Tag: john legend

Meet Alaina Castillo — Bilingual Singer-Songwriter and Featured U.S. RADAR Artist

March 30, 2020

Recently, Spotify launched RADAR, a global development program for emerging artists around the world. RADAR allows us to deepen our commitment to young talent at all stages and strengthen their connections to their audiences. One such young talent we’re excited to support is U.S.-based singer-songwriter Alaina Castillo.

Prior to her junior year of high school, Alaina’s musical career revolved around singing in the church choir. Then, she began posting original songs, covers, and ASMR content on her video channel. In a matter of months, the Houston native had accumulated nearly 800,000 subscribers and made a fan of RØMANS — a producer known for churning out hits from pop stars like Demi Levato, John Legend, and Clean Bandit. From there, her career took off. 

RØMANS went on to produce Alaina’s debut EP in 2019, Antisocial Butterfly, which showcased her ability to weave beautifully between her two languages, English and Spanish. The album’s hit single, “i don’t think i love you anymore,” raked in more than 3 million streams on Spotify and paved the way for her sophomore single, “Valentine’s Day.” Most recently, she released two new singles, “ocean waves” and “just a boy,” and two Spotify Singles recordings.

We caught up with the RADAR U.S. representative for an inside look at her EP Antisocial Butterfly, what it was like to collaborate with RØMANS, and life on Spotify’s RADAR.

Spotify Reveals ‘Legendary’ Top Love Song Ahead of Valentine’s Day

February 11, 2020

With more than 1.1 billion streams on Spotify to date, John Legend’s hit song, “All of Me” may just be the ultimate romantic legend. Streaming has shown that it’s the top song for lovers on Spotify, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

“I hear from so many people that they’ve used it to propose, to walk down the aisle, and to celebrate milestones,” Legend told For the Record. “Thank you all for making me a part of your most memorable moments.”

So, how do we define the top love song on Spotify? By the listeners, of course. Check out the data that shows the mind-blowing popularity of this track:

  • “All of Me” is the most-added song in love-themed playlists. Spotify listeners have created more than 75 million playlists with the word love in the title.
  • The track is also the top song choice for both men and women on playlists titled “Valentine’s Day.”
  • “All of Me” has been added to more than 29 million playlists.
  • Since its release in 2013, streams of the track have spiked by at least 50% every year on Valentine’s Day (the most notable spike was in 2017 with an 85% increase in streams).

“The impact of ‘All of Me’ continues to amaze and inspire me,” Legend said. “I’m so honored to know we created something that has meant so much to so many people. I wrote this song to express how I felt to the woman I love as we were about to commit to a lifetime together. But often the best songs are able to express something in a way that is both personal and universal. I’m grateful to know that lovers around the world have connected with this song and made it their own.”

Spotify fans simply can’t get enough of People’s 2019 “Sexiest Man Alive” and his new single, “Conversations in the Dark,” which has already seen more than 10 million streams on Spotify since its release last month. And according to John, the track has wife Chrissy Teigen’s stamp of approval: “Chrissy has even said it’s her favorite song of mine since ‘All of Me,’ and that’s pretty high praise from her!”

“‘Conversations’ is about those little intimate, magical moments that loved ones share and the commitment to protect each other’s heart,” Legend added. “I’m excited to see the journey that this song will take. It has only been out for a few weeks, but I’ve already seen so many passionate, emotional reactions to ‘Conversations in the Dark.’” 

And clearly music makes for the best romantic gift on Valentine’s Day. We’ve seen a growing trend with listeners choosing to share their Valentine’s Day playlists with their special someone on Spotify. Last year, Valentine’s Day playlists were gifted (aka shared) almost twice as much on February 14 compared to 2018. 

As for what John and Chrissy have planned this February 14, Legend has something special in the works. “Chrissy and I do have Valentine’s Day plans,” Legend said. “We’ll get away from the kids for a night, go up to Napa Valley and visit one of our favorite restaurants. I’m looking forward to it!”

If you need inspiration for what to add to your romantic playlist, look no further than Legend’s catalog on Spotify: This Is John Legend. Also check out Love Pop, Spotify’s most-followed playlist of love songs. 

