At Spotify, we listen to a lot of music. And every year, our global editors and artist partnerships teams come together to spotlight the emerging voices we believe are about to make a serious impact. Enter our Artists to Watch list.
These are the artists turning heads on our playlists, gaining momentum around the world, and pushing their genres into new territory. Whether they’re rewriting the rules of pop, bringing raw energy to hip-hop, or blending global sounds into something entirely new, they’re all redefining what’s next in music.
To celebrate this year’s stars, our team has handpicked one standout track from each artist and then compiled them into the Artists to Watch 2026 playlist, a genre-spanning, culture-driven collection of what’s around the corner.
Ready to find your next favorite artist? Dive into the list below, organized by genre, and start exploring the sounds of 2026.
From September 15 to October 15, we celebrate Latin Heritage Month, a time to honor the culture, creativity, and voices of Latin communities around the world. It’s the perfect chance to discover fresh perspectives, reconnect with favorite storytellers, or simply soak up the richness of Latin heritage. And of course, Spotify has you covered. From captivating audiobooks to thought-provoking podcasts, there’s plenty to explore all month long.
Audiobooks
Spotify’s audiobooks editors have curated a wide range of stories for our Latin Heritage Month audiobooks shelf, featuring titles in both English and Spanish.
“The Audiobooks team is excited to spotlight incredible stories from across the Latin diaspora with these standout audiobooks,” said Zack Knoll, Senior Editor, Audiobooks at Spotify. “These stories celebrate Latin life and experience, whether through sensational fiction like Trust by Hernan Diaz, recent gems like The Possession of Alba Díaz by Isabel Cañas, or moving true stories such as A Flower Traveled in My Blood by Haley Cohen Gilliland and Solito by Javier Zamora. These audiobooks showcase immense pride and admiration for Latin culture, and listeners will feel this in every line.”
Below, we’re highlighting five of our editors’ top picks to get you started.
Loca
By Alejandro Heredia Narrated by André Santana
In Alejandro Heredia’s debut novel, best friends Sal and Charo are striving to hold on to their dreams in 1999 New York. Haunted by the past and navigating early motherhood, their worlds shift when they discover a vibrant queer community.
Hola Papi: How to Come Out in a Walmart Parking Lot and Other Life Lessons
By John Paul Brammer Narrated by John Paul Brammer
In this memoir-in-essays, LGBTQ advice columnist John Paul Brammer traces his journey from a closeted, mixed-race kid in small-town Oklahoma to the voice behind the viral ¡Hola Papi! column. Equal parts humor and heart, it’s a warm guide to love and belonging.
Our Share of Night: A Novel
By Mariana Enriquez Narrated by Frankie Corzo
After his wife dies, a father takes their son on a road trip that leads them to confront her family’s occult order seeking immortality. From 1960s London to Argentina’s military dictatorship, Mariana Enriquez’s first novel translated into English blends history, horror, and the supernatural.
You Had Me at Hola: A Novel
By Alexis Daria Narrated by Seraphine Valentine
After a messy breakup, soap star Jasmine Lin Rodriguez returns to New York to film a bilingual rom-com and finds herself paired with telenovela hunk Ashton Suárez. As rehearsals turn into something more, their behind-the-scenes romance complicates careers and reputations.
Our Migrant Souls: A Meditation on Race and the Meanings and Myths of “Latino”
By Hector Tobar Narrated by André Santana
Pulitzer Prize winner Héctor Tobar reflects on his family history and the stories of his students to explore what “Latino” means in the modern United States. Both personal and wide-ranging, his meditation examines identity, culture, and the stereotypes that shape Latino life in the 21st century.
Podcasts offer another window into the diversity of Latin heritage. Spotify’s podcast editors have curated a selection of shows hosted by Latin voices and can’t-miss episodes that spotlight Latin stories.
“Latin culture has always been full of powerful stories, and these shows capture that spirit with raw authenticity and pride. The best part? They don’t stop at storytelling,” said Destinee Harrison, Podcast Editorial & Audience Development Manager. “These creators bring everything from sharp journalism to everyday conversations about identity, music, and culture. These podcasts fuel bigger conversations, connect listeners across borders, and celebrate heritage in ways that feel fresh and personal, capturing the richness and heart of the community.”
