule

Christen Randall

Narrated by Natalie Naudus

Hollis Beckwith is fat, anxious, and lost at the start of senior year when she decides to learn her boyfriend’s favorite tabletop roleplaying game, Secrets & Sorcery. His “no girlfriends at the table” rule leads her to find her own all-girls game. She becomes fast friends with the girls and ends up developing a crush on one of them. The No-Girlfriend Rule explores how roleplaying brings Hollis new confidence, true friends, and a shot at real love.

Under the Whispering Door

TJ Klune

Narrated by Kirt Graves

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might be dead. But even in death he’s not ready to abandon the life he barely lived, so when given one week to cross over, Wallace sets out to live a lifetime in seven days. Under the Whispering Door is an uplifting story about a life spent at the office and a death spent building a home.

Celebrate and Honor Pride With LGBTQIA+ Artists, Creators, and Curated Playlists on Spotify’s GLOW Hub

June 11, 2024

From the rise of disco in the 1970s to the current wave of hyper pop, queer creators continue to shape trends, styles, and creative expressions in music and beyond. Last year, as part of Spotify’s commitment to fostering inclusivity and diversity within the audio industry, we launched GLOW, our year-round global music program amplifying LGBTQIA+ artists and creators.

Through GLOW, Spotify uplifts LGBTQIA+ creators and ensures that their contributions to music and culture are heard and celebrated year-round. That includes Pride Month, an annual time celebrated around the world to honor the community, raise awareness of issues and injustices, and advocate for LGBTQIA+ equality.

This year we’ll continue to celebrate the vibrant LGBTQIA+ community and its rich history, culture, and achievements. Through our GLOW artist spotlights, curated playlists, and more exciting content, we can feel proud supporting and streaming LGBTQIA+ creators.

We recognize the power of our platform to elevate, uplift, and spotlight voices that have been historically marginalized and underrepresented, and we’re committed to using it to continue to drive cultural change. Since GLOW launched in January 2023, Spotify has added more than 10,200 LGBTQIA+ artists to GLOW playlists globally.

GLOW artists received more than 140 million editorial streams within the first month of joining the program. In total, GLOW playlists have racked up more than 280 million streams and enabled more than 62 million discoveries.

LGBTQIA+ creators who GLOW

On Spotify, listeners in more than 50 markets can visit the GLOW hub. The hub serves as a dedicated space to highlight audio offerings from LGBTQIA+ voices year-round, with curated selections and monthly campaigns supporting spotlight artists. We’ve collaborated with stars like Tove Lo, Arlo Parks, Troye Sivan, and Villano Antillano, to name a few.

This month, we’re highlighting Orville Peck from Canada and Karin Ann from Slovakia as our GLOW spotlight artists; they are receiving increased support as part of our global program.

UNICEF and Spotify’s Award-Winning Mental Health Hub, Our Minds Matter, Comes to Latin America

May 30, 2024

Mental health and well-being are fundamental components of a child’s healthy development and future. Today, one in seven adolescents globally experiences a mental health condition, with half of all mental disorders developing before the age of 14 and 75% by the mid-20s. In Latin America and the Caribbean, around 16 million children and adolescents between the ages of 10 and 16 live with a diagnosed mental disorder.

Since 2022 Spotify and UNICEF have been working together to help ensure that young people around the world can access trusted and engaging mental health audio content. The Our Minds Matter hub was first launched in Ukrainian, Polish, and English in June 2023, focusing on responding to the urgent mental health needs of young people who have been affected by the war in Ukraine.

Today, we are launching a Spanish-language version, Una Mente Sana Importa, to continue to help reduce the large gap between the mental health resources young people need and what is currently available to them. The Our Minds Matter hub is now available in seven countries in Latin America: Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Bolivia, Guatemala, Chile, and Paraguay. 

In the hub, listeners will find the UNICEF On My Mind podcast, which is co-created with young people and informed by evidence on mental health needs. The hub also includes content curated by Spotify, like podcasts talking about real-life experiences and inspiring stories around mental health, as well as music playlists for relaxation, focus, and sleep. 