Spotify and Procter & Gamble Dive into Bias in Music with “Harmonize” Original Podcast

November 14, 2019

“You’re not pretty for a Black girl. You are beautiful, period.”

With this simple reminder from a mother to her young daughter, Procter & Gamble’s award-winning campaign, “The Talk,” began a conversation about race in mainstream media. Now, Spotify and P&G are continuing the dialogue with Harmonize, a new podcast series focused on the impact of racial bias in the U.S. and how music has served as a catalyst for change. The four episodes, featuring Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award-winner (EGOT) John Legend and rapper, songwriter, and record executive Pusha T, are available today exclusively on Spotify.

Hosted by communications consultant and award-winning writer Jamilah Lemieux—a leading millennial voice on issues of race, gender, and sexuality—and featuring music expert Cory Townes, Harmonize expands the conversation that P&G pushed into the mainstream with “The Talk,” and continues with their more recent campaign, “The Look.” (Visit TalkaboutBias.com to get the 411 on “The Look”). 

“It is so important to have an open, honest dialogue around difficult topics like race, gender and bias,” said John Legend. “I have huge respect for companies like Spotify and P&G that are creating spaces for artists like myself to have these conversations, which are long overdue.”

 

“Our latest film, ‘The Look’ is designed to spark reflection and dialogue on the frank realities of racial bias, and the sometimes subtle ways it manifests itself in everyday situations for people of color,“ said Damon Jones, Vice President, Global Communications & Advocacy at Procter & Gamble. “Together with Spotify, we’re deepening this conversation, illustrating how race intersects music and culture and bringing together a variety of perspectives and experiences we believe will inspire people to take action to address these all too common instances of individual and institutional bias.”

Harmonize will focus specifically on how Black music is celebrated around the world despite the bias-related challenges so many Black people face. The podcast will dive deep into conversations with musicians, cultural commentators, and artists who share their stories about how bias has impacted their personal and professional lives, with a particular focus on the Black male experience in America. Harmonize has plans to expand beyond season one and shine light on bias related to gender, LGBTQ, identity, and more.

“We are proud to amplify the conversation that P&G has so thoughtfully sparked with the launch of Harmonize,” says Danielle Lee, Global Vice President, Partner Solutions at Spotify. “Consumers expect brands to take a stand on issues they care about and contribute to society in a meaningful way. Our hope is that Harmonize will expand the conversation around bias in America in an effort to build empathy.”

Last summer, Spotify launched our first branded original podcast series, Ebb & Flow, in partnership with New Amsterdam Vodka. Recently, we’ve added even more voices to our growing podcast slate with Dope Labs, Jemele Hill Is Unbothered, and the newly announced partnership with President Barack Obama & Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Audio. Through partnerships like these, as well as programs like Sound Up, we’re amplifying underrepresented voices in podcast and beyond. 

Listen to the first four episodes of Harmonize featuring EGOT John Legend and Pusha T below.

https://open.spotify.com/show/6OKSCkzx8EeHFccPSekW9H?si=4Z8NWAU6SP-XXjFMQUMngw

‘Bells Will Be Ringing’: It’s Christmas Singles Time

November 19, 2018

It’s holiday season—don’t fight it!—and we’re once again unwrapping a playlist of festive covers. Spotify Singles: Christmas Collection features 15 new tracks recorded by an eclectic mix of artists in our studios in Nashville, London, and New York City.

Included in the mix is John Legend singing the Jackson 5’s “Give Love On Christmas Day,” Meghan Trainor performing “White Christmas,” Nina Nesbitt crooning “Oh Holy Night,” and the classic “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” getting a jazz spin from Tony Bennett and Diana Krall.

“‘White Christmas’ has always held a special place in my heart because I sang it with my high school jazz band back in Cape Cod,” says Trainor. “It was nerve-wracking to perform for my peers, but when everyone reacted so loudly I realized I would remember that moment for the rest of my life. I will also always remember seeing this little green light in the audience and it was actually my mom recording the whole thing. She’s the best.”