DOPE AS USUAL Podcast: “Fried to the Bone w/ That Mexican OT!”
Rapper That Mexican OTreturns to the DOPE AS USUAL Podcast, which features unfiltered stories from top figures in sports, music, comedy, and online culture.
Hella Latin@: “Uncovering Black Latin History with Eileen Ivette”
Afro-Latina travel influencer Eileen Ivette joins Hella Latin@to share how a solo trip to Puerto Rico inspired her to launch Black Latin History, a platform spotlighting the African diaspora across Latin America and the Caribbean.
Hand Me Down Podcast: “Ep 28 | Our Yo Sabo Redemption”
In this episode of the Hand Me Down Podcast, the hosts trade wild stories, unpack cringe culture’s impact on self-expression, and close with a round of “Yo Sabo the Game.”
Alt.Latino: “A Tribute to Alt.Latino host Felix Contreras”
This episode of Alt.Latino honors host Felix Contreras, recipient of the Hispanic Heritage Award for Journalism, with tributes from surprise guests.
Today, Explained: “Good Bunny”
This episode of Today, Explained explores how Bad Bunny’s 31-date concert residency in Puerto Rico this summer put the island in the global spotlight.
Chiquis and Chill: “Boss Bee Nation: Changing the World One Heart at a Time”
Chiquis dedicates this episode of Chiquis and Chill to Boss Bee Nation, her loyal fan community, celebrating the impact they make in the world.
LOUD
Hosted by reggaeton pioneerIvy Queen, this Spotify and Futuro Studios series tells the story of how young artists from Jamaica, Panama, and Puerto Rico sparked a genre that became a global movement.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler: “Selena Gomez”
Amy Poehler chats with Selena Gomez about quirky home decor, working with comedy legends Steve Martin and Martin Short on Only Murders in the Building, and more.
For fans, we know how important it is to stay plugged into music culture and discover new releases from your favorite artists. Now, for listeners in the US, Spotify is making it even easier with The Drop Weekly. Curated and hosted by our music editors, this new in-app experience is like having a music expert in your pocket, delivering weekly insights and personal recommendations.
Every Friday, Spotify’s editors break down the biggest releases, spotlight key cultural moments, and introduce new artists and tracks to discover. Next, you’ll see personalized recommendations based on your taste, plus a look ahead at upcoming releases powered by Countdown Pages—so you’ll never miss out. The experience on mobile brings together curated picks from our music editors, new singles based on your listening history, and albums you’ve pre-saved, all in one place.
“The Drop Weekly is a powerful example of the expertise our music editorial team brings to Spotify,” said Sulinna Ong, Spotify’s Global Head of Editorial. “Our editors live and breathe music culture, understanding the nuances and moments that shape it. Through this series, listeners will get to hear directly from them and discover how each artist, album, or song fits into the cultural zeitgeist.”
Building on the success of playlists like New Music Friday and Release Radar, The Drop Weekly fuses Spotify’s human editorial expertise and best-in-class personalization to surface the new releases you need to know about and the ones you’ve been waiting for.
“This is a completely new way to discover music on Spotify,” added Madeleine Bennett, Head of Global Music Go-to-Market at Spotify. “Through video, we can offer fans a new meaningful way to connect with music and offer artists a powerful platform to develop fans.”
How to watch The Drop Weekly
The Drop Weekly is available now for both Free and Premium users in the US. Find it in your Spotify app on Fridays—look for it in your music feed on Home or simply search “The Drop Weekly” to start watching. And when you find something you love, you can save it to Your Library or share it with friends directly from the app.
Whether you’re looking for trending tracks, up-and-coming artists, or the stories behind the music, The Drop Weekly has you covered. We’ll continue to evolve the experience, so stay tuned for more ways to discover what’s new in music, every week.
The days are longer, the nights are warmer, and the soundtrack of summer keeps evolving. Back in May, Spotify’s global editors kicked off the season with our annual Songs of Summer predictions, blending cultural expertise, editorial instinct, and streaming data to spotlight contenders for this year’s defining anthems.