Spotify has engaged some of the region’s most popular artists to support the launch. This includes Morat, Ivana, Santiago Cruz, and Camilú and podcasters including Roberto Rocha of En terapia con Roberto Rocha, Eva Latapi Silva of Supéralo, Por Favor, Tatiana Franko of VOS PODÉS, María José Álvarez Betín of Autoestima para tu vida, and Jacinta de Oromí of TIPO de Jacinta de Oromí.

“We’re proud of our continued partnership with UNICEF to support the mental health and well-being of young people everywhere, including those on the move or in crisis. Together, we will continue to focus on harnessing the power of music, audio, and other innovative digital content to deliver trusted and engaging mental health content for young people, their caregivers, and communities,” said Katarina Berg, Chief Human Resources Officer at Spotify.

The eight episodes developed for Season 1 of the On My Mind podcast aim to improve knowledge, attitudes, practices, and behaviors among young people specifically related to their mental health. The podcast focuses on:

  • Helping young people learn about mental health and how to deal with key issues like stress, depression, anxiety, loss, and bereavement;
  • Providing practical tools and resources to support young people experiencing mental health challenges; 
  • Breaking down stigma to support help-seeking behavior among young people and their communities. 

Following the release in Spanish in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Chile, and Paraguay, the hub will launch in Portuguese in Brazil in July 2024. Further releases are anticipated throughout 2024.

In Their Own Words: Audiobooks To Explore During Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

May 13, 2024

May is Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (APIHM), a time to reflect and celebrate the important role that Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders play in our shared history. It’s also the perfect time to explore a biography or memoir from a member of these communities. Here are some recommendations from Spotify’s audiobooks editors:

Making a Scene

Written and narrated by Constance Wu

As a child growing up in suburban Virginia, actress Constance Wu was often scolded for having big feelings or strong reactions. “Good girls don’t make scenes,” people warned her. Community theater became her refuge, and acting later became her vocation. At 18, she moved to New York, where she spent the next 10 years of her life auditioning, waiting tables and struggling to make rent before her two big breaks: the TV sitcom Fresh Off the Boat and the hit film Crazy Rich Asians.

This raw, relatable memoir goes beyond tracing Wu’s rise to Hollywood fame to offer an intimate portrait of a living life out loud, on one’s own terms.

 We Were Dreamers

Written and narrated by Simu Liu

In this honest, inspiring memoir, the star of Marvel’s first Asian superhero film, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, shares his own origin story. Simu Liu chronicles his family’s journey from China to the bright lights of Hollywood with razor-sharp wit and humor—from growing up as an immigrant in Canada, to his battles with cultural stereotypes and his own identity, to becoming a TV star and landing the role of a lifetime.

We Were Dreamers is more than a celebrity memoir, it’s a story about growing up between cultures, finding your family, and becoming the master of your own extraordinary circumstances.

Sigh, Gone

Written and narrated by Phuc Tran

 Sigh, Gone is an irreverent, funny, and moving tale of displacement and assimilation, perfect for anyone who can relate to feeling as if they don’t belong.

During the fall of Saigon, Phuc Tran and his family immigrated to America, landing in Carlisle, Pennsylvania—a small town where the Trans struggled to assimilate into their new life. In this coming-of-age memoir told through the themes of great books such as The Metamorphosis, The Scarlet Letter, The Iliad, and more, Phuc navigates the push and pull of finding and accepting himself despite the challenges of immigration, feelings of isolation, and teenage rebellion. In his journey for self-discovery Phuc ultimately finds refuge and inspiration in the art that shapes—and ultimately saves—him.

What My Bones Know

Written and narrated by Stephanie Foo

This New York Times-bestselling memoir by journalist Stephanie Foo investigates the little-understood science behind complex PTSD and how it shaped the author’s life.

By age 30, Stephanie had her dream job as a radio producer at This American Life, but she was having panic attacks at her desk every morning. Eventually, she was diagnosed with complex PTSD, a condition that occurs when trauma happens continuously over the course of years. In this deeply personal and thoroughly researched account, Stephanie interviews scientists and psychologists, tries a variety of innovative therapies, and returns to her hometown to investigate the effects of immigrant trauma on the community. Powerful, enlightening, and hopeful, What My Bones Know reckons with the hold of the past over the present and the mind over the body. It also examines one woman’s ability to reclaim agency from her trauma.

