Tag: London

Neneh Cherry Takes Us on a Musical Journey Inspired by Her Memoir, ‘A Thousand Threads’

November 20, 2024

Neneh Cherry, a musical trailblazer for more than three decades, is full of stories. In her new memoir, A Thousand Threads, she pulls back the curtain on her extraordinary life, from her early childhood in Sweden to her mother’s marriage to jazz musician Don Cherry; from recording with punk group The Slits in London to her career as a solo artist.

To celebrate the audiobook release of A Thousands Threads, Neneh joined Spotify on Tuesday for a fireside chat at our London office hosted by presenter and author Annie Mac. The event was a rare opportunity for fans to hear from Neneh herself, alongside her daughter, singer-songwriter Mabel.

As guests arrived, they were treated to the beats of London-based DJ Sandra Omari. British Jamaican chef and artist Denai Moore provided a special menu of drinks and snacks inspired by Neneh’s iconic discography and the places woven through her memoir.

Celebrate Notting Hill Carnival With Our Carnival Sounds Hub, the Ultimate Audio Destination for Caribbean Music and Culture

August 21, 2024

On August 25 and 26, an estimated 2 million attendees will flock to London for Notting Hill Carnival, a vibrant celebration of the U.K.’s Caribbean community. As one of Europe’s biggest street festivals, the annual event brings a spectacular display of costumes, colors, and sounds to the city. Revelers take to the streets for parades, food, and music, with sound systems and DJs spinning dub, reggae, soca, soulful house, and everything in between.

As part of our commitment to celebrating Caribbean culture and amplifying Black voices around the world, Spotify is proud to partner with Notting Hill Carnival for the fifth consecutive year. And this year, we’re marking the occasion with our newly launched Carnival Sounds hub on Spotify, bringing fans the opportunity to experience the music, stories, and culture they know and love in one place.

Want to discover reggae’s very best? Our Irie playlist has you covered. Craving the faster-paced, drum-heavy rhythms of soca? Look no further than Massive Soca Hits. There’s also the Carnival Sounds 2024 playlist, our popular Dancehall Official playlist, and many more.

Fans can also dive into the rich history of Notting Hill Carnival with a curated selection of podcast episodes, or explore shows like A Shot Of Soca, a London-based podcast, and The Yaadman Podcast from Jamaican creators Davaine and Tonniel. The amplification of Caribbean voices continues outside of Spotify, too, with fun conversations like this Unwritten Rules of Carnival guide, with artists Alicai Harley and Kairo Keyz and creators Indiyah Polack, Ugly Andz, and Faceinthenews.

“Notting Hill Carnival is more than just a celebration; it’s a powerful expression of Caribbean identity and a testament to the global impact of its culture,” said Safiya Lambie-Knight, Spotify’s Head of Music Partnerships, Northern Europe. “We’re excited to bring back Carnival Sounds to celebrate the rich heritage and music of Carnival and to support and elevate Caribbean artists, voices, and communities. It’s great to be able to help people to discover and engage with the culture ahead of Carnival weekend.”

Building on this year’s festivities, Spotify has also teamed up with Trippin World, a platform that empowers people to travel more consciously. Together, we’ll bring Caribbean culture to even more people around the world, celebrating its impact and importance through the eyes of Notting Hill Carnival.

Head to our Carnival Sounds hub to immerse yourself in all things Caribbean.

A New Spotify Documentary Spotlights UK Youth Centers

August 1, 2024

Youth spaces are crucial for the well-being of children and young people, as they instill a deep sense of belonging and ignite creativity. But in the U.K., these spaces have been in rapid decline due to decades of funding cuts, leaving young people with fewer places to be creative and engage with their communities in positive ways.

To underscore the importance of youth spaces in the U.K., Spotify has teamed up with the London-based youth mentoring organization Mentivity to release our new short film The Centre. Filmed and directed by Adeyemi Michael, The Centre showcases the transformative impact youth spaces can have on burgeoning local artists and U.K. music culture at large, which has birthed influential genres like grime and U.K. drill.

