Tag: latin

Anitta and Spotify Light Up Miami with Festa Kisses Fan Experience

June 21, 2019

Touting more than 16.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify, Anitta is a force to be reckoned with in Latin music.

On June 18 in the heart of Miami’s booming Wynwood district, Spotify and Anitta came together for Festa Kisses, a one-night extravaganza that gave Anitta’s biggest fans the opportunity to glam up and get down like the Brazilian queen. Featuring an intimate surprise performance, fans were given the chance to customize their own Anitta look with everything from make-up to wigs to props and more.

“Spotify and I shared a vision to create an empowering experience that brought the spirit of transformation and self-love to life for fans,” said Anitta. “The result was Festa Kisses. I hope fans came out and saw how amazing they are as they looked in the mirror. My styles are just a little nudge of inspiration, and I’m grateful that Spotify gave me the opportunity to host this amazing event.”

Through events like Festa Kisses, Spotify is helping to further connect artists and fans. Because, no matter how loud the beat of the music, the heartbeats of the fans are just as strong.

Check out shots from the night below:

Who Will Win the Latin Grammy Awards? Here’s What Our Streaming Data Says

November 14, 2018

Honoring the biggest stars in Latin music, the 19th Annual Latin Grammy Awards on November 15 are just around the corner, and the lucky winners are anyone’s guess. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun projecting which talented artists will take home the coveted gold gramophones.

First, let’s look at what we know for sure. The breakout hitmakers topping the charts lead the pack of this year’s Latin Grammy hopefuls, including Colombian reggaeton sensation J Balvin, who racked up eight nominations. Flamenco fusion standout Rosalía isn’t far behind, with five nominations total, a testament to the Barcelona native’s sizzling sophomore album. Meanwhile, Afro-Colombian gypsy jazz ensemble Monsieur Periné is riding the worldwide Latin music wave to what could be the band’s second Latin Grammy win in just three years (the group won the Latin Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2015). Taking home the 2018 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year Award will be Maná. The iconic six-time Latin Grammy-winning and four-time Grammy-winning Mexican rock-pop superstars will receive the coveted award for the group’s outstanding contributions to the Latin music community and for its dedication to environmental preservation and support for human rights.

Maná, the Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year Award

Now, just for fun, let’s gaze into our data-driven crystal ball. Drawing on Spotify’s own statistics—based on what the listeners are streaming—we put together projections for the leading hopefuls in four top Latin Grammy Award categories. Since we rooted our predictions in Spotify user behavior, our listeners are in the future-gazing driver seat. So, based on the total plays on Spotify in the past month (drumroll, please), the potential winners are:

Record of the Year

“X” – Nicky Jam & J Balvin, 17 million streams in the last month

“Mi Gente” – J Balvin con Willy William, 15.2 million streams in the last month

“Malamente” – Rosalía, 5.6 million streams in the last month

Album of the Year

“Vibras” – J Balvin, 45 million streams in the last month

“Prometo” – Pablo Alborán, 9.4 million streams in the last month

“¡México Por Siempre!” – Luis Miguel, 5.4 million streams in the last month

Song of the Year

“Robarte Un Beso” – Mauricio Rengifo, Andrés Torres, Carlos Vives & Sebastian Yatra, songwriters (Carlos Vives & Sebastian Yatra), 7.3 million streams in the last month

“Malamente” – Antón Alvarez Alfaro, Pablo Diaz–Reixa & Rosalía, songwriters (Rosalía), 5.6 million streams in the last month

“Bailar Contigo” – Monsieur Periné & Mauricio Rengifo, songwriters (Monsieur Periné), 1.7 million streams in the last month

Best New Artist

Karol G, 83 million streams in the last month

Best New Artist Nominee Karol G

Christian Nodal, 26 million streams in the last month

Best New Artist Nominee Christian Nodal

Angela Aguilar, 18 million streams in the last month

Best New Artist Nominee Angela Aguilar

Don’t forget to tune in to see where our predictions land. The 19th Annual Latin Grammy Awards air live Thursday, November, 15th on Univision at 8 p.m. EST/PT.

Get pumped for the big show with our 19th Annual Latin Grammy Awards playlist, packed with 127 songs from nominees spanning several Latin music genres—pop, salsa, banda, cumbia, and more.

The 9 Best Moments From the World’s Game (Football) as Told by Streaming Data

July 13, 2018

Since kicking off last month, the world’s game has captivated fans around the globe. From the opening match of the world’s game to its wild semi-final, there’s been no shortage of drama, including joyous triumphs, bitter disappointments, and surprise upsets. In other words: It’s been awesome. But the excitement hasn’t been limited to the pitch—fans also love a little soundtrack to accompany their cheers.