Why We Swim

Bonnie Tsui

Narrated By Angie Kane

Swimming is an introspective and silent sport in a chaotic and noisy age. It’s therapeutic for both the mind and body. It’s an adventurous way to get from point A to point B. And it’s also one route to that elusive, ecstatic state of flow.

Why We Swim is propelled by stories of Olympic champions, a Baghdad swim club that meets in Saddam Hussein’s palace pool, modern-day Japanese samurai swimmers, and even an Icelandic fisherman who improbably survives a wintry six-hour swim after a shipwreck. New York Times contributor Bonnie Tsui, a swimmer herself, dives into the deep, from the San Francisco Bay to the South China Sea, investigating what it is about water—despite its dangers—that seduces us, tempting us to come back to it again and again.

Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant

Written and narrated by Curtis Chin

In the 1980s, Detroit was a volatile place to live. But above the fray stood a safe haven: Chung’s Cantonese Cuisine, where anyone—from the city’s first Black mayor to the local drag queens, from a big-time Hollywood star to elderly Jewish couples—could sit down for a warm, home-cooked meal.

Beneath the restaurant’s bright-red awning and surrounded by his multigenerational family, filmmaker and activist Curtis Chin learned to embrace his identity as a gay ABC, or American-born Chinese. He realized just how much he had to offer the world, to his beloved family, and to himself. Structured around the very menu that graced the tables of Chung’s, Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant is both a memoir and an invitation to step inside one boy’s childhood oasis, scoot into a vinyl booth, and grow up with him—and perhaps even share something off the secret menu. 

A Daughter of the Samurai

Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto

Narrated By Siho Ellsmore

In the late 19th century, after Japan was restored to imperial rule, the samurais were no longer the seat of power and the families who were impacted by this shift lost wealth and power. 

Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto was the daughter of one such samurai, and had begun her life on a track to become a Buddhist priestess. But as the family lost their position in society, her path changed, and she was eventually sent to the United States to be in an arranged marriage to an American man. A Daughter of the Samurai is her personal memoir of her life and perspective on the differences between Japanese and American lifestyles, the value of women in each society, and the influence that evolving cultures had on different classes of society.

Check out the ‘Amplifying API Stories’ audiobooks shelf on platform, and view the full list of biographies and memoirs here:

Spotify Uplifts Bold, Emerging Artists in Honor of Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

May 6, 2024

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, API 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 the work of talented API creators across the audio landscape through our Asian & Pacific Islander hub on Spotify. This month, under our campaign theme of “Sound Up. Stand Out,” we’ve refreshed the hub with new content. For music lovers, a great place to start exploring is Jasmine, our global flagship playlist featuring emerging API artists from around the world. For podcast fans, the hub includes a selection of shows and episodes from the API community. An audiobook shelf also features a range of titles across fiction, nonfiction, memoirs, and more.

Spotlighting up-and-coming artists

In recent years, Spotify has seen and supported massive growth in listenership for API artists like producer-DJ-vocalist Peggy Gou, jazz crooner Laufey, and indie rock star Mitski, to name a few.

This year, to amplify the next wave of API artists to watch, we’ve once again partnered with Gold House, the premier nonprofit collective of API leaders, on our Gold House Futures Music Accelerator program. This initiative aims to uplift API artists by providing them with opportunities to take their careers to the next level—and it’s working. Just last month, Futures alum thuy made history as the first Vietnamese American artist to perform at Coachella.

The 2024 class includes Chinese American pop queen Emei, Indian American singer-songwriter Paravi, and British Filipino rockstar Towa Bird. As participants in the Gold House Futures Music Guild, these artists recorded a new trio of Spotify Singles dropping May 15. They’ll also gain access to Spotify’s masterclasses, world-class mentoring sessions, and exciting editorial opportunities.

And with so much talent to celebrate across the API community, Spotify’s 2024 APIHM campaign is also spotlighting four additional up-and-coming artists: singer-songwriter Dhruv, pop artist Tiffany Day, rapper 8RO8, and DJ-producer Knock2.

“Spotify continues to champion emergent voices on our platform, with a focus on honoring the diversity within our diaspora,” said Sulinna Ong, Spotify Music’s Global Head of Editorial and the executive sponsor of SPACE, Spotify’s API employee resource group. “As the exec sponsor of SPACE, I’m honored to support the great work our Spotify band members do during APIHM and throughout the rest of the year to champion API creators and foster spaces of growth for the members of our community.”

