Tag: Jelly Roll

How to Watch Music Videos First on Spotify

July 15, 2026

It’s a big week for first looks on Spotify. On Wednesday, fans of Jelly Roll were able to watch the artist’s new video for “Hands Up” first on Spotify for 48 hours. And today, BTS join the party with the video for “NORMAL,” off their chart-busting fifth album ARIRANG—and it’s available to watch first on Spotify, too. Both launches are part of a broader effort at Spotify to give users early access to videos from their favorite artists.

From San Quentin to Seoul

More than half a century ago, Johnny Cash stood in front of a group of inmates at California’s San Quentin State Prison and delivered one of a career’s worth of legendary prison performances. This year, Jelly Roll performed his song “Hands Up” at the same location—the latest milestone in a career defined by hardship, redemption, and the willingness to speak openly about difficult issues. The black-and-white clip for “Hands Up,” directed by Anthony Mandler, follows Jelly Roll on his visit to California’s oldest prison, as he leads a group of inmates in a prayer reflecting on the word “freedom” before taking the stage with his band for an intimate, rollicking performance.

BTS’s video for “NORMAL,” meanwhile, reveals the group’s raw and vulnerable side, showing each member in personal and intimate moments. Set in the aftermath of a celebration, it moves between scenes from the previous night’s festivities and the stillness of the following morning, capturing the quiet moments of stardom outside the spotlight. One of the video’s most memorable scenes recreates the now-viral image of all seven members standing before a row of toilets, bringing their album-teaser campaign full circle.

How to Watch

For the first 48 hours after release, Premium subscribers in our beta markets can open Spotify on their TV, desktop, iOS, and Android devices, search for the song, and get a first look by tapping “Switch to video.” The music video will start playing right where the song left off. To return to background listening, simply press “Switch to audio.” For a full-screen experience on mobile, viewers can simply turn their devices to landscape mode.

More to Come

This pair of video debuts is just the beginning. Keep a close eye on Spotify for more music videos dropping soon.

Stream BTS’s “Normal” and Jelly Roll’s “Hands Up” below, and head over to Spotify for a first look at the accompanying music videos.

Spotify’s New ‘Countdown To’ Vodcast Series Kicks Off With Artists Jelly Roll and mgk in Debut Episode

September 13, 2024

As fans patiently await their favorite artists’ new album releases, the anticipation often leaves them eager for something in the meantime. With Spotify’s first-of-its-kind vodcast series Countdown To, which launched today, artists are giving viewers an intimate behind-the-scenes introduction to their latest projects as the clock ticks closer to an album launch.

In July, Spotify expanded access to one of its latest tools, Countdown Pages, to help artists garner excitement for album releases. The feature, located on an artist’s page, lets listeners preview tracklists, watch Clips, purchase merch, and see a timer count down the actual seconds until launch.

Now we’re bringing listeners even more exclusive content with the artists themselves. In Countdown To, artists sit down with fellow artists, collaborators, family members, or friends to discuss the new music’s themes, inspiration, and more. So much goes into the creation of an album, and this series shines a light on that process.

“Countdown To is the latest effort in our ongoing commitment to spotlight artists and their new music on Spotify,” explains Sarah Patellos, Head of Spotify Music Studios. “Working with director Karam Gill and mgx creative, these intimate conversations are shot documentary-style to really get to the root of each artist’s creative journey.”

Clips from the interview-driven series can be found on the artist’s Countdown Page, and the full video will be available as a vodcast episode on Spotify and Spotify’s YouTube profile.

The debut episode features Jelly Roll in conversation with mgk about the release of Jelly Roll’s forthcoming album, Beautifully Broken. Fans may have to wait until October 11 to listen to all the new tracks, but this episode provides a deeper look behind the music, as well as the pair’s now-quelled artistic rivalry. “I got to sit down with mgk and give viewers a real window into a candid conversation between two artists as a part of Countdown To,” teases Jelly Roll.

Count down to the release of Jelly Roll’s album by watching the vodcast episode below. You can also presave Beautifully Broken on Jelly Roll’s official Countdown Page here.

 

 

Best New Artist 2024: Everything You Need To Know About This Year’s Nominees

January 31, 2024

Over the last eight years, Spotify has honored the top rising stars in the music world with an annual celebration recognizing their accomplishments in landing a nomination for Best New Artist. 

