Tag: GCG

How Spotify’s Playlists Captured the Biggest Music Trends of 2023

With another year coming to a close, Spotify is back with your personalized Wrapped, our annual recap of your listening highlights from the past 12 months that includes your top songs, artists, and podcasts, as well as your most distinct streaming habits. But we’re also taking a step back and looking at 2023’s biggest music trends on Spotify.

Thanks to the in-the-know editors responsible for creating our editorial playlists as part of the Global Curation Groups, the most iconic musical moments of the year were reflected on Spotify. Whether it was blockbuster movie soundtracks that grabbed the world’s attention, viral social media moments that bubbled up to the mainstream, or classic genres finding new fans in Gen Z, our experts were on top of it all.

For the Record sat down with our editorial team and got the scoop. 

Peso Pluma and Música Mexicana go mainstream

RADAR US artist Peso Pluma made himself known to the world in March with his feature on Eslabon Armado’s “Ella Baila Sola.” Fast-forward to now, and that song is one of the top-five most-streamed songs of 2023 globally—and is about to hit Spotify’s Billions Club. Meanwhile, the Música Mexicana genre at large has enjoyed a surge in popularity, dominating the global charts this summer.

Explore this trend on: Lo Mejor de La Reina 2023, Corridos Perrones, Corridos Tumbados, Today’s Top Hits

Folk rising

In 2023, a slew of indie artists emerged with folk-inspired albums including Mitski, Toro Y Moi, and boygenius. Plus, we heard new folk voices like Searows and 2024 Best New Artist Noah Kahan

Explore this trend on: Indie Twang, Juniper

Shoegaze returns courtesy of Gen Z

Shoegaze has been around since the late ’80s, but it experienced a resurgence in 2023 among Gen Z, who found new bands like Wisp as well as aughts stalwarts like Panchiko.

Over the past year, the genre has thrived within various Gen Z internet communities that have fostered pockets of interest and given birth to exciting new acts. Perhaps unknowingly, the emerging class of neo-shoegaze artists is contributing to genre diffusion, blending techniques from various music genres to create something fresh and unique.

Explore this trend on: Shoegaze Now, IRL Angel

Rema carries Afrobeats into Spotify’s Billions Club

Rema has been a hitmaker in Africa since 2019, but it was a collaboration with Selena Gomez on “Calm Down (Remix)” that shot him to international fame in 2023. The global smash earned the Afrobeats star a Grammy nomination, as well as a spot in our highly coveted Billions Club, making “Calm Down” the first African artist-led track to do so. 

Explore this trend on: African Heat, Billions Club, Today’s Top Hits

Taylor Swift’s eras on tour

Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour kicked off in March and was the live-music event of the year. Taylor not only picked songs from all 10 of her studio albums to perform in a stunning three-hour show, but she also set aside time each night for acoustic performances of two surprise songs. And according to Taylor’s rules, no two songs could be repeated unless she messed it up the first time. To capture this epic moment, we collected all of the surprise songs in a playlist, which was updated every weekend during the U.S. leg of her tour.

Explore this trend on: Surprise Song Era

Troye Sivan and Hyunjin’s IRL friendship

This past summer, Troye Sivan posted a TikTok that went viral about trying to find Hyunjin of Stray Kids. We joined in on the fun with a playlist and they eventually collabed on a remix of “Rush,” which also featured PinkPantheress.

Explore this trend on: what a moment

Peggy Gou takes house music to the top of the charts

House, one of the original genres of dance music, has grown in popularity since the pandemic. This summer, we saw massive house hits resonate with fans internationally, including Peggy Gou‘s “(It Goes Like) Nanana.” 

Other huge moments for house music include artists like Fred again.., Black Coffee, Chris Lake, and FISHER, who are breaking records around the world, and breakthrough opportunities for exciting artists like LP Giobbi, John Summit, and Dom Dolla

Explore this trend on: Umami, Housewerk presents…Best House of 2023, Summer House

It’s a Barbie world

Ahead of the Barbie release this summer, we saw “Barbiecore” aesthetics manifest in the pop culture zeitgeist. Once we got word that Barbie was going to feature a star-studded soundtrack with hits like Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice, and Aqua’s “Barbie World” and Dua Lipa’s “Dance The Night,” we brought all things Barbie to life on Spotify through the “pinkification” of several playlist covers, new editorial playlists, and partner playlists.