Keep reading to hear from these rising stars.

Emei

What does being an artist from the Asian and Pacific Islander community mean to you?

My parents are Chinese immigrants who came to America in 1988 for education. They are the reason I’m able to pursue my dreams without hesitation, so to represent that community and to make them proud really does mean everything to me. I grew up with very little AAPI representation in pop culture and didn’t seriously consider pursuing this career because I never thought someone who looked like me could succeed in the entertainment industry. It’s an honor to be a small part of this exciting movement and change in culture.

Why are you excited to work with Spotify on the Gold House Futures Music Guild?

Spotify has been one of my biggest supporters ever since one of my first releases, “Late to the Party,” was placed on the Fresh Finds Pop playlist. I’m really grateful for the early and ongoing support, so it’s a dream come true to be able to partner with Spotify and Gold House for this upcoming Spotify Single. Super pumped to hear what y’all think of it!

Paravi

What does being an artist from the Asian and Pacific Islander community mean to you?

Humans are such complex and colorful individuals with so many unique traits and characteristics. It’s incredible to have another layer of the Asian Pacific Islander experience added to this existence, like the cherry on top of my personality, my sense of humor, and fashion—all the things that make me me. It informs what I create, how I create, and why I create, above all. I know the mission of fostering more diversity and representation in the entertainment industry may seem like a very heavy burden to bear on young shoulders, but it’s truly one of the many matches that lit my fire. I feel called to pursue my sparkly, glittery artistry and the most authentic version of myself, to heal my own inner child, and to see my most fantastical dreams become reality with my loved ones, but to also prove that it can be done, and that I, a brown girl from a cornfield in Ohio, can be the one to do it.

Why are you excited to work with Spotify on the Gold House Futures Music Guild?

The Gold House Futures Music Guild feels like a lighthouse guiding me to a new home, serving as an opportunity for me to not only learn from and observe this beautiful community of API creatives, but to become a part of it! I’m so deeply excited to soak up every new experience, every new relationship, and every bit of knowledge and wisdom these partnerships will offer. 

I’m also incredibly excited about the billboards and marketing to come for API month, not just because I’m full of myself and want to see my pores magnified across all of Los Angeles, but because I know that if I saw a giant poster of an Indian pop star on the drive home from school when I was a kid, my giant dreams would feel a bit more possible. I really hope a little Indian girl gets to see that billboard and feel that way, and I’m deeply thankful for Spotify and the Gold House team for creating the chance for that to happen.

Towa Bird

What does being an artist from the Asian and Pacific Islander community mean to you?

Being an artist from the Asian community means that I come from a heritage with such rich culture. I’m lucky to be able to write that into my songs. Also the food slaps.

Why are you excited to work with Spotify on the Gold House Futures Music Guild?

It makes a real difference that Spotify is willing to support and highlight artists from the API community.

Dhruv

What does being an artist from the Asian and Pacific Islander community mean to you?

Many of us API artists have grown up receiving the message that it isn’t realistic or wise to pursue a career in music, in large part because we have historically been underrepresented in the industry. I think it’s beautiful that in spite of that we find ourselves here, making art, continuing to uplift one another as we scale new heights as a community.

Tiffany Day

What does being an artist from the Asian and Pacific Islander community mean to you?

Growing up, I watched a lot of Disney Channel and Nickelodeon, all the typical shows you watch as a kid. But for the longest time, all I could find myself thinking was, How do I look like these beautiful blonde girls on TV? I wanted double eyelids, sharper cheekbones, a nose bridge—I just wanted to look like those girls on my TV. Then I graduated from high school and all of a sudden, the monolid became a thing online. K-Pop came to the U.S., and everyone was celebrating the beauty of Asian women. I was surprised and also flattered that so many people called monolids beautiful. I stopped doing my makeup in a Western style, I stopped styling my hair pin-straight, and I stopped trying to blend into everyone around me in Kansas. I felt cool for the first time in my life.

To be given the chance to be that person for people like me, whether they are younger or older or the same age, is a priceless opportunity that I never thought I’d be able to receive. That’s why my identity as an AAPI is so important, because I truly believe a huge part of my purpose as a human being on this planet is to make others feel more comfortable, confident, and welcome in their own skin.

