Quiz: This Week on ‘For the Record’
Tag: DJ Snake
DJ Snake and Dhee Light Up the World With the First Spotify Single From India
Spotify Singles recently hit a milestone of 5 billion streams. In just four and a half years, the program has boasted more than 630 recordings from more than 300 artists across all genres and in countries around the world. Artists such as Tove Lo, John Legend, LeAnn Rimes, Zara Larsson, Sting, Ed Sheeran, Lauv, and Norah Jones have taken advantage of the opportunity to record a version of their own song or to cover a favorite hit—and in the process, they’ve created something new and special while also opening up the discoverability of the song to more listeners in newer markets.
Now there’s a new set of artists getting in on the mix and opening doors to the Spotify Singles program in its newest market: India. On World Music Day, June 21, Spotify launched “Enjoy Enjaami – Spotify Singles,” a collaboration between India-based Tamil artist Dhee and popular French record producer and icon DJ Snake.
Dhee’s original track “Enjoy Enjaami” is a Tamil-language song featuring Arivu, who also wrote the lyrics, and was produced by Santhosh Narayanan. The track went viral with more than 15 million streams on Spotify, marking a milestone for a regional artist’s debut single. The track was not only streamed heavily in the Tamil-speaking city of Chennai, but also across other cities in India, and global cities such as Kuala Lumpur, Toronto, and London. By bringing Dhee together with DJ Snake, who has a huge following in India, the new Spotify Singles track is a way for both artists to reach an even wider audience in India, France, and beyond.
“I love that people across the world are vibing to this version of ‘Enjoy Enjaami,’” DJ Snake told For the Record. “The first time I heard the song, I knew I wanted to work on it. Once the opportunity did arise, it took me all of two hours to re-create it for a global audience. Even though many listeners may not understand the lyrics, it only further confirms that music is borderless. The fact that streams are coming from across the world makes me so happy.”
In its first 10 days on platform, the single amassed more than 1.4 million streams in India and France, but also in markets like Germany, Mexico, Japan, and Brazil, among others. It has featured in over 60 Spotify editorial playlists, including 30 New Music Friday playlists and more than 10,000 user playlists across the world. The artists and the track also featured on Spotify’s Times Square billboard in New York during the release week.
Echoing DJ Snake’s sentiments, Dhee said, “I am so grateful and mindblown just thinking about how many people across the world are listening to this song. This song means a lot to us and it’s also my debut single. After all the beautiful feedback we’ve gotten from India, I am overwhelmed with the response from listeners all over the world—it’s so heartwarming. Spotify’s global reach has opened up opportunities for artists like me to put music out and truly bring people together.”
This single is not the first border- and genre-crossing collaboration of its kind. Recently, Korea RADAR artist AleXa partnered with MENA RADAR artist Bader for the program’s newest single. Initiatives like these two allow rich music cultures to cross-pollinate and reach new listeners in 170+ markets around the world.
From India’s emerging independent artists to larger established ones, Spotify has supported the local music ecosystem not just within the market, but around the world. This is just the first of hopefully many Spotify Singles from India—something that will help us accelerate the discovery of more genres of local music.
Want to feast your eyes on the visuals of Enjoy Enjaami combined with DJ Snake’s international music vibe? Check it out here.
How Spotify Spotlights Breaking Latin Talent
In the past year, Spotify’s ¡Viva Latino! playlist highlighted nine rising artists in its original video series Radar Latino and helped bring their success to new heights. As the flagship playlist for the biggest hits in Latin music, ¡Viva Latino! closely followed this crop of artists, who were poised to become the next hitmakers on the list, amplifying them for fans with in-depth video profiles.
Representing a wealth of different styles and countries, these artists enjoyed an average 49% increase in streams after being featured. They found their own measures of success, earning cosigns with Shakira and reaching other career milestones.
Puerto Rican urban pop singer Darell, the first artist showcased with a Radar Latino feature on ¡Viva Latino! in 2019, made his major-label debut in February with the low-slung thumper “Caliente,” a team-up with hugely successful countryman Farruko. Laying claim to a slow, hypnotic flow, he released a stack of notable singles in 2019, including the supple headline cut “No Vuelvas Más” (“Don’t Come Back Anymore”).
