Tag: netflix

Actor Noah LaLonde Talks Top Books and Bringing ‘My Life with the Walter Boys’ from Page to Screen

January 31, 2024

Noah LaLonde photo on top of a designed book cover

You may recognize Noah LaLonde from his role as Cole Walter in Netflix’s new teen drama My Life with the Walter Boys. On screen, his character is busy navigating high school life and love. Off camera, the Michigan native is just as busy. But despite his schedule, Noah still finds time to relax with a good book. And when he’s traveling or out for a long run, audiobooks have become a perfect hands-free companion.

For the Record caught up with Noah to learn more about his favorite reads and what it was like adapting My Life with the Walter Boys from page to screen.

With so much content out there to enjoy, when do you turn to books?

The answer to this question has really evolved for me over the years. Today, though, I try to turn to books every day. In the social media world we live in, I feel like I can always use a book to turn my brain on to start the day or off to get myself relaxed before bed. Everything around us moves so fast in our digital age so it’s nice to mute everything around me and get into the routine of focusing on a good book.

What book has had the biggest influence on you?

I’ve enjoyed so many different books in my life—so many that have had a tremendous impact on me. Two that have held specific importance to me during specific times in my life are The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle and Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey.

The Power of Now came at a time when I really needed to remember that life is only what we ever have at this moment, and that any accomplishment isn’t worth it unless we enjoy every step of the journey. Greenlights highlighted that, as an artist, each part of our own story is worth fully embracing, as it can contribute to letting us access our full selves and can enable us to be able to share that with the world. 

What do you enjoy most about audiobooks?

I mostly enjoy the accessibility. There have been periods in my life when I’m too pressed for time to read a physical book. But I’m always running or walking or working out or driving somewhere, and an audiobook has proved to be the perfect companion for me during all of those things. Plus, sometimes, hearing the author read their own work adds an element to the experience and in helping me to connect with the material. Matthew McConaughey reading Greenlights is a perfect example of that.

What audiobook are you currently listening to?

Jay Shetty’s Think Like a Monk. I’m actually about to finish it. I’ve followed Jay for a while now, but listening to this audiobook has been the most immersed I’ve ever been in his work, and I’ve loved it. It’s been great to knock out a couple chapters during some of my long runs. 

Any advice you have for someone wanting to spend more time reading or with books?

Start slow. I’m talking 10 pages of a book or 10 minutes of an audiobook at a time. If you try to bite off more than you can chew to start, I feel like the odds of continuing the activity go way down. Find something you really like and give yourself the freedom to have the time to enjoy the process. I find the more we curate our positive habits to our liking, the better odds we have for developing and ultimately enjoying and sticking to them in the long run.

Name your top 5 must-reads.

A very hard question. I could spend hours on this…I already mentioned Greenlights and The Power of Now, but what else comes to mind and in no particular order…

Your series, My Life with the Walter Boys, is an adaptation of a novel. Did you read the book before starting the project? 

I did! One of the first things I did after receiving the news that I booked the project was to read the book. Knowing the number of people that have read the book, it felt like a bit of pressure bringing Cole Walter to life. But ultimately, you prepare as much as you can and let all the pressure go. It’s an honor at the end of the day.  

If you could be the narrator or voice actor for the audiobook version of any novel, what book would it be? 

So many come to mind that I really can’t pick. I’ll say this: I’ve been journaling a lot of my life. I would love to one day put all of those together and write a story of my own about what I’ve seen and what I’ve been through. Some of the times I’ve felt most connected to a text is when reading a memoir of an actor I’ve looked up to, or someone else who feels very connected to their own story, one that I can garner inspiration from. All that to say, I’d love to narrate my own story, or any book I’d be lucky enough to be a part of. Stay tuned.

 

Next time you’re ready to pick up a book, try pressing play on one of the many audiobooks available on Spotify. 

Credit for photo used in the design: Exavier Castro

Interior Design Expert Bobby Berk Shares Top Tips for Making Your Living Room an Audio Oasis

November 16, 2023

a graphic illustration showing two people listening to spotify on television.

As the weather outside becomes more frightful, it’s time to make your living room delightful. So cozy up your home’s vibes by allowing your favorite music or podcasts to filter through the living room. From countless brands of smart speakers to easier-than-ever TV listening, it’s seamless to connect and enjoy audio with congregating family and friends. 

Bobby Berk knows a thing or two about cultivating the perfect ambience for a living room. The interior design expert and author is well-known for his stylish and youthful designs and has been one of the “Fab Five” on Netflix’s popular makeover show Queer Eye. This makes Bobby the perfect person for Spotify to partner with to show fans how audio and home design go hand in hand. And while your home decor aesthetic is as unique as your music taste, a few extra tips can go a long way in creating the perfect space for yourself.

For the Record sat down with Bobby to understand more about designing a welcoming living room space, as well as what you’ll find on his perfect music playlist for home entertaining.

What’s the historical function and significance of the living room?

From its beginnings in the late 19th century, the living room was a more formal space in the home used primarily for entertaining guests. It consisted mainly of more-tailored seating and a layout built around conversation. It wasn’t until the mid-20th century that the living room became a more casual space for spending time with family, relaxing, listening to music, or watching TV. The design itself was also adapted to be more about comfort and a sense of coziness.

What are your top three tips for designing a welcoming, comfortable, and functional living room?

First, add seating that looks—and most importantly feels—good. Next, create a layout that encourages connection but is also open. Place your furniture in a natural, conversational grouping. You also want the layout to feel welcoming, so be sure to leave space to enter the room and move through it easily. Finally, bring in soft and cozy materials. Adding pillows, throws, and a soft rug underfoot will create a comfortable living room that you really want to spend time in.

What do you like to listen to when designing and working? How about for hosting?

If I really need to get focused and get things done, I prefer a chill instrumental mix like Focus Flow or Workday Lounge. When designing, I’ll listen to something more upbeat, a pop mix or one of my favorite artists, Rozzi.

My ideal hosting playlist would take you on a journey starting with smooth jazz and a cocktail lounge vibe. Then I would move into some pop classics and top 40 hits, get things a bit more energized, and then finish things off with more relaxed, ambient tunes.

How do acoustics, sound, and entertainment fit into your living room concepts?

