Tag: Enhance

Discover the Songs that Help Superstar Driver Lando Norris Get Ready for Race Day

May 5, 2023

He might only be 23, but McLaren Racing’s Lando Norris is already one of the world’s biggest motorsport stars. And it’s not just racing enthusiasts who are captivated by the charismatic driver—Lando is attracting new fans to the sport in droves.

Fans are showing their love for the driver through their Spotify playlists. Last fall, searches for Lando spiked more than 400%, and to date, fans around the world have made nearly 25,000 Lando-related playlists, with title themes like “driving with Lando” and “pov: you’re dating Lando Norris.”

From among all Lando Norris–related playlists, some of the top tracks added include “Yellow” and “Speed of Sound” by Coldplay, “Golden” by Harry Styles, “Smooth Operator” by Sade, “Ferrari” by James Hype and Miggy Dela Rosa, and, of course, “Let’s Go Lando!” by Pitstop Boys. 

Meanwhile, top tracks added to Lando Norris “dating” playlists include “London Boy” and “Paper Rings” by Taylor Swift, “Perfect” by One Direction, “Adore You” by Harry Styles, and “Kiss Me More” by Doja Cat (featuring SZA). 

As Lando prepares for the big race in Miami this weekend, he’s created an exclusive Spotify playlist, Sunshine & Tan Lines, that gives fans an inside look at how music helps him get into the right mindset.

Featuring hits from the likes of Bad Bunny, Drake, Burna Boy, Lizzy McAlpine, and even Alan Jackson, Lando’s playlist has a fun and laid-back vibe inspired by the Miami sunshine.

For the Record sat down with Lando to discuss the playlist, his favorite music to listen to before getting in the car, and how he likes to relax when he’s not on the track. 

How do the songs on your playlist help you get ready for a race?

Before a race, I just want to listen to songs with good energy that remind me of good times and make me happy. I like to make sure I’m in a good mood before I go into the garage. 

So there’s a bit of variety on this playlist. There are lo-fi tracks that let me relax and chill out, and upbeat ones that get me focused. But Miami is a hot and fun place, so there are also some fun, quirky, and cheerful tracks that I can have a cheesy sing-along to.  

Are there any songs on the playlist that might surprise people?

Most of them are probably songs that people know, but they may be surprised that I have some sad songs on the playlist. I don’t know why, but I love sad songs for some reason. Not because it connects me to anything. I think a lot of it is just enjoying the lyrics, the melody, and the vibe.

What’s your go-to song when you’re on a drive?

I love a bit of country, so Alan Jackson’s “Drive (For Daddy Gene)” is one of them. Not because it’s about driving necessarily, but it’s more that I like the tune. Miley Cyrus’s “Party In The USA” is another one that I like to throw on. It’s a song that always puts a smile on my face. 

When I’m driving somewhere alone, I love singing along to songs. And typically, slower-paced songs are easier for me to remember and keep up with. It’s a time to be free, so it has to be songs that I know the lyrics to.

How do you like to relax when you’re not focused on racing?

Mostly, it’s about doing ordinary things that let me be a bit more normal and less of a racing driver. My main thing is just hanging out with friends. It doesn’t really matter what we’re doing, but as long as I’m with them, it takes my mind away from racing. As much as it’s good to focus on racing, it’s easy to overthink things. So my time with friends is important.

But when I’m chilling at home, I like to play video games and binge TV shows. I also got back into cycling recently, so when I’m in Monaco, it’s nice to ride down to Cannes or Saint-Tropez and enjoy the coast and countryside.

Golfing with friends is another thing I love. It’s one of the sports I enjoy the most outside of racing. It helps take my mind off racing, but still has a competitive aspect to it where I want to strive to be better.

What’s your favorite song that you’ve discovered recently?

Probably “ceilings” by Lizzy McAlpine. My friend sent this to me yesterday and said I had to listen to it, probably because it’s a sad song. It’s a very different song than what most people would imagine I’d listen to, but we had some good laughs about that. I also watched a documentary about Lewis Capaldi recently, so I’ve also been listening to “Wish You The Best” a lot. 

Are there any Spotify playlists or features that you love?

I probably listen to my Liked Songs playlist the most, so I would say that’s my favorite. I also thank Spotify for enhancing some of my playlists—I like to find a couple of songs that I like, and then Enhance does the rest for me, saving a lot of time.

Stream all of Lando’s favorite race-day jams on his playlist, Sunshine & Tan Lines.

Smart Shuffle Breathes New Life Into Your Spotify Playlists

March 8, 2023

Our users love creating playlists to reflect key moments in their lives or soundtrack moments that matter. These often become a listener’s most-streamed playlist for the first several months after creation. But over time they stream these playlists less frequently in favor of new music or mixes.

Today at Stream On, we announced Spotify’s new play mode: Smart Shuffle. This new experience keeps listening sessions fresh with personalized recommendations that perfectly match the vibe of an original playlist. It breathes new life into carefully curated playlists, shuffling tracks and adding new, perfectly tailored suggestions. As a bonus, Smart Shuffle is also available for your Liked Songs playlist.