Explore this trend on: Hot Pink, Barbie Official Playlist

Hyper techno surges

There was an influx of high-BPM dance pop songs in general, and with it came a new wave of tracks that showcased a harder sound using classic techno and big room beats and basslines. We saw a surge in streams—especially from European Gen Zs—of techno-infused songs like Niklas Dee’s “Not Fair,” Creeds’ “Push Up,” and BENNETT’s “Vois sur ton chemin.”

Explore this trend on: rave, techno party

Jersey Club is everywhere 

Jersey Club production became ubiquitous not only in U.S. hip-hop but around the world. We also saw the genre’s influence find its way into K-Pop and thoughtful electronic music. Pioneers such as DJ Smallz 732, UNIIQU3, and Cookiee Kawaii were tapped to remix some of 2023’s biggest hits, and newcomers such as Kanii, keltiey, and Lay Bankz staked their claims as names to watch.

Explore this trend on: Jersey Club Heat presents…Best Jersey Club Songs of 2023

Tyla’s turns her viral moment into crossover success

South Africa’s Amapiano sound has been winning the hearts of electronic and dance fans after TikTok dances and DJ mixes helped it go viral in 2020. In 2023, RADAR Africa artist Tyla took her career to the next level, blending her R&B sound with Amapiano and South African dance genre Bacardi house on her hit song “Water.” After Spotify Africa’s partnership with the Giants of Africa Festival—a basketball event in Rwanda where Tyla’s viral dance was first seen—many posted their own versions of the dance challenge on social media, which led to “Water” skyrocketing around the world and earning a feature from Travis Scott on the remix.

Explore this trend on: RNB X, RADAR Africa, African Heat, RADAR Global 

Women run hip-hop  

Female rappers continued their reign in 2023, with top names like Nicki Minaj, Doja Cat, Latto, Ice Spice, Kaliii, Doechii, and the year’s breakout star, Sexyy Red, making some of the most creative and worthwhile hip-hop this year. 

Explore this trend on: RapCaviar presents…Best Hip-Hop Songs of 2023, Feelin’ Myself 

Pop-punk’s greatest legends return

We witnessed the resurgence of pop-punk’s most iconic figures with mainstays like Fall Out Boy, Sum 41, Green Day, and Neck Deep returning in 2023 with a taste of new music. Additionally, blink-182 welcomed back Tom DeLonge and embarked on a global tour to celebrate their new album, ONE MORE TIME…

Explore this trend on: Pop Punk’s Not Dead

The nu-metal revival continues

Nu-metal and alternative metal have made triumphant returns this year, with a younger audience discovering and devouring the catalogs of bands like Deftones, Korn, Slipknot, and more. Additionally, we’re seeing a wave of new nu-metal songs from rising artists who are embracing the sound and paying homage to their predecessors.

Explore this trend on: new nü, ALLURE

Alt country crosses over

This trend in country music had a slow build that reached new heights with the release of RADAR US artist Zach Bryan’s American Heartbreak in 2022, and took off 2023 with hits like Dylan Gossett’s Coal.” This acoustic, gritty sound was typically reserved for alternative country and folk playlists in the past, but it has fully moved into the mainstream with songs that have been fan favorites across our flagship playlists. 

Explore this trend on: Hot Country presents…Best Country Songs of 2023, Hot Hits USA, Today’s Top Hits, homegrown

Looking for more of the songs that have left their stamp on 2023? Check out our flagship playlist Today’s Top Hits

Quiz: This Week on ‘For the Record’

Think you're up-to-date on the latest in Spotify news, data, and trends? Take our quiz to test just how well you’ve been following along.

1. Billie Eilish released her second album, Happier Than Ever, today. What did Spotify do to celebrate the happy occasion?
2. Spotify’s What’s New feed alerts you to the latest...
3. EQUAL artist Lido Pimienta told us about where she gets inspiration, her vision for the future of music, and more. What is one part of her creative process?
4. Which of the following songwriters helped to pen “Firework” as performed by Katy Perry?
5. This week, Spotify released our Q2 2021 earnings report. What were some of the highlights discussed on the Spotify: For the Record podcast?
6. Spotify’s Open Access offering means that in the future, listeners will be able to connect their existing subscriptions—from publications with paywalled content or licensed audiobook providers—to Spotify to unlock all the content in one place.
7. RADAR artist Nathy Peluso, who has made a name for herself blending genres and pushing the limits of her music, released her latest single on July 7. What’s the title of her newest song?
8. German social media stars Julien Bam and Rezo are about to launch their new podcast, Hobbylos. When did the two start making videos together?