I’m always thinking about how someone will use a space when designing, and that definitely includes entertainment and sound. You don’t want a living room to be an echo chamber, so I bring in materials like a rug, upholstery, and curtains to soften things and improve acoustics.

What’s your go-to smart speaker?

I have a number of Sonos speakers throughout my home, and I love that I can easily connect Spotify to just one speaker—like, if I want to sing in the shower, the portable speaker if I’m outdoors, or the whole house if I’m entertaining.

Spotify’s daylist provides you with a custom playlist multiple times per day depending on what you listen to around the clock. What are you loving about the feature so far?

My mood definitely changes throughout the day, so it’s nice to have a playlist that changes along with it! In the morning, I have a mix that gets me motivated and focused for the day, a high-energy workout mix for the afternoon, and something a bit more chill for unwinding at the end of the day.

Whether it’s a Feel Good Morning Niche Mix for those who love a fresh, light, and airy aesthetic or a warm pumpkin spice evening daylist for those channeling a cozy winter atmosphere on the couch, Spotify’s personalized playlists can help you feel right at home.

From Heathrow to ‘Heartstopper,’ GLOW Artist Baby Queen is on a Musical Journey All Her Own

September 21, 2023

Bella Latham has long believed in her songwriting and composing abilities—even when it took others longer to recognize and amplify her talents. As a 10-year-old in Durban, South Africa, she learned to play piano by ear, and created compositions which she would then memorize and play repeatedly. She also wrote poetry that translated well to lyrics. After high school, she moved to London to pursue music, where she developed her first project, Baby Queen. 

“I came to London with a suitcase and 20 demo CDs, and nobody gave a shit because they were really bad,” she explained to For the Record. “I realized how difficult it was going to be to actually succeed. So, I decided, in order to do that, I had to get a lot better, work a lot harder, and really lean into what was unique about me. I did that, I found the sound, and then Baby Queen was born.”

In those early days, finding the sound came quickly, but Baby Queen didn’t quite have an audience. Everything changed after the artist was featured heavily in the hit Netflix series Heartstopper, which follows two high school boys who fall for each other, and who have the full support and love of their families and group of LGBTQIA+ friends and allies. The show was resonant for Bella, who had struggled for a long time to name and accept her own queer sexuality. 

Heartstopper fans quickly fell in love with Baby Queen’s raw, honest lyrics and built a strong, intimate, and fun relationship with the artist. (Fans recently made a now-favorite meme of hers, which features an inhaler marked with her most recent single, “Quarter Life Crisis,” symbolizing its vitality to their physical well-being.) 

This month, Baby Queen is also Spotify’s GLOW spotlight artist and part of our year-round campaign. We’ll support Baby Queen on our flagship GLOW playlist, as well as through billboards and other efforts. This comes ahead of the November release of Baby Queen’s first studio album. She spoke with For the Record about her GLOW ambassadorship, fans, and Heartstopper.

Baby Queen is a lyrically focused project. What is it about Baby Queen lyrics that resonate so strongly with your fans?

When I started releasing music as Baby Queen, I hadn’t been in love—or falling out of love—for two years prior to that. A lot of music is about relationships, but that’s not what I had to draw from during this time. It gives you the most feeling and the greatest urge to sit down and write music. So it’s been difficult, not having any of that. 

But during this time, I’ve really looked at myself and my face in the mirror and tried to unpack things about myself and tried to be very honest. I really love being so honest that the listener might hear it and feel uncomfortable, or say “Oh, did she really just say that?” And I think the reason people have connected to it is because I just have been really honest about some of the really difficult experiences I’ve had and the difficult parts of growing up and society and the world that we live in. I think that my music is something that young people can listen to and feel like they are being heard, or like the thoughts in their mind are being said out loud. 

What are Baby Queen fans like?

They’re really similar to me. That’s been really amazing because I feel less alone by finding this community. They’re really funny, they have great emotional depth, and they think about life deeply. They’re overthinkers. They’re people just like me, who have struggled, and felt alone, and a lot of them are part of the LGBTQIA+ community. I feel there are a lot of them who are trying to find their way through life and find out where they belong. And I feel like we’ve almost been doing that together, which has been amazing. 

How does music empower queer communities? 

In your upbringing as a queer person, you can feel quite isolated. And you’re quite lucky if you’re living in a metropolitan city and there are more versions of “you” that you can relate to. But most queer people are born in small towns and don’t have that. So finding an artist you really connect with, or a TV show or anything, opens up an entire world. That’s what queer artists like Haley Kiyoko and Troye Sivan were to me. When I was struggling with my queer identity when I was younger, I felt like there was something wrong with me, I felt a bit trapped. Music provides an escape, a hope, a dream, to express your identity and live the life you want to live. 

Speaking of TV shows, your music has been featured in Netflix’s Heartstopper. What has that relationship and its impact been like? 

Really surreal. It has been a really natural organic pairing. They—Patrick, the producer and Alice, the writer of the books—heard one of my songs on a playlist and invited me down to watch the first three episodes. I had no idea what it was or what it would become. But I wrote “Colours of You” for the first series. And after that it felt like I could breathe a sigh of relief for the first time in my career. 

The week when the show came out last year was the most insane. We were all in shock that music could be so directly linked and have such a spillover from the fandom into the soundtrack of a show, so it’s been surreal. 

What does it mean to GLOW?

What it means to GLOW is to radiate. I feel like people really glow when they are doing what they love and free themselves of all fear and overthinking and can really immerse themselves in the present and doing something they love. People radiate the most when they’re talking about something they’re really passionate about. That’s when someone genuinely physically glows. 

I feel like the moment I glow the most is when I’m on stage. Because I’m not thinking about anything other than being immersed, in that moment of doing what I love. 

Stream Baby Queen on the flagship GLOW playlist.

Netflix Hit ‘Heartstopper’ Showcases Several LGBTQIA+ Artists in Its Official Playlist for Season 2

August 3, 2023

In 2022 Netflix released Heartstopper, a British television series that follows high schooler Charlie Spring, who falls in love with his classmate Nick Nelson. The coming-of-age show, based on the hit graphic novel, includes doses of drama, comedy, and romance as Charlie and his group of close-knit friends navigate the trials and tribulations of teenagedom.