We’ve remained committed to supporting emerging artists across all genres, helping them to launch their careers, and connect with fans all over the world. And that continues with this year’s eight nominees—Gracie Abrams, Fred again.., Ice Spice, Jelly Roll, Coco Jones, Noah Kahan, Victoria Monét, and The War and Treaty—representing a wide-ranging spectrum of sounds, voices, genres, and backgrounds that have caught the ears of listeners everywhere. 

To celebrate this diverse group of talent ahead of their biggest night yet, we hosted the week’s hottest pre-show party at Paramount Studios in Hollywood. Featuring live performances from the nominees and special DJ sets from Ladies of Leisure and HoneyLuv, the party produced many standout moments. Noah Kahan and Gracie Abrams performed “Everywhere, Everything” together on stage, while Jelly Roll invited Lainey Wilson to the stage to perform “Save Me.” 

Four Days of Country Music at Spotify House During CMA Fest 2022

June 15, 2022

This past weekend, CMA Fest returned to Nashville for the first time since 2019 to celebrate all things country music. Top country stars and emerging artists alike came together at Spotify House to perform and enjoy time in an intimate setting with their fans. Spotify House was located in the unmatched Blake Shelton and Opry Entertainment Group’s Ole Red. With four days of performances across two stages, there was something for everyone in the crowd.

Spotify partnered with Meta throughout the event to bring an exclusive Instagram Reels experience to Spotify House, capturing content with director The Tommy B for artists’ Instagram and Facebook. Adding to the experience for fans were QR codes from Digital Seat Media, which helped attendees receive real-time event updates. 

Also on the ground was our team behind Spotify: Mic Check, which had the opportunity to speak to several returning CMA Fest performers and newcomers alike. The episode featured R&B-inspired country artist Tiera Kennedy, whose song “Found It In You” recently hit 20 million streams after being featured on Spotify’s Hot Country playlist. 

“I remember when I first moved to Nashville, wanting so badly to be on all those playlists. To see my music on all those playlists is really cool and it feels really special.”

Meghan Patrick, who performed at CMA Fest again this year, was also thrilled to be back onstage. “I’ve always looked at CMA Fest as a huge milestone and a huge opportunity to be part of. Every year it feels like I get a few more opportunities to play and show my music and play some different stages. Every year it’s always super exciting and a great opportunity to have some great exposure to a lot of fans in a short amount of time.” 

Check out the episode, which also features Erin Kinsey and Brett Eldredge, below.

Read on for a little more from each day of CMA Fest.

Day 1: Darius Rucker, Dan + Shay, Brett Eldredge, Ashley McBryde, and more

Spotify House got off to an incredible start with Darius Rucker, Dan + Shay, Brett Eldredge, Chase Wright, Brantley Gilbert, Ashley McBryde, Dustin Lynch, Dalton Dover, Nate Smith, Ashley Cooke, Kameron Marlowe, Meghan Patrick, and Nikki Lane taking the stage for day one. 

Superstar Darius Rucker kicked off with a high-energy opening set, performing chart-toppers “Alright” and “This” as well as his iconic Hootie & The Blowfish track “Only Wanna Be With You” and fan favorite “Wagon Wheel.”

Hannah Ellis, Dalton Dover, and Nate Smith soon hit the stage for performances of their own tracks as well as famous covers from fellow country artists. They were followed by a full-circle moment for rising country star Chase Wright, who made his Spotify House debut just a few years after he found himself waiting in line to get into the CMA Fest hot spot. 

Fans were treated to a surprise performance from Jimmie Allen when he joined Ashley Cooke onstage for their song “Good Goodbye” and a duet of his song “Freedom Was a Highway.” Kameron Marlowe dazzled the crowd, as did Meghan Patrick, who serenaded fans with “Heart On My Glass,” accompanying herself on the harmonica. As the sun went down, Brett Eldredge performed two tracks from his upcoming album Songs About You, including the album’s title track and latest single, “I Feel Fine.” This year, we also hosted our Fresh Finds Rooftop for the first time. The rooftop stage featured emerging artists Abby Anderson, Chris Ruediger, Taylor Edwards, Maggie Baugh, Tanner Adell, and Jordan Rowe.