But summer never stands still. Now that we’re halfway through the season, our editors are shaking up the list with 10 new “wild card” tracks—songs released since our initial reveal or experiencing a recent surge in global streams. These wild cards reflect what’s resonating with listeners right now, capturing the moments and moods dominating culture across the globe. For example, global streams of “Illegal” by PinkPantheress shot up 155% on Spotify in the last month, while Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild” and Addison Rae’s “Fame is a Gun” both charted on Spotify’sGlobal Top 50 following their releases.
From high-speed dance floor bangers to bold main-character anthems, this year’s wild cards cut across genres and tap into the euphoric feeling of summer. There’s breezy optimism, infectious energy, and a few surprises along the way.
Spotify’s 2025 Songs of Summer: Midseason update
Listed alphabetically by artist first name; wild card picks in italics
“Our team of editors are constantly monitoring listening trends and cultural signals from around the world to understand what’s truly connecting with audiences,” said J.J. Italiano, Head of Global Music Curation and Discovery at Spotify. “Our wild card additions are a reflection of that real-time curation. Whether it’s the innovative production of ‘No Broke Boys’ or the intensity of ‘ALAMBRE PùA,’ each of these songs has captured a specific energy that listeners are gravitating toward right now. They represent the diverse sounds and stories shaping the season across borders.”
A summer celebration in Los Angeles
To toast summer’s next musical moment, Spotify’s annual Songs of Summer party landed Wednesday in Beverly Hills, featuring performances from Ravyn Lenae and Jessie Murph—two artists making waves on this year’s list.
Spotify is turning up the volume on Australian music with a multipronged initiative designed to highlight the dominance of Australian artists on the global stage. As part of the campaign, we’ve released a new Global Impact Reportthat reveals how Australian sounds are resonating worldwide. We’re spotlighting the findings of the report—and inviting members of the industry to panels—at our “Turn Up Aus: The Export Edition” roadshow events in Melbourne and Sydney.
“Australia continues to punch well above its weight, producing some of the best music on the world stage,” said Marty Doyle, Editorial Lead, AUNZ. “We’ve seen export streams of Australian artists increase by 37% in just four years. These are results worth celebrating, and this report sparks a broader conversation about how we as a collective music industry can continue to support that momentum.”
Charting the global impact of Australian music
At the core of this dual endeavor is the launch of Spotify’s inaugural Global Impact Report, which includes the latest edition of the Australian Music Global Impact List. This first-of-its-kind account showcases how Australian music is traveling internationally and highlights the immense value of streaming for Australian artists.
“Breaking into the U.K. and U.S. markets has traditionally been the benchmark for most Australian artists, and those remain key,” Marty said, “but the Global Impact Report helps challenge our thinking around audience development and highlights the growth opportunities in markets like Brazil and the Philippines.”
As for what’s driving Australian artists’ success, here are a few takeaways from the report:
Export streams of Australian artists on Spotify grew a significant 37% from March 2021 to March 2025.
The top five international markets for Aussie music are:
U.S.
U.K.
Germany
Brazil
Canada
Philippines and Brazil are the fastest-growing international markets for Australian music. In March 2025:
Brazil accounted for 202 million streams
Philippines accounted for 142 million streams
Dance music leads international popularity, with more than 1billion streams in March 2025 alone.
A growing number of Australian artists see 80%+ of their streams from international audiences.
The full Global Impact Report can be found on the Turn Up Aus microsite, alongside artist video case studies that underscore Spotify’s commitment to industry advocacy.
Expanding beyond borders: The Export Edition
In addition to sharing our Global Impact Report, we’re bringing Spotify’s top global editorial talent to Australia for Turn Up Aus: The Export Edition, an afternoon packed with insights, conversation, and connection. “We’re always trying to look forward as to what’s next, but these events are good reminders that sometimes we need to check the rearview mirror. It’s important to celebrate the wins and ground the data in real stories and experiences,” said Marty.
Happening in Sydney July 7 and Melbourne July 9, the festivities include attendees from the industry, media, and government. Event programming includes:
A deep dive into the report’s findings
Afireside chat with Sulinna Ong, Spotify’s Global Head of Editorial
Aninternational Spotify music editor panel featuring J.J. Italiano, Head of Global Music Curation & Discovery, Ronny Ho, Head of Dance & Electronic Development, and Chesca Tan, Lead Editor of Philippines
To explore the full story of Australian music’s global impact, visit the new Turn Up Aus website.