The show features a captivating score from Adiescar Chase and a perfect parallel playlist from Spotify, Heartstopper: Official Playlist. It’s now back for a second season.

For Season 1, the official playlist featured 36 songs, many of which are by both established and emerging LGBTQIA+ artists. A track from Norwegian indie-pop star girl in red appeared alongside a song from Irish singer-songwriter Ezra Williams, giving users the opportunity to listen to their favorite artists while also discovering new ones. Fans can find the playlist within our Netflix hub, as well as our GLOW hub, a dedicated space on Spotify that highlights music and podcasts of LGBTQIA+ voices for queer listeners and allies.

To celebrate the release of Season 2, Spotify is updating the official Heartstopper playlist with a new batch of tracks, including ones from Baby Queen and Tegan and Sara. Devoted fans listening to Spotify on their phones will also quickly spot an Easter egg: animated leaves floating across the screen in a nod to the illustrated visual elements depicted in the show. And as a little extra love, visuals from the series will also be depicted on select tracks in the playlist through Spotify Canvas. 

Listeners looking for more can also dive into the character-driven playlists for Nick and Charlie, Tara and Darcy, and Elle and Tao. Music is a critical component of the series, and each character has music that uniquely defines them. When For the Record asked Yasmin Finney, who plays Elle Argent on the show, which song she thinks best represents her character, she said, “‘Dog Days Are Over’ by Florence + The Machine,” because it sort of represents new beginnings. “The dog days are over, the hiding is over,” she explained. “Elle gets to step into herself, and we all see that—and she’s a boss. That song, to me, resonates with her a lot.”

In advance of Season 2, For the Record caught up with Patrick Walters*, executive producer for the show, to learn more about the integral role music plays in Heartstopper, and what artists and music fans should look forward to hearing this season.

Of all the songs on Heartstopper’s official playlist, roughly half are by queer artists. How did you discover some of the emerging talent? 

Alice and I had been developing Season 1 during the pandemic, and lockdowns meant Alice had a whole year to write all eight episodes before we could get into production. Across that time, we would send songs back and forth to each other to our favorite tracks for particular moments, like Nick and Charlie’s first kiss, Charlie running in the rain, Nick typing “am I gay?” into Google, etc. The songs and artists we found were just what we were listening to at the time. Alice had found “Why Am I Like This?” by Orla Gartland around that time, and as soon as we discussed it as a potential song for Nick’s internet search, we became pretty sure it was the one. That was long before we started filming. I remember listening to “Internet Religion” by Baby Queen from a playlist on Spotify and thinking it could be a good song for Tara in Season 1. That ultimately didn’t work, but we found Baby Queen’s other tracks, and she ended up having more music than any other artist in the series! It was a very organic process.

Many of the artists on the playlist are bedroom pop stars with effervescent sounds that match perfectly with the light hues and illustrations that accompany the show. Why was it important for you to keep the music in this style?

There’s something raw and emotional in the music made by young artists independently. They wear their hearts on their sleeves, just like the characters in Heartstopper. Our music syncs work best when the emotion of the scene is underlined by the lyrics and swagger of the song and artist. We wanted the songs in the mixtape to feel like the characters’ favorite songs. “Bedroom pop” is perfect for us because we spend a lot of time in the bedrooms of our characters, where they can most freely express themselves and feel safe.

What can we look forward to musically in the new season? 

We wanted to remain consistent with Season 1 while also broadening the musical palette to be slightly more mature and in line with the characters’ journeys. There are more commercial tracks in Season 2. We spent a long time clearing some key tracks that felt important to us. “seven” by Taylor Swift initially reflects Tara and Darcy’s relationship breakthrough in Episode 8, but we then decided to keep it over the montage of all of the friends spending time together after prom. We also have “ur so pretty” by Wasia Project, Will Gao’s own band, as the final song of the season. Both of these tracks were vital for us because they show a maturity and an intimacy we hadn’t really conjured yet in Season 1. Season 2’s music tracks also nod more to different worlds and nostalgia—a reference to the characters stepping into adulthood. When we are in Paris, we have some French songs to reflect their new surroundings. And at the prom in Episode 8, Baby Queen makes a cameo to sing her own version of The Cure’s song “Just Like Heaven.” It’s an 80s throwback she expertly brings into the world and style of the show.

If you were creating a playlist for the graphic novel, how much would change?

A playlist for the graphic novel might have more variety. When we choose the music for the show it has to have a really clear identity that sits alongside the score by Adiescar Chase. We go back to a lot of the same artists again and again for this reason. For example, in the graphic novel, “Everywhere” by Fleetwood Mac is Nick and Charlie’s song, and would definitely be on the playlist. But for the show, this would sit so outside of our signature style; it would really take the audience out of the drama to suddenly have such a recognizable song from a different era. Maybe Baby Queen can cover it for Season 3 though . . .

If you had to pick a theme song for each of the four main characters, what would they be?

This is so tough! For Season 2 Charlie, I’d say “Shatter” by Maggie Rogers. For Nick, maybe “How Can I Make It OK?” by Wolf Alice. There’s a really great one for Tao we wanted to use but didn’t manage to get in this season: “The Most Beautiful Thing” by Thomas Headon. Elle’s would definitely be “mona lisa” by mxmtoon.

In addition to Patrick, Alice Oseman, the writer and creator of Heartstopper, revealed what songs she thinks best represent each character. Her picks did not disappoint:

Whether you’re planning to binge-watch Season 2 today or you’re saving it for a later date, get your heart pumping in anticipation with the Heartstopper: Official Playlist now.

 

 

*Interview content captured prior to July 13, 2023.

Five Fast Facts About Podcast Creator Monetization on Spotify

March 8, 2023

We know that many podcasters are able to establish their creative business on Patreon. But until now, there wasn’t an easy way for fans to listen to Patreon podcasts on Spotify. So today at Stream On, we were excited to announce that podcasters will be able to deliver patron content to their listeners on Spotify, and fans can easily listen to all their favorite episodes.