Featuring hip-hop duo Young T & Bugsey, rapper Ms Banks, drummer Femi Koleoso from the Mercury Prize-winning jazz quintet Ezra Collective, and MC and producer Novelist, The Centre chronicles the ways each artist’s youth club experiences helped inspire their creative journeys and the music they produce to this day.

Keeping youth spaces alive

While 750 youth spaces across the U.K. have closed since 2010, they still play a vital role in fostering the creative development of young people across the country. In fact, these spaces have helped shape the careers of some of today’s leading artists and musicians. Take Young T & Bugsey, who met at age 15 and spent the following years honing their craft at youth spaces in their hometown of Nottingham. To date, they’ve racked up more than 850 million streams on Spotify.

According to a recent survey commissioned by Spotify, 70% of young people in the U.K. feel that youth clubs help nurture creative talent, and 74% want to learn more about creative industries. More than three quarters (77%) believe youth spaces create a safe environment for young people.

In addition to highlighting the ways youth spaces have meaningfully impacted U.K artists, The Centre celebrates the opening of Mentivity House, a newly developed youth space in the southeast London neighborhood of Peckham.

“Mentivity House is an example of how we reclaim our block,” said Mentivity founder Sayce Holmes-Lewis. “Over a decade in the making, this is a full-circle moment for me. Growing up and working here for 25 years, I’ve seen regeneration change the area. We’re committed to strengthening our roots and creating a lasting legacy for our community, helping young people become the best versions of themselves.”

Our partnership with Mentivity follows our global partnership with UNICEF to help ensure that young people around the world can access trusted and engaging mental health audio content. We teamed up with UNICEF to create the Our Minds Matter hub on Spotify, where listeners can find music and talk playlists that support mental health and well-being.

Billie Eilish and Spotify Invite You Inside the Mysterious Universe of ‘HIT ME HARD AND SOFT’

May 9, 2024

Billie Eilish fans have been waiting with bated breath for her third studio album, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, arriving May 17. Now, together with Spotify, Billie invites fans to step inside the vast, mysterious world of her new project with an immersive listening experience at the innovative London showspace Lightroom.

On May 16 and 17, Lightroom’s large-scale projections and state-of-the-art sound system will take fans on a one-of-a-kind journey through the HIT ME HARD AND SOFT universe.

First, visitors will dive into Billie’s world through the album art—a haunting image of the artist underwater, barefoot, and floating beneath a white wooden door. As they make their way through the 10 tracks, they’ll plunge deeper into the concepts and music. For the final track, “BLUE,” they’ll make their way back up through an expansive body of water until finally reaching fresh air—and an entirely new perspective.

Multiple showings of the experience will take place across both days to accommodate thousands of fans. Visitors can head to Lightroom now to RSVP. Located in the city’s King’s Cross neighborhood, the four-story performance space is designed to host artist-led shows.

HIT ME HARD AND SOFT marks Billie’s first full-length album in three years, following up on 2021’s Happier Than Ever and 2019’s WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? With each album release, Spotify has helped connect Billie devotees to the dark-pop prodigy in new and exciting ways, including a multisensory interactive experience, our first-ever artist hub, special on-platform album experiences, and more.

Billie fans, be sure to pre-save HIT ME HARD AND SOFT now. In the meantime, enjoy our This Is Billie Eilish playlist to hear the artist’s very best.

Advertisers and Creators Come Together at Our First-Ever Spotify Sparks in London

May 2, 2024

With more than 600 million users around the world tuned in to Spotify, there’s no shortage of opportunity for brands and businesses to connect with their fans in creative ways on our platform.

Last year, we launched Spotify Sparks to help educate advertisers on why Spotify is the destination for reaching the most engaged audiences and leveraging culture-shaping content for impactful advertising campaigns. Following two successful summits in Brazil and India, we brought Spotify Sparks to the U.K. for the first-ever London edition. On May 1, Spotify executives, industry leaders, content creators, and advertisers gathered for a series of live discussions, presentations, and interactive sessions that explored the full power of the Spotify ecosystem.