For the past decade, Spotify’s Fresh Finds playlists have served as a launchpad for emerging independent artists, helping them break through and connect with new listeners. In fact, in 2024, nearly 70% of all Fresh Finds streams represented listeners discovering artists for the first time. Now, as Fresh Finds turns 10, we’re shining a light on the independent artists at the heart of it all.
The Fresh Finds ecosystem includes the flagship playlist and more than a dozen genre-specific playlists: latin, indie, experimental, rock, dance, folk, country, pop, hip-hop, jazz, R&B, heavy (metal), música mexicana, faith, and more. A team of more than 30 Spotify editors blends data insights, thorough research, context from pitches through Spotify for Artists, and human intuition to curate these playlists. The flagship playlist represents the very best finds week over week, meticulously crafted for the crate-digging, new-music aficionado open to discovering artists of any genre, from anywhere in the world.
“Thinking back over the past decade, so many inspiring artists have been a part of the Fresh Finds story,” said Sulinna Ong, Global Head of Editorial, Music at Spotify. “Seeing them go from those initial playlist spots to building a whole new audience is just incredible and highlights the impact of finding those early fans. Our focus for the next 10 years? To keep opening doors for thousands more independent artists, helping them share their sound and build real connections.”
The Fresh Finds effect: By the numbers
Fresh Finds drives discovery and supports independent artists at the earliest stages of their careers, often serving as the crucial first step toward industry recognition, viral success, signing with a record label, or building a global fan base. Here’s a glimpse at the impact Fresh Finds has made over the years:
Nearly 70,000 artists have been added to Fresh Finds playlists to date.
In 2024 alone, more than 18,000 artists from 127 countries were featured, demonstrating Fresh Finds’ global reach.
In 2024, Fresh Finds drove more than 65 million artist discoveries, underscoring the playlists’ effectiveness in connecting listeners with fresh, independent sounds.
More than 90% of artists added to Fresh Finds in 2024 used Spotify for Artists’ playlist pitching feature. Our editors review as many submissions as possible, making it a valuable tool for artists seeking playlist placements.
On average, artists see their new listeners and international streams more than double one month after being added to Fresh Finds for the first time.
And the Fresh Finds journey doesn’t end there. To date, more than half of artists first added to Fresh Finds are later added to other Spotify editorial playlists like New Music Friday, RapCaviar, or Lorem. A number of Fresh Finds alumni have even gone on to be nominated for Best New Artist: Japanese Breakfast, Ice Spice, Omar Apollo, Doechii, and Wet Leg.
“Fresh Finds has always been about spotlighting new independent voices and helping artists connect with new audiences,” said Joe Hadley, Spotify’s Global Head of Music Partnerships & Audience. “A vital part of this has been really cementing the artist-to-fan connection, going beyond the playlist with initiatives like our live shows with Samsung in Chicago and New York City. We’re proud to celebrate 10 years of championing discovery for independent artists and their fans.”
As Fresh Finds turns 10, we aim to help thousands more artists share their music, tell their stories, and find their audiences.
Join us in celebrating a decade of Fresh Finds. Hit play on our anniversary playlist and check out this interview with Elizabeth Szabo, Spotify’s Editorial Lead, Indie, and Sulinna Ong, Global Head of Editorial, Music, for more insights. We’ll be sharing more Fresh Finds artist stories over the next month on our Spotify for Artists Instagram and TikTok.
Spotify’s Fuego has been red hot since launching last year, with surprise updates each week redefining how listeners discover Latin music. But continuously alerting fans to hot new music isn’t the only thing that sets Fuego apart. The compilation of songs is a result of open and collaborative curation between music editors and guest curators. Now Spotify is taking Fuego and its archive of weekly mixtapes to the next level by giving users the chance to curate the playlist themselves, for the first time ever.
Listeners can submit their own music lineup by visiting the Fuego Mixtape microsite. From there, select playlists will have the chance to be featured as the Fuego playlist of the week. This adds a new way to engage with favorite tracks and share them with others.