But the money talk went well beyond Patreon. Since launching in 2021, the Spotify Audience Network has grown by leaps and bounds as we’ve worked to connect advertisers with leading podcast publishers looking to monetize their shows. Also around that time, we acquired Megaphone, which has since become Spotify’s hosting, insights, and monetization solution for enterprise publishers like The Wall Street Journal, Paramount, and ESPN. Together, these tools give creators the ability to choose how to monetize, and we had plenty to discuss around both. 

Here are the five takeaways you need to know:

  1. The number of podcasters taking part in the Spotify Audience Network has grown eightfold in the last two years. And since we launched the Spotify Audience Network in 2021, monthly payout to opted-in publishers has grown by nearly 50% while advertiser participation has increased by 500%. So as we continue to scale the Spotify Audience Network, our intent is to make this kind of growth available to all creators.
  2. We’re pleased to welcome NPR to the Spotify Audience Network marketplace. 
  3. Recent additions to Megaphone’s roster of publishers include Netflix and Australia’s Schwartz Media. 
  4. In the future, Megaphone will be uniquely integrated into Spotify for Podcasters. And as of today, all Megaphone publishers have everything they need to create a successful podcast business across the new Spotify for Podcasters and Megaphone.
  5. Through our partnership with Patreon, powered by Spotify Open Access, podcasters will be able to publish patron-only content on Spotify. Patrons will be able to link their Patreon account to their Spotify account to access their Patreon-exclusive podcasts right where they’re already listening to all their audio content.

We’ll continue to explore new monetization models so that you continue to have options for how to build your business.

The Creative Minds Behind Netflix’s ‘Do Revenge’ Reveal How Its Soundtrack Set the Tone for the Entire Film

September 16, 2022

According to the latest Netflix movie, revenge is a dish best served by others. Coming out on September 16, Do Revenge follows two students at a posh high school who form an unlikely friendship as they plot to avenge each other’s tormentors. As fans follow the pair, they’re accompanied by a pop punk soundtrack that includes a mix of ’90s nostalgia and new releases from some of today’s biggest and emerging stars.

For the Record caught up with the movie’s director and cowriter, Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, and music supervisor, Rob Lowry, to hear more about the film and the process behind soundtracking the dark comedy.

What are three words you’d use to describe the vibe of the film Do Revenge?

Jennifer Kaytin Robinson: Twisted. Fun. Camp.

How important is music when thinking through a film and its soundtrack/score?

Jenn: The most important. I think as a writer and director, I can’t create something without knowing what music is going to soundtrack each moment. And so, for me, a scene doesn’t really work until I know what is going there.

I write music into all of my screenplays. So there were a couple little drops that stayed in the film that were in the original script. And if they didn’t stay in the film, I would say that we found something similar in vibe. That vibe was always kind of present and set throughout the film, even from the script process.

Rob Lowry: I think there were like 40 songs scripted into the film. We started talking about music like a year before they shot the film.

Jenn: Rob and I had kind of a running playlist of ’90s songs, and we kind of went back and forth. And, you know, when I was writing, I would be like, “What about this here?” Or “What about this there?” We were in conversation about how the music was going to soundtrack and emotionally drive the film because so much of the film energetically is modulated through the music.

Jennifer Kaytin Robinson standing and posing looking directly at the camera. She is wearing a white crop top and shiny pants

So how do you approach picking which songs make the soundtrack?

Jenn: It’s a lot of trial and error. I like to get the film clean of all music, and then I’ll just sit there with the film open and open Spotify and play things in a really rough way underneath the scene. And I’ll be able to kind of tell, “Oh, this will work” or “Oh, this won’t work.” And then it’s just trial and error, having the editor cut in the songs. And then Rob and I discuss things like, “What do we think about this?” “How do we feel?”

Rob: Yeah, it’s interesting to see how much stuff stays the same and how much some stuff changes from the script stage. How much it evolves from even the first cut to pivoting several times. But then I feel like, there’s probably five to seven really big needle drop moments that I feel like once we kind of found them, it’s like unlocking the puzzle, and then everything else kind of fell into place. Just because there’s so much music, but it all feels super cohesive, even though some of it’s from different eras or different types of genres.

Jenn: They all had a sonic kind of identity in that pop punk space. And we knew that was kind of like the North Star in which we wanted to find other things around it. We wanted the soundtrack to feel cohesive. Something that’s important to me is, if you listen to the soundtrack on its own, I want it to tell a story. And I think if you look at the soundtrack and you look at the track titles, all of that stuff was important to me in considering and putting together the kind of musical story of the film. I wanted the music to feel like an extension of the film, of the story of Drea and Eleanor’s arcs.

What type of emotions do you want to evoke in fans as they listen to the music?

Jenn: I think it’s a weirdly emotional, nostalgic soundtrack. I think that there are two kinds of access points to the soundtrack. One is nostalgia and one is discovery. I think for millennials, there is discovery in the Gen Z tracks and then there’s a lot of nostalgia in the ’90s. And then for Gen Z, there’s discovery in the ’90s stuff. And there’s a lot of, like, not nostalgia but familiarity in the kind of stuff that we did that more Gen Z will recognize. I feel like that is the beauty of the soundtrack.

The two main characters come together from two different worlds. Was there a musical style or a genre you wanted to evoke for each one? 

Jenn: Rather than each of them having a sound, I think it was more focused on them having a sound together. The music that we open the film with, let’s say the Hayley Kiyoko and the Robyn song, was intentional in knowing that we were setting up the soundtrack to be both [nostalgia and discovery]. I knew we needed a current song and we needed a ’90s song in that first set piece. And we wanted it to be that bright, fun pop. So we focused on that rather than it necessarily being like one vibe for each of them. But as you follow the arc of the film, in general, I would say you can see where the music kind of twists and gets darker. And it’s still bright, fun pop, but it’s a song called “Bitter Bitch.” I think [the soundtrack] is about finding those songs that arc and change with the emotional story that we’re telling.

If you could pick an anthem for Eleanor (Maya Hawke) and Drea (Camila Mendes) what would it be?

Jenn: I feel like Eleanor is Taylor Swift’s Reputation album.

Rob: She’s in a Reputation era for sure.

Jenn: But emotionally, I think that Eleanor contains multitudes, just like Taylor. And then Drea would be like Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour.

Rob: Yeah. Because I feel that’s the overlap in the Venn diagram and where the two characters find each other: the Sour and Reputation albums.