The State of Dance Music, According to Spotify Editors

Spotify’s mint playlist is home to the world’s biggest dance hits, with songs that fall under the genre’s many subcategories, including house, techno, electronica, EDM, U.K. garage, and disco. But even though you’ve likely heard dance songs, this vast genre may still be a bit of an enigma. The best people to dispel some myths and mysteries? Spotify’s global team of dance music editors. 

Our editors make up our Global Curation Groups, or GCG’s. As the name suggests, they sit in offices around the world, and they’re in the know on the content that listeners are streaming the most, the new tracks that are about to break, and the trends that come out of these listening habits. Plus, they’re genre experts—as well as fans themselves—who thrive on deep cultural discussions about the music they curate. 

For the Record spoke to the dance GCG about the trends they’re seeing and some of their predictions for the genre this year.

1. Dance music is global.

Dance has roots everywhere, as well as distinct regional genres. Over the past few years, AmaPiano in South Africa has grown, as has Brazilian bass in South America. Russian rave is also having a moment, with more and more artists finding their way to Spotify. We also recently leased an Italo Disco playlist. “It’s just a time for exploration and expansion for the dance base. We’re all going to dance to it at a festival this or next year.”  

2. We’re going to see a rise in dance music this year.

Our editors predict that as everyone comes out from being holed up during the pandemic, dance music will gain even more momentum across its many diverse genres. There’s already been a rise in exploration and innovation in the space, from house to dance pop to slap house. “As listeners head back to the clubs and producers are able to tour again, expect even more noise.”

3. There’s going to be a resurgence in underground and bedroom production.

Indie production has already been on the rise with producers like U.K. artist Fred again.. His collaboration with The Blessed Madonna, single “Marea (We Lost Dancing),” held at the Top 100 for a handful of weeks. This strengthening voice of the underground is reminiscent of the 2014–2016 dance heyday, where EDM producers broke from the internet to conquer the pop charts. Not only is this a testament to the dance renaissance taking place today, but it also  signals how mainstream listeners’ palettes are evolving and adapting to more mature sonics. “We’re seeing a renaissance in the attention that’s paid to the genre, and it’s changing the sound a little.”

4. EDM isn’t dead.

EDM isn’t dead, but it has moved into a dance category that can best be described as “nostalgic.” And this nostalgic audience is fiercely loyal, with a continuing appetite. The dance editorial team built a playlist called Headliners, full of the EDM heyday artists—Avicii, Swedish House Mafia, Alesso—after seeing a resurgence in plays among those legacy producers. “We created a genre flagship called EDM, and within a week of launch, it was hovering at 8,000 listeners and the skip rate was ridiculously low. It just shows that the pulse is there, and the audience is there.” 

5. Virality is playing a big part in the future of the genre.

It took the classic dance genre dubstep 10 years to travel to the U.S. after its inception in the U.K. Now, trends come and go a lot more quickly, thanks to the power of the internet and to streaming. The sea shanty trend was big for dance artists, and when the Australian dance group Shouse’sLove Tonight” got picked up by David Guetta, it went viral for a whole new generation of listeners.  

6. Covers have always been big in dance music. Now, they’re helping to break newer genres.

Tropical house covers were a breakthrough point in German dance pop history in the 2010s. Now, covers are happening again, this time with slap house—whether they’re of a Whitney Houston classic, a ’90s eurodance track, or a song that’s just three years old. These covers, which are in the style of the breakout genre, are now helping that genre gain footing in the mainstream, just as classic house sampling disco did. 

7. Pop is adopting dance—and fans can too.

Dance is getting a new group of followers: pop fans. What our editors call “dance pop” is presenting itself in the work of pop stars like Dua Lipa, Jessie Ware, Lady Gaga, and Raye. “Pop is co-opting dance, just like we saw it do last year with disco. Pop artists don’t realize how much of the dance genre it’s taking for itself, but that’s the hit element of pop—the dance strokes are the uplifting aspect.”

If you’re a pop fan who’s interested in diving into dance, the team recommends a new playlist called crying on the dance floor. “We’re experimenting a little bit with crafting spaces that are more approachable. They’re not as genre focused as melodic house or acid techno, which can be pretty daunting for someone who has no idea what they’re looking for. We’re seeing a lot of crossover between indie and dance, and a lot of crossover between pop and dance. I think that a lot of users don’t realize that they’re listening to dance music.”

Get to know dance and start crying on the dance floor.