During the event, Grace Kao, Spotify’s Global Head of Advertising Business Marketing, moderated a conversation with Alex Norström, Spotify’s Co-President and Chief Business Officer, about the evolution of Spotify as a platform and the growth of our global advertising business.

We’re sharing highlights from Grace’s conversation with Alex, as well as Grace’s insights about the inaugural event, the latest ad experience innovations, the feel-good power of audio, and more.

Alex, what have been the most memorable moments of growth during your 13-year Spotify tenure?

Alex: For me, it’s been when we’ve had to bet the farm and commit surgery on ourselves a couple of times. Moments when you ask, Are we really going to do that? The first was when the world shifted from desktop to mobile—clearly evident now, not so much at the time. It paid off, we basically got a ton of growth, and in one month we grew more than the 12 months prior. Same with podcasts. We’re now in our second phase of podcasts, but a few years ago we had to start and establish our reach.

Has adding Audiobooks in Premium been another one of those moments?

Alex: I think so. The moment started last year, when we took a hard look at our proposition and saw there was so much consumer surplus. People spend hours and hours on our product. So, it was the right time to raise prices. This was new for us. But at the same time, we’re putting more value back in. An example being audiobooks, but also music videos and AI Playlist. We keep adding features to reinvest back proportionally.

Something that people don’t realize and we don’t talk about much is that our innovation is feature-led. We’ve been innovating in features—AI DJ, Spotify Connect, and daylist are good examples. Instead of leaning back and just letting the AI and the ML take care of how users interact with Spotify, we actively construct and innovate on features. Which I love.

And what advice can you share with these marketers at Spotify Sparks?

Alex: I’ll talk about marketing from our perspective. We saw a few years ago that as the cost of media increases, the price of advertising goes up. So whether you’re a global brand or a start-up, it’s more expensive to market. When things are expensive, they are riskier. So, you naturally become more risk-averse.

We always try to look at things differently. So we said, If you have millions of users, you can tell compelling stories on the platform. You can talk to the users about their consumption on the platform and what’s relevant. And the hope is they then share with their friends on their networks.

That’s what Wrapped is. When you hit the spot, it’s amazing—it’s marketing and messaging that is very efficient. And we see great growth and retention.

Spotify Tests Video-Based Learning Courses in the UK

March 25, 2024

Today we’re launching a test for video-based courses on Spotify in the U.K. We’ve partnered with educational tech companies including BBC Maestro, PLAYvirtuoso, Skillshare, and Thinkific to bring video content directly to Spotify users.

U.K. users will now find video courses for purchase alongside their favorite music, podcasts, and audiobooks. The content for courses on Spotify covers a variety of topics categorized into four main themes: make music, get creative, learn business, and healthy living, giving listeners an abundance of options to expand their knowledge.

“Testing video courses in the U.K. allows us to explore an exciting opportunity to better serve the needs of our users who have an active interest in learning,” said Babar Zafar, VP Product Development at Spotify. “Many of our users engage with podcasts and audiobooks on a daily basis for their learning needs, and we believe this highly engaged community will be interested in accessing and purchasing quality content from video course creators. At Spotify, we’re constantly striving to create new offerings for our creators and users, and having built best-in-class personalized music and podcast offerings, we look forward to exploring the potential of video-based learning on Spotify.”

With this offer, we are exploring a potential opportunity to provide educational creators with a new audience who can access their video content, reaching a bigger potential swath of engaged Spotify users while expanding our catalog. About half of Spotify Premium subscribers have engaged in education or self-help-themed podcasts.

For this test, U.K. Free users and Premium subscribers will be able to trial at least two lessons per course for free before making the decision to purchase additional lessons, which they can do on a dedicated web page.

Try it out for yourself:

On the mobile app, U.K. users will find course videos in the home and browse tabs.
Once clicked through, users can explore available courses across the four categories before purchasing them on desktop. Once purchased, the courses will be available on mobile and desktop.
On desktop: https://courses.spotify.com/home
Users can select courses they’re interested in, and upon purchase, start learning, watching on mobile app or desktop.