What’s your favorite song on the soundtrack? 

Rob Lowry posing looking directly at the camera and smiling. He is wearing a blue chambray shirt.

Jenn: All of them. Hole‘s “Celebrity Skin” was a song that was written in the script from the very beginning. I saw it in the edit and I was like, “This has to be in the movie. It’s a non-negotiable.” We never tried any other song.

Rob: Same with Olivia Rodigo’s “brutal.”

Jenn: Oh yeah. I shot that scene with Drea sitting and crying at her desk while listening to “brutal” in my headphones. I was watching the scene and timing it into the big drop in the song.

Rob: Every time I’ve watched the film, I’m like, “Oh, this is my favorite moment.” And then you’re like, “Oh, no, no, no, this is.” “Oh, wait, this is my favorite song.” Because it’s just wall to wall, but it doesn’t feel like it’s hitting you over the head because every song complements each scene. Harvey Danger’s “Flagpole Sitta” is definitely one of my favorites.

Jenn: I will say Juliana Madrid is my favorite discovery moment. I don’t want to jinx it, but I hope that Juliana has a Lizzo break moment. I love that song “Pretend.” I think it’s so perfect in that moment. And the only other song I had that kind of reaction to in terms of hearing it and knowing that it w

as perfect for the film was “Happier Than Ever.” That was the other song that, when I put it under the film, I saw that sequence come to life when soundtracked by that Billie Eilish song. I was just texting Rob in all caps. And I was like, “Oh my God, it’s perfect. It’s amazing. I can’t wait for you to see it.”

Rob: And then with Maude Latour, she did a cover of “Kids in America,” and to be able to work with her and tailor the song specifically to this sequence . . . that is the same thing we did with this remix that we did for Chloe Adams and “Dead to Me.” Getting to rework these songs specifically to the cut . . . they just both turned out so well and they’re such big moments in the film.

Are there any other dark comedies/high school films that have an iconic soundtrack that you love?

Jenn: I think a lot of the touchstones for this movie have iconic soundtracks: Cruel Intentions, Ten Things I Hate About You, Clueless. Those were the soundtracks that at least I grew up loving and kind of owning and listening to over and over again and wearing out. And when we were putting together this film, we wanted to pay homage to those soundtracks and for this to be an updated version of what we grew up with.

Rob: I also love Ten Things I Hate About You and Can’t Hardly Wait. Jenn and I always say that we’re musical soulmates, and I think we have the exact same taste. So it always feels like we’re inside each other’s heads. This was two years of sharing our favorite music with each other. It was a really lovely experience.

Jenn: We’re also soulmates in a detrimental way because we will be the only two people that like something, but we have really loud voices in a situation. Everyone else is like, “Guys this doesn’t work.” It was very funny to see the downside of our soulmate-ness. Ninety-nine percent of the time it’s really great. But if the song doesn’t work and we both like it, it’s also such a hilarious disaster.

Are you ready for a double dose of nostalgia and discovery? In addition to the Do Revenge official playlist, which is available on our Netflix hub, Eleanor and Drea have also taken over Netflix’s most PLAYED. Hit play below to start streaming even more of their favorite pop punk hits from the past and present:

Netflix and Mo Amer’s “MO” Crosses Cultures With Comedy, Care, and Music

September 14, 2022

Mo Amer sitting in a car and looking out the open window

When Mo Amer set out to make a comedy TV series about his experience as a Palestinian refugee in Texas, he wished to represent his family and his culture in a way that he had never seen done before on mainstream U.S. television. In the process of doing just that, he also created a musical love letter to the Houston suburb of Alief and to everyone who has ever had to leave home.  

In the Netflix show MO, which debuted last month, the titular character straddles the line between two cultures, three languages, and a pending asylum request while hustling to support his Palestinian family. He navigates the stereotypes and intricacies of a story of displacement with both the sensitivity and humor befitting his stand-up comedy career. 

Accompanying the show is the MO Official Playlist, which amplifies the series’ multicultural and multifaceted themes. It features artists from Palestine and the Palestinian diaspora such as Chilean-Palestinian singer and Spotify RADAR–featured artist Elyanna, and DAM, the first Palestinian hip-hop group. It also incorporates a track from Palestinian American Sammy Shiblaq. Also, highlighted: hip-hop luminary Common, chopped and screwed originator DJ Screw, and regional Mexican duo Los 2 de la S.

“All of the songs that are on there, they are Mo,” Suhel Nafar, the show’s music supervisor, told For the Record in a co-interview with Mo. “If there’s an app one day where people walk and they have a soundtrack all the time around them, that would be this playlist for Mo.” 

Why was it important for you to tell this story—your family’s story? 

Mo: I’ve never seen, first of all, a Palestinian family on American television—nor have I seen an immigrant refugee story ever told in this perspective, from something as grounded in comedy. We have this idea of what a refugee, an immigrant, looks like based on the mainstream news, which is people on boats, fleeing. But we never get the details, the story of what happens after. If you actually survive and get to a new country to explore a new life, you don’t ever really see what the struggles look like there. There’s so much effort that goes into it, not just to survive, but to adjust to a completely different structure, to try to feel seen and to feel like an equal to the person next to you. 

I was really meticulous with this. It’s really, really important not to be over the top with anything. But it’s just like cooking a dish. It has to have the right balance of heat, sweetness, texture—this is the same kind of thing that goes into making a TV show. I wasn’t going to let anything slip by. And it was such an important story that’s never been done before in American television. And it’s such a huge responsibility, such a weight on my shoulders. And I take that very, very seriously. 

What were the types of music you considered for the soundtrack of this show?

Mo: Well, it’s something that I had to dig into myself, since a lot of the show is based off of my life story and grounded in that. What do I listen to? What does my playlist look like? I’m a little bit Palestinian folk music, a little modern Arabic music, but also a lot of hip-hop, a lot of chopped and screwed—I’m from Houston. I am a little bit jazz. I’m a little bit rock and roll, but I’m a little bit country. Suhel and I share the same cultural backgrounds and ethnic backgrounds, and he understood that I had so much to carry that I needed someone that I can just trust in my corner that knows me so well. 