Check out 9 of the most exciting football moments from the past few weeks as told by Spotify streaming data.

1. June 15: ‘La Roja Baila’ Heats Up For Spain vs. Portugal

The heated match between historical rivals Spain and Portugal inspired a huge increase in streams of “La Roja Baila” (“The Red Dance”), a collaboration between Spanish singer Niña Pastori and footballer Sergio Ramos. The track, which was the official anthem of the Spanish National Team for the 2016 Euro Cup, saw a 43 percent increase right after the action went down.

2. June 16: Iceland Brings it ‘Home’ In their First Tournament Appearance

In its first-ever World Cup match, Iceland scored against Argentina, ultimately tying them 1-1 in their debut game. The country’s historic goal—and goalkeeper Hannes Þór Halldórsson’s awe-inspiring save against Argentina’s Lionel Messi—energized an entire nation to turn up the music. One song that spiked ʼround the fjords was “Eg er kominn heim” (“I’ve Come Home”), Iceland’s favorite football song.

Spotify streaming during Iceland’s first appearance

 

3. June 18: Mexico Rejoices in Historic Song For Win Over Germany

When Mexico beat Germany 1-0, fans couldn’t stop streaming “Cielito Lindo,” or “Lovely Sweet One,” a popular folk song. In recent years, the song has become an unofficial football anthem, with fans calling, “Sing and don’t cry!”

4. June 26: Messi and Rojo Score On The Field and at ‘The Club’

After tying Iceland, Argentina bounced back against Nigeria with triumphant goals from Lionel Messi and Marcos Rojo. Fans turned it up with El Pepo’s“Hoy Acá en el Baile” (“Here Today at the Club”), which spiked by about 114 percent.

5. June 28: Mexico Goes ‘Gangnam’ For South Korea’s Victory Over Germany

South Korea’s surprise win over Germany kept Mexico in the tournament, which inspired Mexican fans to honor their good fortune with a Korean electro hit. “Gangnam Style”—as much a pop culture phenomenon as a song—was Mexico’s biggest party jam right after the match.

6. July 3: England Celebrates Penalty Shootout Win Over Colombia in Signature Style

England’s match against Colombia was a close one, but the Three Lions eventually triumphed 4-3. Naturally, English fans celebrated with their signature football anthem, 1996’s “Three Lions,” by The Lightning Seeds, which was streamed over 450,000 times.

7. July 3: Sweden Gets Nostalgic During First Quarterfinal in 24 Years

Sweden made it to a World Cup quarterfinal for the first time since 1994, which offered fans a great reason to get nostalgic. They chose to reminisce with a classic track from that year, “När vi gräver guld i USA,” which translates to “When We Dig For Gold In The USA.”

8. July 6: Belgium Emerge as ‘Champions’ Against Brazil

Belgium had a lot to celebrate when the team beat Brazil 2-1. And what better victory theme is there than “We Are The Champions”? Belgian streams of the classic Queen track increased by almost 289 percent after the match.

9. July 10: France ‘Survives’ Belgium (With a Little Help from Gloria Gaynor)

Gloria Gaynor’s 1978 disco empowerment anthem “I Will Survive” probably wasn’t written for the soccer field, but it worked wonders for France, who increased streams of the song by more than 800 percent after their 1-0 win against Belgium.

Getting pumped for the final match? Get in the spirit of the World’s Game with our football-inspired playlist.

Spotify Kicks Off ¡Viva Latino! Live Concert Series in Chicago with Daddy Yankee, Bad Bunny, Becky G, Jowell & Randy and Natti Natasha

June 26, 2018

The Latin music takeover didn’t start with “Despacito,” and it won’t end with it either. A surge of interest in Latin music led to the launch of our 2014 ¡Viva Latino! playlist. Four years later, we’re taking ¡Viva Latino! to the next level: Live.

“¡Viva Latino! Live” turns the playlist into a show-stopping live concert series featuring the hottest artists making a name for Latin music across the globe. Spotify teamed up with Cárdenas Marketing Network (CMN), a US-based multicultural concert producer and event marketing agency, to elevate the stories and voices behind the playlist and bring them to life on stage.

“Since launching our ¡Viva Latino! playlist in 2014, we’ve witnessed the Latin music culture grow beyond even our wildest hopes and expectations,” says Rocio Guerrero, Head of Global Cultures, Shows & Editorial at Spotify. “The decision to take this playlist on the road is a true testament to the impact Latin music is having around the world right now. This is a really exciting moment for Spotify and Latin music fans everywhere—and we can’t wait to have some fun.”