In March, soulful New York/Chilean singer Paloma Mami saw her delicate urban ballad “Fingías” launch with a Radar Latino profile and song placement on the ¡Viva Latino! playlist, leading to her biggest spike for single-day streams to date. The single went gold on the Latin pop chart, and Paloma quickly followed it with the C. Tangana collaboration “No Te Debí Besar” and the sultry summons “Mami” (anchored by the English vocal hook “I like it when you call me mami”). Despite only singing professionally since June 2018, she’s now one of the hottest female artists in Latin music, and her plays increased by more than 100% in the week after that playlist appearance.
Commanding more than 20 million monthly listeners, Panamanian reggaeton singer Sech had a banner year that kicked into high gear after his Radar Latino feature in ¡Viva Latino!, which highlighted the release of his debut EP, Sueños. He went on to perform at Spotify’s ¡Viva Latino! Live in Miami and enjoy one of the biggest hits of the summer in “Otro Trago” (“Another Drink”), which hit number one in multiple countries and achieved diamond sales. The former producer and lyricist for other artists hails from Panama City, where his father is a well-known local pastor. Thanks to “Otro Trago” and its remix, Sech is still riding the wave of his explosive Latin music success story. He told For The Record, “[Being featured on ¡Viva Latino!] is something I’m very proud of, as there are thousands of artists that could’ve gotten it, and it’s truly an honor to be one of them.”
After being featured in ¡Viva Latino!, Argentinian rapper/singer Cazzu saw her streams increase more than 200%. She has amassed more than 20 million streams for her infectious yet emotional single “Visto a las 00:00,” which debuted on the playlist in June along with her Radar Latino video profile. Cazzu also released her second album, Error 93, to great acclaim in June. She’s one of the most distinctive artists from the Radar Latino class of 2019, earning a cult following for her alternative style and embrace of trap’s chilled-out swagger; “Mucha Data” especially showcases her purring, coolheaded vocals over ultra-skeletal production.
A Puerto Rican singer and multi-instrumentalist who aims to unite music and dance at the level Michael Jackson did, Rauw Alejandro released his silky, slinky single “Detective” alongside his feature in ¡Viva Latino!. Arriving hot on the heels of his debut EP, Trap Cake, Vol.1, that romantic highlight provided a serious boost for the artist, with his audience now topping 15 million monthly listeners. Almost as passionate about soccer as he is about music, the prolific collaborator kicked off 2020 with a guest spot on Jay Menez’s intricate Latin trap cut “Solo.”
After his breakthrough single “Soltera” appeared on ¡Viva Latino!, teenage Puerto Rican artist Lunay released his debut album in late 2019. He was profiled on the playlist in August with that song’s remix, featuring Daddy Yankee and Bad Bunny; it topped the pop charts in Spain. Influenced by Puerto Rico’s native La Plento music, Lunay mingles those proud roots with up-to-the-minute reggaeton and Latin trap. The melodious, charismatic singer is also a tireless collaborator, having achieved back-to-back gold sales via recent team-ups with Zion & Lennox (“Llégale”), Myke Towers (“La Cama”), and Anuel AA and Ozuna (“Aventura”).
A winner of X Factor in his native Colombia, Camilo is an affable, versatile Latin pop singer as well as a successful songwriter for such artists as Becky G, Natti Natasha, Juanes, and Leslie Grace. After his poignant 2018 turn on Mau y Ricky’s “Desconocidos,” the deeply spiritual artist (who begins every day with a meditative ritual that he calls “airplane mode”) was showcased in a Radar Latino profile on ¡Viva Latino! in tandem with his mainstream breakthrough “Tutu.” The track has since topped the charts in seven countries and earned a remix costarring none other than Shakira.
There’s also Puerto Rico’s Guaynaa. A former horse jockey who grew up listening to music with his troubadour grandfather, Guaynaa was still splitting his time between horse racing and music when French superstar DJ Snake shared his breakthrough track “Rebota” on social media. The unexpected boost encouraged the rapper and reggaeton singer to devote himself fully to music. Since then he has been profiled by Billboard and collaborated with Mala Rodriguez (“Dame Bien”), Mon Laferte (“Plata Ta Ta”), and Yandel (“Full Moon”), always showing off his cool, confident flow and pop sensibilities.
¡Viva Latino! capped the year by spotlighting Mariah, a Miami singer with Puerto Rican and Cuban heritage who grew up listening to reggaeton (and yes, was named after Mariah Carey). Her breakthrough came with last year’s swaggering reggaeton earworm “Perreito,” which made it onto Spotify’s Viral 50 chart in 16 countries. Produced by Nely El Arma Secreta, the track has since been remixed with guest spots from Darell and Arcangel. Mariah quickly followed it up with “Una Noche Más,” a more traditional track that shows off her softer side, and teamed up with fellow Radar Latino selection Guaynaa on the just-released “Taxi.” “I never thought I would be on this level,” said Mariah to For The Record. “And now I wake up and I’m traveling the world. It’s a great honor to have been featured as one of Spotify’s Radar Latino artists. I’ll never forget it.”