Suhel: It’s definitely a match as I’m also from a Palestinian background; I was born and raised in Palestine and immigrated to the U.S. nine years ago. Hearing Mo’s story, that he learned English through comedy, resonated, as I’m a person that learned English through hip-hop music. So we really found this matching in our stories. For me, it wasn’t just curating for Mo, it’s for everyone who’s going to feel attached to Mo. So the soundtrack represents Black culture in Texas with hip-hop and chopped and screwed, Latin culture with regional Mexican, and Arab culture with traditional hip-hop and Arabic Pop. And if I want to go back to food—because we both love food—the way I would see it, it’s like a food truck in the U.S. that would be selling al pastor. So it looks like shawarma wrapped in a tortilla—and that’s the sound.

We also incorporated some producers like Idrissi and Ramoon, who are really dope producers from Morocco that have produced for people globally. Having that sound in there was really important. Discovery was important as well—we really wanted this to be an opportunity to not just put the big names, not just put the traditional stuff, but also put the new and upcoming artists to get people to go to Spotify, to search for that song after watching. 

Hip-hop may differ across languages and cultures, but so many elements of it remain consistent. What is the power and impact of hip-hop to you? 

Mo: Hip-hop, to me, is the voice of a struggle, the voice of overcoming struggle, and the idea of coming from nothing and assessing your environment, being honest and true to it. It’s poetry as well when it’s done the right way. It has a lot of depth and it’s so layered and sophisticated when done right. And it’s something that I just clung to when I was a kid. And then when chopped and screwed started making its sound in Houston, I was just blown away by it, because once it has a particular melody as it slows down, it puts you in a completely different state. It just slowed down everything in a really special way. So I have a lot of admiration for hip-hop and what it is and what it stands for.

Why do you think non-Palestinians or non-Arabs should experience this show? 

Suhel: The character of Mo in the show, a lot of it, about 90 percent, is what he’s like outside the show too. And what he’s representing—it’s not Arab culture. It’s not Houson culture. It’s not Latino culture or Nigerian culture. It’s a third culture. 

You know, when immigrants or refugee immigrants move to a new place in the world and all those cultures start mixing up, it creates a new culture. It’s the third culture. This is what we call it here, in the diaspora. So you could be a Latino and feel like Mo represents you because you’re feeling that experience of being from a different land. And this third culture concept is what blurs the differences between all of us. And that’s what’s beautiful about Mo in his comedy, in his show, in his storytelling, and in his choices of who he works with in front of the screen and behind the scenes. 

Fall in love with MO through the show’s official playlist, only on Spotify.

Spotify Reports Fourth Quarter 2021 Earnings

February 2, 2022

Today, Spotify announced our fourth quarter 2021 financial performance. Click here to review the full earnings release, and take a look at the highlights below:

Interested in hearing more? You can listen to the webcast Q&A on the IR site here. 

Click below to check out a sizzle reel of audio trailers from a few of our recent original and exclusive podcasts. 

Looking Back at Spotify’s Greatest Hits in 2021

December 13, 2021

In an all-around unforgettable year, 2021 was an especially notable one for Spotify. We’re excited about what we’ve delivered for creators and listeners alike across new features, innovations, and collaborations. As the year comes to a close, we are taking a moment to look back on some of the advances we’ve made over the past 365 days. 

More listeners in more places

We have more listeners than ever. As we announced in our Q3 2021 earnings, as of September 2021, Spotify had increased the number of monthly active users and subscribers on the platform by 19% compared to 2020*. This year, we also doubled our global footprint by expanding into 92 new markets, bringing our total to 184 markets globally. New countries on our roster include South Korea, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and many more across Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, and Latin America. This continued expansion means that the music and voices of more people, places, and cultures can be shared with listeners around the world.

Podcasting for all

At Spotify, we believe that podcasting provides a massive opportunity for creators to entertain, inspire, and inform people across the globe. According to Edison Research and our own internal data, we recently surpassed both Apple and YouTube in the U.S.—the largest podcast market globally—to become the number one podcast platform listeners say they use the most.

The appetite for podcasts has grown among listeners, and we are answering that demand with a catalog that includes 3.2 million titles*. That’s 68% more podcasts (as of September 2021) than were on the platform in 2020. Through November of this year, we launched over 400 new O&E podcasts globally, and throughout the year we signed numerous podcast deals and entered into podcast partnerships with some of the world’s biggest creators and beloved entertainment brands like Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert, The Joe Rogan Experience (the number one podcast in the world), and Bad Robot. But our passion for podcasts isn’t limited to the U.S. This year, we expanded podcasts into more than 80 markets, including Russia, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.

Expanding the possibilities for advertising

When we reported earnings in October, we announced that ad revenue had increased 75% year over year. And in November, we surpassed 1 billion euro in annual ad revenue for the first time. New opportunities were created for advertisers with the launch of the Spotify Audience Network, our first-of-its-kind audio advertising marketplace that enables advertisers to connect with listeners enjoying a broad range of music and podcast content. Advertisers now have a way to reach and target audiences listening to Spotify Original & Exclusive podcasts, as well as third-party podcasts from enterprise publishers via Megaphone and Anchor creators. We’ve also introduced podcast ad buying to Spotify Ad Studio, our self-serve ad channel that makes it easy for advertisers of all sizes to reach podcast listeners.

Supporting both established and breakthrough artists

With over 380 million listeners on the platform, there’s a large audience for artists to share their new releases with. The increase in subscribers has led to many major artists, like Drake and Adele, across various genres breaking Spotify records throughout the year. 

Spotify has also continued efforts to support up-and-coming artists. We expanded our exclusive offerings with Spotify Singles (including Pride, BNA, Latinx Heritage Month, Are & Be, mint, and Holiday programs) and Spotify x Electric Lady live EPs. We’re supporting artists at all levels through programs like Fresh Finds (for independent artists), RADAR (for global emerging artists), EQUAL (which fosters equity for women in music globally) and Billions Club.

But those aren’t the only ways we are pushing the industry when it comes to artists. We also launched Loud & Clear to increase transparency by sharing new data on the global streaming economy. And we expanded our Charts feature to include artist, genre, and local charts. This allows artists and listeners to dive even deeper into the data.