Creating an opportunity for user-generated playlists is just one of the many ways Fuego is taking music curation in a new direction. In the past, Fuego has featured guest artist curators like Feid, Myke Towers, and Eladio Carrion. In the coming months, Fuego will expand the helm to playlist takeovers from influencers like Jess Judith, Santea, and Sofia Bella.
Today at Stream On, artists, songwriters, producers, podcasters, and authors from around the world joined for the latest announcements and hands-on demos of the new tools and resources coming to our platform. We also hosted our companion event, Play On, which featured a series of talks and interactive sessions that inspired and educated creators about how they can leverage the full potential of our platform.
Among these sessions was a Spotify for Artists Masterclass on playlists and music discovery hosted by Spotify Head of Artist and Industry Partnerships International Bryan Johnson, with panelists including Spotify Global Head of Editorial Sulinna Ong, Spotify Creative Director and Head of Urban Music Carl Cherry, and Spotify Head of Global Hits J.J. Italiano. Over the course of the talk, they dove into the ways artists can use—and maximize—the power of Spotify playlists to help grow their careers.
In recent years, streaming has helped music, and culture at large, cross borders across the world. And one of the main ways fans are discovering new artists is through playlists.
Made by Editors: Curated by our team of editors at Spotify, these playlists consist of beloved global and regional playlists, including Today’s Top Hits and Pollen.
Made for You: These algorithmically driven playlists—like Discover Weekly and Release Radar—are tailored to each Spotify listener based on their taste profile and on a range of different signals.
Made by You: These playlists are created by fans who aren’t just sitting back waiting for new music; they’re leaning into artist discovery and actively finding tracks to share with other fans.
So how do these playlists drive artist discovery, exactly? There are five key factors:
1. Spotify playlists are global
Spotify exists in more than 180 markets around the world, and that has allowed us to develop a connected ecosystem of playlists across many different genres and regions. Along with our global offerings, we have thousands of playlists like African Heat, MANSIÓN REGGAETÓN, and K-Pop ON! (온) that help spotlight music coming out of regional and local scenes.
Together, these form our Playlist Pyramid, which starts with our more local and niche playlists, and filters up to our global playlists. Sitting at the top is Today’s Top Hits, which is the biggest and most popular playlist.
For many artists, their Playlist Pyramid journey will start with local or regional playlists. These are often streamed by highly engaged fans who are looking to discover new music, and they give artists a solid platform for building their audience. But from there, an artist can take many paths up the pyramid. When a song starts to perform well, it will be placed in the region’s larger playlists, and it may even be tested in other markets to see how it’s received by an international audience. If the song continues to resonate with fans, the artist can take the next jump up the pyramid, appearing in global playlists like Rap Caviar, Viva Latino, and Mint. And for artists whose songs really hit globally, they could earn a place in Today’s Top Hits.
The rise of Ghanaian singer and rapper Black Sherif is a great example of how this journey can unfold. His lyricism and unique blend of drill, Ghanaian highlife, and trap caught the ears of our editors in Sub-Saharan Africa, which led to his being playlisted in popular local lists like +233 Bars, Asakaa, Ghana Party, and more. As Black Sherif started to perform well on these playlists, he was placed in the region’s top flagship lists—Hot Hits Ghana, No Wahala, and African Heat—which further accelerated his popularity.
Eventually, our hip-hop editors took note of his growing audience, which was starting to cross borders, and supported him across various playlists, including our global flagship playlist for drill, City to City. He has since become an emerging name outside Sub-Saharan Africa and was selected as one of our six RADAR artists in 2022.
2. Spotify playlists are curated
Placements on our editorial playlists are driven by a combination of the cultural knowledge, passion, and expertise of our editorial teams, and the variety of data insights we gather from Spotify’s audience. Crucially, music submitted via the playlist submission tool is the starting point for all songs, and Global Curation Groups, which are tapped into the latest trends and discussion points, can also determine the outcomes of where a song’s journey continues in the editorial ecosystem.
If you’re an artist who wants to better understand the pitching process, the panelists shared a few best practices to get you started:
Dopitch your music before it’s released: Using our playlist submission tool on Spotify for Artists is the most effective way to pitch new music. To give your track the best chance of getting playlisted—either editorially or algorithmically—we recommend pitching your song at least seven days in advance of its being released.
