Tag: Korean artists

Spotify and Stray Kids Celebrate KARMA With An Immersive Spotify STAYdium Experience

August 22, 2025

The wait is over: Stray Kids return with their fourth full-length album, KARMA. And with Spotify STAYdium, fans aren’t just listening, they’re living every moment of it.

Now open in Seoul and Jakarta through August 25, and then heading to Tokyo August 23 through August 27, Spotify STAYdium is a journey into Stray Kids’ latest era. It’s also a tribute to STAY, whose dedication has fueled Stray Kids’ story of grit, growth, and global impact.

“Our fans are the reason for our destiny. We’re also so thankful for Spotify, who has supported us since our rookie year,” said the group. “Partnering with Spotify to bring Spotify STAYdium to life feels like we’ve come full circle. This space celebrates all that we’ve built together with STAY, and we hope they feel our love in every moment.”

How Mexico Became One of the World’s Biggest K-Pop Hubs on Spotify

August 13, 2025

A vibrant blend of pop, hip-hop, R&B, electronic, and rock, K-Pop is more than just a genre in Mexico—it’s a way of life. With more than 14 million K-Pop fans on Spotify, Mexico stands as the genre’s fifth-largest market worldwide and the only Spanish-speaking country in the global top 10. From streaming surges to massive fan communities, Mexico’s passion for K-Pop runs deep.

To celebrate World K-Pop Day, we’re spotlighting the streaming trends and fandom power that make Spotify an epicenter for K-Pop discovery in Mexico. Explore the highlights in our infographic below.

A fandom like no other

The Korean wave is a movement that’s been building for years. It first hit Mexico in the 2000s, when Korean television dramas and their soundtracks sparked curiosity. But it was the arrival of groups like BTS, BLACKPINK, TWICE, Stray Kids, and Red Velvet in the 2010s that truly ignited a K-Pop explosion. Since then, K-Pop streams on Spotify in Mexico have skyrocketed, growing by more than 500% in the last five years alone.

What sets Mexican fans apart? It’s not just the hours spent streaming—especially among Gen Z—but the way they live and breathe K-Pop. Devotees in Mexico organize, create, and celebrate. They fill concert venues, host themed events and bazaars, and build thriving communities. On social media, they’re a force—starting trends, supporting their idols, and spreading K-Pop culture far and wide. And they put their own spin on the movement, weaving Mexican culture into fan art, memes, and other creative content.

Why K-Pop resonates in Mexico

K-Pop’s emotional storytelling and dazzling visuals have struck a powerful chord with Mexican listeners. The songs explore universal themes like love, friendship, and overcoming obstacles, helping foster a sense of community and belonging among fans. For many, language isn’t a barrier—the music and artists still feel personal and relatable.

“K-Pop artists connect with fans by being real and speaking openly about their feelings, which really resonates with young listeners in Mexico,” said Alejandro Grageda, Head of Music, Spotify Mexico. “They also promote an optimistic vision of the world—something that inspires fans to dream, believe in something better, and build strong, supportive communities together.”

Spotify is proud to have played a part in K-Pop’s rise in Mexico, offering listeners a place to discover new music and celebrate their favorite idols. We’ll keep supporting the community, the artists, and the moments that make this genre so special.

Press play on Spotify’s flagship K-Pop ON! (온) playlist to hear the latest hits. And stay tuned for a special video series celebrating the passion and creativity of Mexican K-Pop fans, coming soon to @spotifymexico.

Spotify and FC Barcelona Bring K-Pop to the Game with ITZY in Korea

August 5, 2025

Since we announced our global partnership with FC Barcelona in 2022, we’ve been finding new ways to unite the worlds of music and football—amplifying artists, connecting fans, and making the matchday experience even more memorable.

This summer, we brought that vision to life in South Korea for the very first time. As part of FC Barcelona’s 2025 Asia Tour, we teamed up with K-Pop sensation ITZY for a localized campaign that put Korean creativity front and center.

With friendly matches in Seoul and Daegu as the backdrop, our first Korea activation under the Spotify x FC Barcelona partnership gave us the perfect opportunity to celebrate the passion of Korean fans through music and sport.

“Bringing Spotify’s partnership with FC Barcelona to Korea is a powerful moment,” said Marc Hazan, Vice President, Partnerships and Marketing, Spotify. “We’re proud to feature ITZY as a part of this collaboration, which celebrates Korean creativity on a global stage and reflects our mission to connect artists and fans in unforgettable ways.”

“South Korea has long been home to some of the most passionate football and music fans in the world,” said Marc Bruix, Director of Partnerships, FC Barcelona. “Through this special partnership with Spotify, we’re excited to bring our global vision to life in a way that connects with local culture. Partnering with ITZY, a group that represents the vibrancy and global appeal of Korean music, perfectly reflects our shared ambition to reach new audiences and create unforgettable moments.”

“We had such a great time being part of this campaign,” said the members of ITZY. “It was a fun opportunity to show how music and football can come together to create something truly exciting for fans everywhere.”

ITZY-curated playlists

We invited ITZY to take over Barça on Tour: Korea 2025, curating 30 tracks—including 10 of their own and 20 warm-up picks—to get fans hyped for kickoff. The playlist is available globally on Spotify, with ITZY on the cover sporting official FC Barcelona jerseys.