Inspiring and enabling creation

In order to be the best audio network, we know we need to provide the best-in-class experience and content for our listeners. This means new features and new opportunities for creators to connect with their fans. We launched Spotify Greenroom, adding live audio as part of Spotify’s ecosystem and providing yet another opportunity for creators of all types to connect with their fans more deeply and meaningfully. In November we announced the acquisition of Findaway, the global leader in digital audiobook distribution, to accelerate our presence in the audiobook space. We also introduced Spotify Open Access, which allows listeners to hear third-party content on Spotify. Finally, we partnered with beloved brands like Peloton, Netflix, and Delta to bring exclusive experiences and curated playlists to our listeners.

Get Even More ‘Squid Game,’ ‘Bridgerton,’ and ‘Money Heist’ With Our New Netflix Collaboration and Dedicated Hub

November 23, 2021

Today’s trending shows and movies aren’t just inspiring fandoms, they’re also fueling internet-wide obsessions. So much so that within two weeks of Squid Game’s debut on Netflix, Spotify listeners had created more than 22,500 unique themed playlists to keep the experience going. It’s clear that after the credits roll, viewers are left wanting even more—and they come to Spotify to hear it.

So starting today, the two streaming companies are coming together to launch an all-new Netflix Hub on Spotify where fans can get the full audio-streaming experience from the entertainment they love.

On the hub, Free and Premium listeners in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the U.K., Ireland, and India can access official soundtracks, playlists, and podcasts, along with exclusive Spotify content. By simply searching “Netflix” on Spotify, you can find and sing along to the music behind some of your favorite Netflix shows—all in one place.

Within the hub, fans will have easy access to official playlists for buzzy TV hits like La Casa de Papel (Money Heist), Bridgerton, and On My Block, as well as the official soundtrack for shows like Squid Game, Bruised, and Cowboy Bebop. Creators are also here to explore the shows and movies you can’t stop talking about on Netflix-related podcasts like Okay, Now Listen, Netflix Is A Daily Joke, 10/10 (Would Recommend), and The Crown: The Official Podcast. 

To kick off this next chapter in the golden age of audio streaming, we’re unveiling an enhanced album experience for Netflix’s new action-packed Western film, The Harder They Fall. Film buffs and music enthusiasts alike will enjoy the behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the movie’s soundtrack, led by Jay-Z, and the album’s exclusive audio liners from featured artists like Kid Cudi, Koffee, and Ms. Lauryn Hill. Listeners can access these unique Spotify features through Canvas, Storylines, and playlist Clips.

And the collaboration doesn’t stop there. In honor of the second part of the final season of La Casa De Papel (Money Heist), Spotify has refreshed the La Casa De Papel destination. There, you’ll find new videos from the cast and the show’s official playlist featuring tracks from the latest episodes. Dedicated fans can also take their connection with the show a step further with a quiz sure to steal your heart. Take the Character Match Playlist quiz to find out your perfect La Banda character and soundtrack match.

Get to know your favorite Netflix hits on a whole other level—visit Spotify’s newest hub now. And just like on Netflix, the hub will update with new audio adventures, so be sure to check back often.

*Update May 27, 2022: Users in Brazil, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Germany, Mexico, Norway, and Sweden can now enjoy a localized Netflix Hub filled with official soundtracks, playlists, and exclusive Spotify content. Listeners in Japan, Germany, and Mexico will enjoy the same great content, plus podcasts.

 

The ‘To All the Boys’ Soundtracks Brought Lauv, Anna of the North, Ashe—and now Leah Nobel—to Both the Big Screen and Spotify Listeners

February 16, 2021

Over the past three years, Netflix’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and its sequel, To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, has told the high school love story of Lara Jean Covey and Peter Kavinsky against the backdrop of handpicked indie anthems. So when the couple spends a portion of the third and final movie, To All the Boys: Always and Forever, discussing what “their song,” could be, they embark on a conversation symbolic of high school relationships and the trilogy’s musical impact. 

Based on the popular book series by Jenny Han, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before debuted on Netflix in 2018. The movie chronicles Lara Jean, a junior in high school whose life is upended after her secret love letters are accidentally mailed to five boys she loved throughout her life. The heartfelt and honest movie resonated around the world—and so did its soundtrack. There are almost 60,000 user-generated playlists on Spotify based on the trilogy, which inspired an official Netflix playlist that sees the majority of its streams from Spotify listeners in the U.S., followed by the Philippines, the UK, Canada, and Brazil. 

Both of the trilogy’s music supervisors, Lindsay Wolfington and Laura Webb, have worked in the young adult film space before, with Lindsay sourcing music for One Tree Hill and Laura for Teen Wolf. Neither is a stranger to utilizing pop hits, but it was newer indie tracks that helped them tell Lara Jean’s story—truly fitting the vibe of the movie and its main character. 

“If you look at Lara Jean, she’s doing her own thing with her fashion; she’s not the popular girl at school,” Laura explained to For the Record. “It almost makes sense that she wouldn’t necessarily listen to the most popular music that everybody else is listening to.” But working with indie music had other benefits, too. “We’re both big fans of music discovery and find it much more interesting to find the next big artist,” Lindsay explained. And find the next big artists they did. In both the first and second movies, Lindsay and Laura tailored tracks to scenes, propelling songs that later soared on Spotify. Electropop singer-songwriter Lauv saw an increase in streaming after the first movie, in which his now hit song “I like me better” was featured on the way to a fateful school ski trip and in the movie’s trailer. The song now has over 1 billion streams.

In one impactful ski trip scene, Lara Jean joins her fake boyfriend, Peter Kavinsky, in a hot tub for a moment of clarity. As they speak truthfully about their feelings for each other, Norweigian singer Anna of the North’s track “Lovers” begins playing in the background, its peaks and valleys flowing into Lara and Peter’s climactic embrace. Anna’s vocals, soft and dreamy, propelled the artist into a dream as well: Between the weeks preceding and following the movie, she saw a 242% increase in her streams on Spotify.

“What’s really cool about introducing music that people haven’t heard is that they assign new meaning to that song based on the scene,” Laura noted. “If the audience cares about these characters, they’re going to care about the song that plays in the biggest moment between the characters in the film.” 