How Premium Subscribers can use Smart Shuffle

  • Ready for a playlist refresh? Use the Shuffle button to activate the feature. As soon as you turn it on, you’ll be able to start listening to your playlist mixed with new recommendations that match the vibe.  
  • You’re in control of what you listen to. If you want to go back to listening to the playlist as you made it, simply tap the Smart Shuffle button again. A fresh mix will be waiting for you next time. 
  • Recognize the tracks we’re recommending with a sparkle (✨) symbol next to a track. For a playlist with more than 15 songs, we’ll recommend one song for every three tracks.
  • If you love what you’re listening to, save it in your playlist! But if a recommendation missed the mark, just tap the minus button on the Now Playing View so we can take note of it for next time.

Smart Shuffle builds on the song recommendation benefits of Enhance, which we launched in 2021. Enhance allows users to discover music while keeping their own track lists fresh. With Smart Shuffle, we’ve taken those capabilities a step further by creating a new experience to keep those listening sessions evergreen. As a result, Smart Shuffle will replace Enhance and will roll out to Premium users globally across iOS and Android devices starting today.

How Free Listeners can use Smart Shuffle

Free users can start getting in on the magic too. Smart Shuffle will now be the default play mode on mobile devices for Free users in Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa, Thailand, the Philippines, Turkey, and Vietnam. Smart Shuffle delivers tailored recommendations that match the vibe of what users are currently listening to—whether that’s a Spotify playlist, album, or artist page. 

Users can identify our recommendations with the sparkle (✨) next to the artist’s name, along with a banner on the Now Playing Bar that offers up more details about why we recommended a specific song or artist. With this new feature rolling out on Free, listeners are bound to discover unexpected gems based on their favorite music. 

As we continue to iterate and evolve our Free listening experience around the world, we will continue to explore bringing this feature to even more users. 

*Update as of October 19, 2023: This article was updated to include “How Free Listeners Can Use Smart Shuffle” 

*Update as of January 25, 2024: Smart Shuffle for Premium users is now available on even more playlists including Collaborative Playlists and playlists created by your squad.

Spotify Takes Discovery to the Next Level in a New Beta Test

April 8, 2022

When it comes to music discovery, Spotify is always offering new experiences that let you connect with the artists you love and discover your new favorite songs along the way. Features like Blend allow you to mash up your musical tastes with friends, family, and even the artists you listen to. Enhance breathes new life into playlists by adding a personalized collection of songs to your existing picks. And Canvas’s visual loops let you experience songs from your favorite artists (like Olivia Rodrigo and Alfie Templeman) in a more powerful way.

Now we’re giving fans another way to explore on Spotify. Starting today, we’re testing a new experience for Spotify users (across the U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada) where they can find new music and check out Canvas loops in a personalized feed that lives on the home screen of the mobile app.

Curious to learn more about how this new experience works? Here’s the inside scoop:

Exploring made easy 

To navigate the feed, simply scroll up or down through your personalized picks to hear a preview and see the Canvas for each song.

Dive deeper

Stumble upon an amazing track? You can add that song to one of your playlists or follow the artist, all from one place.

See it, share it

If there’s a recommended song that you want the world to know about, you can share it to your social channels directly from the feed, and the Canvas will loop in the background of your Story.

More daily discovery

There’s always more music (and Canvas loops) for you to discover thanks to daily updates that offer up to 15 fresh recommendations. 

Whether you want to get a glimpse into the creator’s mindset or learn more about the story behind the song, with this new beta test, we want to help you get closer than ever before to your favorite artists.    

Get Perfect Song Recommendations in the Playlists You Create with Enhance

September 9, 2021

Avid playlist creators know: Some playlists come together without a hitch. With others, though, it may prove more difficult to find tracks that fit the tone or mood—or you might be looking to broaden your horizons and add new songs and artists. For those listeners who need some assistance while adding tracks to a new or existing playlist, we’re introducing Enhance.

Starting today, Spotify is rolling out Enhance, a new feature for Spotify Premium users to easily add personalized recommendations to their playlists.

 

Enhance brings together the best of you and Spotify, providing you with personalized recommendations to create playlists with ease while keeping you in control through an easy-to-navigate design. Simply turn these recommendations on or off with the tap of a button. And once Enhance is on, you’ll see your playlist populated with suggested songs that match the others in your playlist. 

Throughout it all, you stay in control of what gets added. Here’s how it works: 

  1. Simply toggle the feature on and off by tapping the new “Enhance” button at the top of each playlist. 
  2. Recommendations woven into the track list will then appear. You’ll get one recommendation after every two tracks, for a max of 30 recommendations. 
  3. If you like what you see, press the “+” icon next to each new track to permanently add them to the playlist.
  4. It’s an addition, not a substitution: The songs you add will never be replaced, and you can turn Enhance off with a simple tap.

Over the next month, Enhance will be rolling out to all Premium users in select markets* across Android and iOS. Additional markets are expected to follow in the coming months.

With Enhance, we’re helping our listeners do more of what they love: curate their playlists with great recommendations. Enhance will continue to evolve as we learn more, so stay tuned for those updates down the road. 

*Markets include: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland Israel, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, U.K., and the U.S. 

*Update as of October 20, 2021: Enhance is now rolling out in more than 130 additional markets.