As 2020 builds steam, fans around the world can check out more of the year’s rising Latin artists on Spotify’s Radar Latino playlist.
Discover Hits From Around the World With Spotify’s Global Cultures Initiative
Depending on the day, you may have a taste for Mexican, Chinese, or Italian cuisine. At Spotify, we think our playlists should be just as eclectic as our palates.
Top-ranked hits in the U.S. are still overwhelmingly focused on English-language and American-made songs—yet about 1 in 4 Spotify users around the world actively listens to artists from a culture (or country) different from their own. Thanks to our increasingly connected world, discovering the top hits and coolest beats from around the globe is now easier than ever—and relevant in an age where many communities and cultures live in countries far away from their homelands. For example, 15 million Lebanese live in Brazil—more than in Lebanon itself.
Stories like this inspired Rocio Guerrero, Head of Global Cultures at Spotify, to launch Spotify’s Global Cultures initiative, which promotes and advances culturally diverse music, surfacing hits from different countries around the world and spotlighting popular songs that cross cultures.
“We have launched numerous high-profile playlists and programs in the recent past, but Global Cultures is poised to become one of the most important things we are doing as a leader in the field of streaming audio,” says Rocio.
Included in this initiative are several expertly curated playlists, some of which feature top songs, both old and new, from diasporic communities around the world. The first four diasporas to be represented on Spotify are some of the largest by population worldwide—Arab, African, Indian (Desi), and Latino—with more hubs on the way. Currently, the Desi and LatinX hubs can both be found on the “Browse” section of Spotify, with the Arab and African hubs launching in the weeks to come.
“Arab diaspora artists might sound totally different than local Arab artists,” Rocio explains. “Diaspora people have different political views, different hobbies, different mindsets that come out in their music. But they’re still connected to their communities. People are becoming more and more proud of their origins, and I think music might be one of the best ways to help them express that.”
To continue to disseminate cultural music throughout the world, Spotify is also launching Global X, a new playlist full of hot international and multicultural crossovers. Starting today, the playlist will be easy to find and devour under the Pop category on our platform. The playlist speaks to the global nature and allure of music, featuring hits from L.A. to Lagos.
Ozuna, Selena Gomez, DJ Snake and Cardi B on the cover of the Global X playlist
“Why is food from other countries so embedded in our culture and yet music isn’t? Because streaming didn’t exist. But now it’s happening,” says Rocio, who is originally from Spain but now lives in New York. “Global X is the sound of a new era: rhythmic crossover hits from all cultures around the world, all in one place. We’re creating a global brand that’s going to represent hits from all countries around the world.”
A crossover can be “a mix of different genres, a mix of languages, or it could be a song like ‘Despacito Remix’ that crosses over to the rest of the world,” according to Rocio. “Now people listen to ‘Despacito’ whether they are Latino or not,” she says. “We are going to do the same with other cultures. Initially, you will see a lot of pop mainstream crossovers in the playlist, and while the point is to bring to the surface new sounds, cultures, and languages, we need to do so slowly but surely.”
Accompanying the launch of the playlist will be a unique vertical video for the hot new track “Taki Taki,” featuring Selena Gomez, Cardi B, Ozuna, and DJ Snake. “Taki Taki” is a true mix of cultures, with lyrics in a combination of English and Spanish. “It’s a total attention-grabbing, Global X type of song,” Rocio says. “Then once you’re in the playlist, you’ll see Arab songs, African songs, Latin songs, songs from a lot of cultures—which is awesome.”
The playlist will also feature songs like “Come Closer” from WizKid and Drake, which combines African artists with North American artists, as well as “Zooted” by French Montana, who is Moroccan, and Becky G, who is Mexican-American. Each of these diverse artists writes music that is unique to their background, contributing to a multicultural array set to inspire listeners around the world.
“My team, which represents diasporas, is very connected to their roots,” says Rocio. “It’s interesting how cultures continue generation after generation through things like music.”
Earworm-worthy K-pop, bhangra beats, electro meets Arabic … Music is a global connector, whether among generations spread across continents or throughout diverse modern communities. The Global X playlist and Global Cultures Hubs will help music lovers everywhere in their discovery.
Travel around the world with the Global X Playlist:
Recent Comments