To keep the momentum going, they’re also taking over WOR K OUT—Korea’s No. 1 workout playlist on Spotify, with more than 1.3M followers—starting August 9. It’s packed with their favorite tracks to keep post-game energy high.

Matchday moments

To amplify the spirit of the occasion, Spotify and FC Barcelona produced exclusive content featuring a special meet-and-greet between ITZY and Barça players at Seoul World Cup Stadium. The interactive footage was shared across socials, bringing fans even closer to this unique moment.

Pitch-side presence

During the Seoul match, fans saw Spotify branding across LED boards, goal-line signage, and press backdrops, and they’ll be seeing more of it in Daegu. We also took over one of Seoul’s most iconic digital displays, Gangnam Media Sync, to share the campaign with the city.

From jersey takeovers with global superstars like Travis Scott, Coldplay, KAROL G, The Rolling Stones, ROSALÍA, and Drake to localized cultural campaigns like this one with ITZY, our partnership with FC Barcelona continues to turn football into a creative canvas that celebrates artists and the fans who love them.

Want more from Spotify x FC Barcelona? Follow FC Barcelona’s official profile on Spotify or visit our dedicated For The Record hub to stay in tune. Getting ready for the next match? Hit play on the Barça on Tour: Korea 2025 playlist curated by ITZY, or check out their official artist profile.

Spotify Launches K-Pop Performance Video Series . . . Next Up, TWS

June 27, 2025

K-Pop remains one of the biggest genres globally, and many fans just can’t get enough of it.  That’s why Spotify has launched a new series of K-Pop performance videos that bring listeners even closer to their favorite artists. 

From live vocals to choreography, these exclusive showcases offer a fresh, immersive dimension to some of your favorite K-Pop hits. What’s more, the series gives artists an innovative platform for expanding their creative expression and forging deeper connections with their audiences.

The K-Pop performance videos are a vibrant addition to Spotify’s expanding catalog of music videos, available to Premium users across 96 markets. With our existing music video feature, listeners can already seamlessly switch between an audio track and its visual counterpart using the “Switch to video/audio” toggle. 

“Performance videos have long been central to fan culture, transforming songs into dynamic artistic expressions that fuel conversation, shape style, and deepen artist-fan connections,” said Jungjoo Park, Head of Music at Spotify, Korea. “In the exciting visual world of K-Pop, they’re essential—offering fans the next best thing to live shows through striking displays of talent and charisma. We’re excited to bring listeners this new series of K-Pop performance videos, and the initiative is truly another testament to how we keep getting better for fans of the genre.”

TWS delivers ‘Freestyle’ performance

Following the successful launch of the series with ENHYPEN’s choreography for “Loose (Korean Ver.),” the spotlight now turns to the highly anticipated next installment, featuring TWS. If you’re a Premium user in one of the markets where our K-Pop performance videos are available, you can witness their magic moves for “Freestyle” here.  

These videos offer a compelling glimpse into what fans can anticipate from future choreography showcases within the series. The cinematography—including expert use of camerawork and lighting—sets the stage for the performers to highlight the artistry of dance, empowering them to convey their unique visions for the featured tracks.

Dive into the world of K-Pop performance videos and stay tuned to more from the series on Spotify. 

Spotify Set to Launch in South Korea in the First Half of 2021

December 17, 2020

Since Spotify debuted our first K-Pop playlist in 2014, listeners have streamed more than 180 billion minutes of the genre and added K-Pop tracks to more than 120 million playlists. In the last six years, the share of K-Pop listening on Spotify has even increased by more than 2,000%—that’s a lot of excitement for all things K-Pop. So soon, we will be saying “Annyeong haseyo,” or “hello,” to the home of the genre as Spotify launches in South Korea in the first half of 2021. 

Launching in South Korea will give Korean listeners access to over 60 million tracks and over 4 billion playlists, as well as enable Korean artists to reach their local music fans and Spotify’s 320 million listeners worldwide. It will also connect listeners in Korea to artists and music from around the world.

“We are excited about our upcoming launch in South Korea, a market recognized as an epicenter for music, culture and tech innovation,” says Alex Norström, Chief Freemium Business Officer of Spotify. “Spotify has been a partner to the Korean music industry for many years now. We are proud to have been a part of the K-pop global story, showcasing the genre on our platform and enabling its discovery all over the world, from Asia to the US, South America, Europe and the Middle East. We’re looking forward to working with our valued local partners to uncover more Korean artists, and to connect them with fans in South Korea and all over the world.”

As one of the fastest-growing major music markets in the world* and the sixth-largest music market globally,** South Korea is key for Spotify in our mission of giving a million artists the opportunity to live off their art and billions of fans the opportunity to enjoy and be inspired by it. Spotify wants to help accelerate the growth of Korea’s entire music streaming ecosystem, benefitting artists, labels, distributors and fans.

Today, our K-pop genre hub encompasses a wide range of Korean music, including K-pop, hip-hop, indie, OST, R&B and more, as well as “RADAR Korea,” a playlist uncovering fresh K-music finds as a part of Spotify’s global emerging artist program. The hub is localized in over 64 countries, including Russia, India, Brazil and the UAE.

Tune into K-Pop Daebak for some of the hottest K-Pop hits and look out for more information on the launch in the first half of 2021.

* According to IFPI 

** According to IFPI