8RO8

What does being an artist from the Asian and Pacific Islander community mean to you?

To me, being an artist from the API community means showing kids from the islands that there are different ways to make it out. Hawaii has a vicious cycle that doesn’t allow for art as a “viable source of income” because it’s seen as a “risky career.” I’m here to try and inspire the keiki [children].

Knock2

What does being an artist from the Asian and Pacific Islander community mean to you?

My parents put everything on the line to immigrate to this country and give me the best opportunity they could in life, and I’m thankful every day for my family and community. I take every opportunity to show respect to my heritage, so this month means a lot.

Visit the Asian & Pacific Islander hub to immerse yourself in the music and voices of API creators.

Spotify Celebrates Ramadan With Listening Trends From Around the World

March 21, 2024

March marks the beginning of Ramadan, a cherished cultural event celebrated by Muslims worldwide. As families and communities come together to observe, contemplate, pray, and celebrate the Holy Month, they can also turn to Spotify for meaningful audio content. 

This year, our Ramadan hub is back with a blend of music and podcasts designed to foster self-reflection, wellness, and entertainment. When eligible listeners open the Spotify app, they’ll find carefully curated content for every mood and moment of Ramadan. Listeners will also find personalized content on the Your Ramadan 2024 playlist.

What does Ramadan sound like around the world on Spotify?

As Ramadan begins, many Muslims experience shifts in their daily routines, from work schedules to social interactions. Similarly, their Spotify listening habits also shift, as evidenced by our streaming data from 2023.

Our top finding? Audio was often used to set the tone as families and communities came together for suhoor, the predawn meal, with streaming spiking around 5 a.m. in most markets. Below, we unveil more 2023 listening trends across various markets to shed light on streaming patterns throughout the sacred month.

Egypt

  • Quran listening hours (audio consumption related to the central religious text of Islam, the Quran) spiked around 5 p.m. This aligns with iftar, the post-sunset, fast-breaking meal.
  • Before sunrise, listeners consumed more entertainment-based content.
  • A top podcast throughout the month: Finjan with Abdulrahman Abumalih. Hosted by Saudi journalist and TV presenter Abdulrahman Abumalih, Finjan covers a wide range of topics pertaining to the Middle East and North Africa.

Saudi Arabia

  • Quran listening hours surged around 8 a.m.
  • Before sunset, listeners consumed more spiritual and fitness-based podcast content. Before sunrise, preferred podcast genres included history and crime.
  • A top podcast throughout the month: Areeka. Hosted by Bibi AlAbdulmohsen and Talal Sam, Areeka mostly covers social topics, from psychology to common myths.

Indonesia

  • Generally, streaming spiked between 2 and 4 p.m., which aligns with ngabuburit, the waiting period before breaking fast.
  • Religion and spirituality-based podcasts were the most-consumed genre throughout the month.
  • Listeners gravitated toward well-being podcasts in the morning before shifting to music at night.

Spotify’s top Ramadan playlists

Our Ramadan hub contains a wide variety of curated playlists. In Egypt, the top Ramadan playlist of 2023 was Titrat Ramadan, which showcases soundtracks from the most popular Ramadan TV dramas.

In Saudi Arabia, listeners gravitated most toward Chill-oud. This playlist features songs played with the oud, a stringed musical instrument that is one of the oldest and most important instruments in Arabic culture.

Listeners in Indonesia favored the Your Ramadan 2023 playlist. This personalized playlist brings Spotify’s editorial and algorithmic worlds together to provide users with curated audio content that resonates with their respective Ramadan journeys.

Last but not least, the most-streamed Ramadan playlist in Pakistan was Hamd-o-Naat, which features devotional tracks for an immersive experience. “Naat” was also the country’s most-searched word during the Holy Month, reflecting a desire for poetic expressions of devotion and praise. Our Best of: Coke Studio Sufi playlist, which showcases Coke Studio’s top Sufi tracks, also saw 218% growth last year.

This year, Spotify remains dedicated to delivering a culturally resonant Ramadan experience for listeners around the world. For the ultimate audio companion throughout the sacred month, explore the Ramadan hub.