Learn more about our content partners:

BBC Maestro creates content to educate and inspire people to explore their creativity. Through prerecorded lessons and detailed course notes, anyone can learn a wide range of disciplines and follow in the footsteps of experts respected all over the world. www.bbcmaestro.com
PLAYvirtuoso is transforming modern music learning through artist-led courses, mentoring, and structured curriculums. PLAYvirtuoso develops artists to become inspirational educators and empower young creatives with real skills and outcomes. www.playvirtuoso.com
Skillshare is an online learning community where millions of creatives go to develop and deepen their skills. Watch thousands of creative classes in topics including design, freelance, 3D animation, entrepreneurship, photography, productivity, and more. Join today at https://join.skillshare.com/learn
Thinkific Labs Inc. is a leading platform for creating, marketing, and selling courses, digital products, communities, and learning experiences. www.thinkific.com

Update as of June 25, 2024:

Spotify has partnered with Superintelligent, an education platform that teaches anyone to use AI for work and fun, to bring new content to its courses platform for U.K. users. The partnership will bring 10 different courses and companion how-to’s that provide step-by-step instructions for using the most important AI Tools.

Scores, Songs, and Supper Served at Our Spotify Supper in London

September 18, 2023

Good food, good conversation, and amazing music. Is there anything better?

That’s what was served up last week in London at our annual Spotify Supper, which included a live performance by Olivia Dean, our EQUAL UK & Ireland ambassador and recent Mercury Prize nominee.

Spotify Supper began in 2016 as a way to bring together executives with advertising and publishing partners for an evening to remember. The dinners have become a much-anticipated staple of our brand, and the latest, held in London, was no exception. Guests were treated to a multisensory experience with “Blend”-inspired cocktails and enjoyed desserts from the Soft Serve Society that took a cue from our Sonic Science research.

Spotify’s Soundtrack Behind The Runway Celebrates Fall Fashion Week With Inspiring Designers From New York, London, Milan, and Paris

September 7, 2023

It takes more than a little confidence to strut down a runway. It also requires the right beat to punctuate the walk and accentuate the mood. The music that accompanies the fashion helps evoke the vibe of a collection and the spirit of a designer. And music has a role long before the show, often providing inspiration during the creative process of designing. Fashion and music go hand in hand, and on Spotify, there are more than 630,000 fashion-inspired playlists created by listeners. So, as fashion month kicks off around the world, Spotify is celebrating the innovators leading the way and the music that inspires them with our new destination, The Soundtrack Behind The Runway.

The Spotify destination features takeovers of some of our top fashion and culture playlists. Across New York, London, Milan, and Paris, designers including Advisry’s Keith Herron, Luar’s Raul Lopez, MAINS London’s Skepta, Etro’s Marco De Vincenzo, GCDS’s Giuliano Calza, and Rabanne’s Julien Dossena will curate the tracks for popular playlists like Fashion Forward and Runway. Follow us around the world to learn about Spotify’s special playlist takeovers and hear from the designers and creative directors themselves.

‘Ya Salam,’ the New Track Bringing Together the Best of Moroccan Beats and UK Drill

April 14, 2023

cover art for the song ya salam that depicts all 7 artists' faces etched into a giant stone wall

What do you get when you bring seven artists from countries across North Africa to London to collaborate? In our case, the answer is a new drill-inspired hit, “Ya Salam.” But the track is more than a catchy beat featuring smooth rap flows and a gospel choir: At its core, the song represents the culture of the Maghreb diaspora communities.

This production, created in partnership with Spotify’s Noteable studio, is about empowering the next generation of creators, especially the independent artists who make up the music industry in North Africa. “Music in our region is currently living in one of its most exciting eras; it is getting exported and connecting with new fans beyond borders like never before,” shared Naoufal El Amrani, Senior Artist & Label Partnerships Manager for Maghreb. “With our global reach and commitment to helping artists grow their fan bases, we wanted to invest our resources into ‘Ya Salam’ to bring these diverse and incredible creators together in one space to make magic.”

Collaboration will only nurture the next generation of creators and open new opportunities for them. “There is North African representation in U.K. music, but not as much as there should be,” shared Algerian-born, London-based singer-songwriter Miraa May. “So whenever there are other people who are trying to do the same thing [that I want to do], I immediately flock to them.”