The tour will kick off at Chicago’s Allstate Arena on Thursday, August 23, when hitmakers Daddy Yankee, Bad Bunny, Becky G, Jowell & Randy, and Natti Natasha take the stage and share their love for Latin movement across the globe. Additional cities for the tour along with performers will be announced at a later date.

“When we launched the first-ever vertical video on the ¡Viva Latino! playlist with ‘Vuelve,’ we knew the impact of ¡Viva Latino! playlist around the world—not only for our music, but for our culture. I’m excited to again be part of the history and kick off the first-ever ‘¡Viva Latino! Live’ Concert,” said Latin urban music legend Daddy Yankee.

“I am excited to be joining Spotify to kick off their first-ever ‘¡Viva Latino! Live’ concert series alongside some of the biggest artists in Latin music,” says reggaetón singer Bad Bunny. “This live platform allows artists to truly express ourselves and bring once-in-a-lifetime engaging experiences to our fans. It’s not solely about the music—it’s about the culture, creativity, and contributing to the movement that connects us all together. Latino Gang!”

“These are exciting times in Latin entertainment, and we are proud to partner with such a dynamic music-centric company as Spotify to produce ‘¡Viva Latino! Live,’ which brings together some of the biggest names in Latin entertainment for one night,” says Henry Cardenas, Chief Executive Officer, CMN. “This partnership and initiative demonstrates Spotify’s commitment to Latin culture, and the artists that influence it, in a way that brings true engaging live experiences to the hearts of music fans around the world.”

Tickets will be available on Ticketmaster.com here for presale beginning Wednesday, June 27 at 10am cst. General public onsale will begin on Friday, June 29 at 10am cst.

Stay tuned for additional dates, artists and venues for “¡Viva Latino! Live.”

J Balvin Skyrockets to the Most Popular Artist on Spotify

June 25, 2018

J Balvin has been on a mission to blow reggaeton into a global phenomenon since he started making music at 14. The Latin pop superstar, now 33, has done it at last. Today, Balvin snagged Spotify’s top spot with the Most Monthly Listeners Globally, surpassing Drake’s long-held record. With over 48.1 million monthly listeners, he is officially the most popular artist on our platform.

“It is so rewarding to have achieved this goal,” says Balvin. “I’ve spoken often about my belief that we can change the concept of what is ‘mainstream’ – that people around the world can vibe with the rhythms of our Latin culture, and this special moment continues to prove that point. I have the utmost gratitude to Spotify for the long support for my music, and I am beyond honored to join the ranks of Drake and others that have been able to connect with people of so many nationalities through Spotify playlists. We’ve proved that Reggaeton HAS gone global, and that songs in Spanish can stand alongside the best pop music on the planet.”

With musical roots steeped in rap, R&B, bachata, reggae and champeta, the Colombian-born José Álvaro Osorio Balvín is a crossover king who understands the multiplicative power of partnership. The proof: his growing list of chart-topping collabs with today’s hottest pop and hip-hop artists including Justin Bieber, Maroon 5, Ariana Grande, Pharrell Williams (he has also toured with Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull).

And who can forget “Mi Gente,” his smash-hit summer jam? The multicultural dance anthem rocketed to Number One on the Spotify Global Top 50 Chart last August. Just one month later, the “Mi Gente” Beyoncé remix—in which Queen Bey sings in Spanish, English and French—landed on the U.S. Top 10 Songs Chart. The breakthrough single further catapulted reggaeton into the global spotlight. During this landmark year in Balvin’s career, Latin music listening increased by 110 percent on Spotify.

The Latin Grammy Award-winning singer blasted into 2018 on a collaborative roll, churning out a string of hit dream-team singles: “Machika” with Brazilian funk star Anitta, “X” with Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Nicky Jam, “Familiar” with former One Direction member Liam Payne and “I Like It” with Cardi B and Bad Bunny.

Balvin’s meteoric rise on the global charts and Spotify—the leading music streaming service in the world—is a testament to not only his barrier-breaking body of work, but also to the explosion of Latin music around the globe. With his Spanish language-only hit “Mi Gente,” the bilingual sensation showed that Spanish-language music is conquering pop on a global level, in both English and Spanish speaking regions alike.

To explore J Balvin’s eclectic array of hypnotic multicultural rhythms, check out the This Is: J Balvin playlist on Spotify.