Do provide as much info as you can: Our editors love having context when considering a song for placement. Who made it with you? When was it made? Where did you make it? It is also helpful to include any press, music video plans, release schedules, and promotions, as well as the social media accounts linked in your artist profile. If there’s an interesting story around you and/or the song, definitely let us know.
Dothink globally: When you pitch a song for placement, it’s visible to our entire team of editors around the world. They’re also constantly sharing their discoveries with each other. So if there are markets or regions outside of your own where you think your song will attract fans, be sure to include those suggestions when you pitch.
Do engage your audience: While you can’t pitch your music to us post-release, our editors still look at signals from our broader data to see which songs are resonating. Engaging with your audience and encouraging them to stream your tracks can help build momentum and catch our editors’ attention.
Don’t pay for playlist placement: You cannot pay to get on an official Spotify playlist. If someone or a third-party company is offering placement on a playlist in exchange for money, this is a streaming manipulation service that goes against Spotify’s guidelines for music promotion. Additionally, we routinely remove user-generated playlists that claim to offer this, so it won’t benefit you in the long run.
You can only pitch via Spotify for Artists: This is the place where ALL editors go to look for new music, and it’s your route to get your music in front of our editors.
3. Spotify playlists are personalized
Personalization is one of Spotify’s most loved features, drawing upon a multitude of signals to connect the right song to the right ears at the right time. Personalized playlists include not only the aforementioned Discover Weekly and Release Radar, but also playlists like Blend and Daily Mix. They also include playlists like Beast Mode and Songs to Sing in the Shower, which are personalized for each listener but are based on a larger pool of potential tracks chosen by editors.
One-third of all new artist discoveries on Spotify happen in these personalized sessions, which also help to drive future streams from new fans. Submitting a pitch at least seven days before release day via the playlist submission tool also helps ensure that an artist’s new release shows up in their listeners’ Release Radar.
4. Spotify playlists are driven by fans and artists
The majority of Spotify streams come from active streams, where fans are seeking out the music they want to hear by visiting album pages, artists profiles, or liked songs. This also includes streams from listener playlists. These can help signal to Spotify (and to other fans) that we should be paying attention to a particular song or artist. Artists can also engage fans by creating playlists that feature their music, or tracks by other like-minded artists that they’ve worked with and are inspired by. This can not only help to catch the eye of editors when they’re looking at streaming data, but could also lead to visibility on other artists’ profiles.
5. Spotify playlists are timeless
Spotify playlists are composed of the hottest tracks of the moment, as well as classics from the past. That’s because catalog music—or music that is more than 18 months old—maintains a large presence on Spotify. According to our Catalog Fan Study, roughly 75% of active streams consist of catalog music. Furthermore, catalog music has become increasingly popular with younger audiences who are discovering artists from previous generations for the first time.
While artists can’t pitch catalog music, our editors are always looking at the data to see if a catalog song is a good fit for one of our editorial playlists. And if an artist’s catalog song happens to go viral on a playlist, the benefits are sizable: On average, artists can see a 70% jump in streams for the rest of their music.
As you can see, playlists are vital to how fans connect with new artists and how artists engage those new fans. And we’ll continue to use our ecosystem of playlists to support artists as their musical journey unfolds.
Are you an artist looking to get your track on Spotify’s playlists? Visit Spotify for Artists to pitch our editors.
What’s the soundtrack to your summer? At Spotify, we’re taking bets on which breakout artists and songs will be racking up streams and sharing these songs in our new Summer Breakoutsplaylist, available to users across the U.S. and Canada.
Curated by Spotify’s editorial experts with tracks they predict will pop off this summer, the playlist also ranks the order in which they appear to fit each user’s taste based on the music they love.
From artists like BIA and Tai Verdes to Dayglow and Audrey Nuna, the playlist provides a range of new music to explore. Each week, the songs on the playlist will refresh, giving you more artists and tracks to discover and share. No matter your plans, you’ll have the perfect summer playlist for any moment.
Ready to discover the artists and songs that we think will hit it big this season? Check out the Summer Breakouts playlist.
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