Listeners will hear the voices and influences of Miraa May along with Flomine, Smallx, Ard Adz, YP, BLESSED, and Sybka featured throughout the song, which merges Moroccan sounds with U.K. drill and gospel sounds.

“Collaboration is more than just music,” explained YP, who hails from the U.S. but has parents of Moroccan and Filipino descent. “It’s something that we want to instill in the next generation, and the generation after.”

Hear from the artist themselves in the video below.

Want more hits like “Ya Salam”? Check out our Hot Hit Maghreb playlist.

Spotify Surprises Young Songwriter With a Recording Session Featuring His Favorite Band

December 30, 2022

Sometimes all it takes is one great concert to inspire a new generation of musicians. And for an 11-year-old from Cheshire, UK, that was a live performance from The Vamps.

Daniel knew he wanted to make music after seeing the British pop band in 2019. Since then, he’s been practicing guitar and writing songs. He even won his school’s talent show with a performance of one of his original pieces.

After learning about Daniel’s journey, Spotify invited him to the Noteable Studios in London to record some original tracks. We also invited The Vamps along—but kept it a surprise. Check out Daniel’s reaction when he met his music inspiration for the first time.

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For the Record caught up with Daniel to learn more about the experience.

Tell us a bit about the concert where you first saw The Vamps. What made it so impactful?

Daniel: I first saw the Vamps in their Four Corners Tour in Liverpool in 2019. Seeing a live concert was so much better than listening to music in the car. It felt like a party and made it all more real. Seeing the guitars and how they played them was very cool.

How would you describe your musical sound? Are there any other groups that inspire you?

Daniel: I would describe my musical genre as soft pop, but I’m also working on some songs at the moment which I’d describe as pop rock! I’m also inspired by James Arthur, 5 Seconds of Summer, and Anson Seabra.

What is your creative process like? How do you come up with ideas for lyrics and melodies?

Daniel: It depends—sometimes when I’m jamming on the guitar I decide I like the riff or think that the chord structure might be fun to work with. I then put it on a loop on my looper pedal, and sing in my head and experiment with a tune. At other times I’m singing to myself and decide that the lyrics sound nice. Once I’ve got a few lines of lyrics, I’ll find out what key I’m singing in and then I’ll try and work on the instrumental ideas.

Tell us about the eventful day in Noteable studios when The Vamps surprised you.

Daniel: I loved my whole day at the Noteable studios. It was so good working with Amy, the sound technician, and learning the process of recording a song. When The Vamps arrived my heart stopped, and I couldn’t speak. It was the best day of my life so far! I enjoyed having a chat with Brad, James, Conner, and Tristan on the sofas and sharing the fruit! We chatted about school talent shows and writing songs. Since my trip to the Noteable studios, I’ve been inspired to write more songs and improve the songs that I’m writing. I’m in the process of writing an eight-song album!

Then For the Record asked The Vamps for their side of the story.

What was your reaction when you got the call to come surprise Daniel?

The Vamps: Any opportunity to encourage people to follow their dreams, we’re in! We were all very excited to meet Dan and check out his vibe. We recorded the last album, Cherry Blossom, in Metropolis Studios, so it’s always special going back there. We always jump on an opportunity to help a young musician. I remember when we were all getting started and any good advice we could get, we would listen. I loved Dan’s attitude towards making music and the confidence he has to enter a studio with such heritage.

Why did you want to jump on the opportunity?

The Vamps: Since the start, one of the main objectives of The Vamps is to spread love and happiness. If we can do that then so can he. When we saw Dan’s letter it was a no brainer. When I was that young I would do anything for some advice that would point me in the right direction. Life is about believing in yourself, and if there is anything we can do to help, we will.

In the video you give the young songwriter a piece of advice. Can you recall any advice you got when you were first starting out? Any that you wish you had followed but didn’t?

The Vamps: I think one of the main pieces of advice is that music doesn’t just automatically show up on a piece of paper, or is created by a computer. It comes from emotions and experiences. He will go through these during his lifetime growing up. The best thing he can do is write about it.