The audience did care: The first movie was a breakthrough success and gleaned a following that carried through to the second movie, P.S. I Still Love You, two years later. The movie’s music continued to resonate as well, especially songs that conveyed the pivotal emotional scenes. In a tender moment toward the end of the second movie, Lara Jean breaks up with Peter as American singer-songwriter Ashe’s song “Moral of the Story” begins to play. Though a tear-filled moment for the characters, Ashe saw a celebratory 1,220% growth in streams on Spotify compared to the three months prior to the movie’s release, and her song now has over 236 million streams to date.

The music supervisors had a hunch the track would leave its mark. “Our gut told us—obviously you don’t ever really know until the movie comes out and the audience proves it or disproves it—but, you know, we felt that that was one of the biggest moments in the film and was definitely going to resonate with fans,” Lindsay admitted. “The Ashe breakout is probably the biggest thing Laura and I have seen in either of our careers.”

Ahead of the third movie, the music supervisors approached Ashe for a second time as they searched for another impactful song to feature. “I get to do what I love so much because my song was in the movie, which is really, really cool and powerful,” the singer told For the Record.  

During a conversation ahead of the Always and Forever debut, the music supervisors noted that the music on the soundtracks generally remained indie, though the tone changed along with each movie’s themes. The first film features day-dreamy synth tracks that speak to the merging of Lara Jean’s fantasy life with her high school reality. The second movie sees her in her first real relationship, and with it, romantic and fun songs surrounded by hard hitters conveying the reality of high school relationships. (Spoiler: They can be heartbreaking). Finally, the third and most recent movie sees her on adventures: prom, college searching, and even a trip to New York.

Another pivotal plot point in the third movie is the couple’s search for “their song.” They throw around some oldies and pop hits before discovering “Beginning, Middle, End,” written specifically for the film by Leah Nobel and Quinn Redmond. According to the music supervisors, the song had everything they were looking for—and of course, the title matched with the concept of the trilogy’s story coming to its close. The song, which is heard three times in three different versions throughout the movie—the original that Leah wrote, a cover performed by The Greeting Committee during a roof party scene, and a remixed “Always and Forever” version—has propelled Leah Nobel to new streaming heights in just a weekend. Her streams have increased 14,950% since the movie was released compared to the week prior.

Landing a love song in a movie about an impactful high school romance was particularly ironic to Leah. “I didn’t start writing music till I was 18, and I honestly don’t think that I would be where I am now—and maybe wouldn’t even be an artist or a writer—if it weren’t for my high school break up,” she told For the Record. “The first song I ever wrote was in response to that.”

As Leah knows, and the To All the Boys series conveys, the music we fall in love with in high school is powerful. We asked some of the artists on the new movie soundtrack, including The Greeting Committee, Ashe, Jordan Suaste, and FLETCHER, to tell us a little bit about their new songs, as well as the song that they associate with their high school crush—combining the power of the To All the Boys soundtracks and young love. 

Enissa Amani Explores Culture and Comedy in Her New Spotify Original Podcast

December 4, 2020

Enissa Amani is a chameleon onstage. The Iranian-born German comedian prides herself on the ability to bend and transform her material for any audience based on location, language, and culture. Now she’s also working this flexibility into a new medium for her debut German-language Spotify Original Podcast, Statements aus Seide (“Statements Made of Silk”). Like her on-stage comedy, Enissa’s new show will cover a range of topics from feminism to fashion. “I want to share the moments which all mankind has in common: the pain, the fears, the desires,” says Enissa.

As the first German comedian with a stand-up special on Netflix, she’s honed her craft—expect plenty of laughs. But in Statements aus Seide, Enissa will also share thoughtful deliberations on her life growing up as an Iranian refugee in Germany, her work as a social justice advocate, and whatever else is on her mind—all in 30- to 60-minute episodes.

Enissa spoke with For the Record about performing in different languages, her activism work, and creating her own podcast.

What can fans of your comedy stand-up expect from the podcast?

In my podcast I’ll touch upon all the issues I have not yet touched upon onstage. I’ve told my stories a few times when I was a guest on other podcasts, and the feedback was tremendous. People who hadn’t even followed my work told me that my point of view was extremely helpful to them.

Over the years, I wrote down every story of my family, my friends, and book quotes which inspired me. Those words can offer people a real way out of hopeless moments. This will be a funny podcast—an honest hour to let you begin or end your day with a smile. 

How has your background as an Iranian immigrant informed your comedy?

Being an Iranian refugee child and being trilingual helps me to approach people on different cultural levels. And every time I perform, I am a different kind of Enissa. The Berlin Show Enissa is a much rougher comic than the LA, Hollywood, Laugh Factory Enissa, who is more into the German-Persian Background Stories. The New York Enissa is much cooler than the Farsi show in Vienna, where Iranians are just starting to get into stand-up.

I get to taste all these different moments of laughter and try very different stand-up materials. 

As refugees, or “first-generation Germans,” we are torn apart between identities, but every kind of conflict always helps with comedy. 

What’s your life been like since your Netflix special premiered?

My specials changed my work. I started playing shows in three languages. I had the honor to have stage time at the Laugh Factory in LA, and the Improv, the Gotham, and the Comedy Cellar in New York. All stages I had never dreamed I’d be able to perform in a language which is not my first. I also play Farsi shows in Germany, Austria, and the UK. 

You’re not afraid to share your opinions on issues like racism and inequality. How did comedy become an outlet for you to share these thoughts? 

I’m really surprised that my activism for human rights and against racism here in Germany kind of got bigger than my work as a comedian. In the beginning, everybody told me to “stick with comedy” whenever I was outspoken about problems in our society. Now all my statements go viral with 12,000 comments sometimes, and everybody asks me to seriously get into politics. There is this running gag of my followers calling me “the chancellor.”

I love the fact that everything that your heart tells you to do—if you have the courage to follow that voice—becomes your real vocation or even destiny. 

What would you like people to take away from your podcast? 

I’m going to share my most intimate stories, experiences, and inspirations on my podcast because I know it will help through dark times. Every smile you can inspire is a smile you‘ll create for the world.

Ready to get to know a new Enissa? Check out the first of 13 episodes of ‘Statements aus Seide’ below.