Of course when you’re that age you don’t tend to want to listen to other people. When I was younger, sometimes I would over-play, and not listen to anybody because I was having too much fun; but the reality is, the song is king. You have be in the mindset of “What is best for the song?” and not what’s best for you as a musician. Now when we write, I’m always thinking, “What does this music NEED?” and think less about what I want.

What are some other ways Spotify has helped you connect with your fans?

The Vamps: Spotify is the new way of discovering and listening to music. I can’t tell you how much it has helped The Vamps reach an international audience. I feel it delivers what people actually want, and ignores any politics behind the music. I have discovered artists that I never would have 10 years ago. It connects music, which connects people.

Check out more from The Vamps below.

Spotify Throws an Anti-Prom To Celebrate the Sounds of the misfits 2.0 Playlist

October 27, 2022

Cassyette performs as Spotify hosts "Anti-prom event to celebrate Misfits 2.0 playlist" with performances in London, England

Stand out. Be yourself. And never conform.

Fans of Spotify’s misfits 2.0 playlist know this mantra well. The playlist has amassed over 453,000 likes since it launched in 2020, proving that there’s always a place for the alternative. It’s a destination for hyper-engaged fans to discover a new generation of boundary-breaking artists whose music simply cannot be defined. So this week, to celebrate the playlist’s championing of all things alternative, we hosted an Anti-Prom fit for all the alt kings and queens in London.

Fans of the playlist arrived dressed in their finest anti-prom looks, peacocking their favorite elements of eye-catching “misfits” style.

A lineup of women and non-binary artists—including Mercury Prize–nominated Nova Twins along with GIRLI, lozeak, Cassyette, and Lynks—all performed their hearts out in front of raucous fans at a party that was inspired by high school movie mayhem. There was even an Anti-Prom Committee of misfit creators that led the celebration, and a judging panel for a number of yearbook awards that attendees could compete for. Guests also had the chance to capture their classic prom-photo moments in a themed photo booth.

RADAR Artist Cat Burns Takes a Trip Down Memory Lane With Spotify Singles Recorded at Her Former School

October 26, 2022

a photo of Cat Burns sitting on a brown leather couch, wearing a green tracksuit, and staring at the camera

Cat Burns is Spotify’s newest Global RADAR artist, but this may not be the first time listeners have heard the singer-songwriter’s name. The South London native recently supported superstar Ed Sheeran on the European leg of his Mathematics Tour, and she’s set to support Sam Smith on the European leg of his GLORIA tour. On Spotify, Cat has already attracted listeners’ attention, racking up over 5.8 million monthly listeners.

Plus, Cat was previously featured in Spotify’s Noteable songwriters program, and earlier this year she was highlighted as a Spotify UK RADAR artist. Now, she’s going global with Spotiy’s RADAR program, which spotlights rising stars through editorial, creative, and marketing support.

As part of RADAR, Cat Burns sat down to create new music in a special Spotify Singles session. The Spotify Singles program, which kicked off in 2016, was created to provide artists with the opportunity to rerecord one of their existing songs in a fresh new way, as well as cover a song of their choice by one of their own musical heroes.

For her Spotify Singles release, Cat returned to the Sir George Martin Recording Studio—located in The BRIT School, where she was a former student—and reworked a stripped-back version of her current single “people pleaser.” She also recorded a cover of fellow Londoner Estelle’s hit award-winning single, “American Boy.”

“Cat is the real deal. Authentic, open, hardworking, talented. A real BRIT School example,” shared Stuart Worden, Principal of The BRIT School. “We’re so proud of her.”

During the experience, we worked with Cat to create a special mini-documentary. “Being given the opportunity to do the Spotify RADAR documentary was honestly so much fun. I felt so lucky and honored that they wanted me and was excited to take a trip down memory lane,” said Cat. “It helped me really put into perspective my career and what I’ve achieved and how hard I’ve worked.”

Cat is already a platinum-certified artist, and now fans can find her track at the top of the RADAR Global playlist.