Tag: New album

Lady Gaga’s ‘Little Monster Press Conference’ Offers an Unfiltered Look at New Album ‘MAYHEM’

March 6, 2025

Earlier this week, Lady Gaga gave her fans unprecedented access into her world during Spotify Presents: Little Monster Press Conference. 

Serving as a love letter to the fans who have been with Gaga throughout the many eras of her illustrious career, the global press conference was an opportunity for Gaga to speak directly to the audience that matters most and offer insights into the making of her new album, MAYHEM. 

“Since the beginning of my career, the most important thing has always been community to me,” Lady Gaga told Sulinna Ong, Spotify Head of Editorial, Music, prior to the event. “The reason I really wanted to do this with Spotify was to celebrate the community that I have with my fans now, and who we are today, and give the fans the chance to ask me all of the questions that they might have garnered for the past almost 20 years.”

This collaboration between Gaga’s creative team, Spotify, and Gaga herself was a throwback to the classic press conferences of previous eras while staying true to Gaga’s ever-present motif of fame and celebrity. Underscoring Spotify’s commitment to putting listeners first and Mother Monster’s ever-present dedication to her Little Monsters across the globe, the event was truly one for music lovers. 

On the story behind ‘Blade of Grass’

“[‘Blade of Grass’] is about when Michael proposed to me…we were in the backyard [and] he asked, ‘If I proposed to you one day, what am I supposed to do?’ And I said, ‘You can just get a blade of grass and wrap it around my finger.’ And he did actually propose to me with these green bands.” 

On her message to Ariana Grande at the 2020 VMAs

“I don’t know [what I said]! It was probably something very silly, because we’re very silly when we’re together. I will watch it back and try to remember…I’m going to ask [Ariana], she might remember.” 

On ‘Telephone Pt. 2’

“The tea on ‘Telephone Pt. 2’ is that [it’s happening]. I’m not going to give it all away—you wouldn’t want that anyway.”

You can find more revelations from Gaga by watching the full video above. And once you have the inside scoop, don’t forget to pre-save MAYHEM so that it’s in your Library as soon as it releases.

Kelsea Ballerini and Spotify Host Intimate Listening Party To Celebrate Her New Album, ‘PATTERNS’

October 25, 2024

“I love New York City, but I can’t stay at the Carlyle anymore,” sings Kelsea Ballerini on “Two Things,” a song from her fifth studio album, PATTERNS, out now. On Thursday, however, the country star returned to the legendary Gotham hotel—the venue that inspired the poignant track—to celebrate the album drop with Spotify.

We invited Kelsea’s top Spotify listeners in the New York area to an exclusive listening party at the hotel, creating a sense of nostalgia and intimacy that permeated the evening. Fans experienced the magic of PATTERNS the night before its official release, with Kelsea playing five songs from the album: “Patterns,” “Baggage,” “We Broke Up,” “How Much Do You Love Me,” and “I Would, Would You.” Finally, she surprised the room with her first-ever performance of “Two Things” before sitting down for a Q&A with Entertainment Tonight’s Cassie DiLaura.

J Balvin Travels Back to His Beginnings With New Album ‘Rayo’

August 9, 2024

Colombian hitmaker J Balvin has captivated the world with his music for more than a decade. Fans from Latin America to Europe can’t get enough of “The Boy From Medellín” and his high-energy, infectious beats. In fact, every second, 140 J Balvin songs are streamed on Spotify, and his songs have been added to more than 240 million user-created playlists.

The star is not just one of the biggest names in urban music; he’s the second-most-streamed Latin artist on Spotify—ever. His top hits include “LA CANCIÓN” with Bad Bunny, “I Like It” with Bad Bunny and Cardi B, and “Mi Gente” with Willy William, each having racked up well over 1 billion streams.

Now the reggaetón pioneer is back with a new album, Rayo, that drops today. J Balvin is well-known for his collaborations, and the album’s first single, “Polvo de tu vida,” features Puerto Rican singer Chencho Corleone. Since its release in June, the track has garnered more than 16 million streams. And just to give a taste of where those listeners are, Bogotá takes the spot as the city with the most streams, followed by Madrid, Barcelona, Santiago de Chile, and Mexico City.

A follow-up single, “Gaga,” finds him collaborating with Spanish artist SAIKO. It, too, is rapidly finding listeners, with more than 7 million streams since its July release, and has surged in listens in Spain, Mexico, and the United States.

For the Record caught up with J Balvin to learn more about the inspiration for his latest project, whom he wants to collaborate with in the future, and what other Colombian genres he enjoys listening to.

Tell us about Rayo.

Rayo is about returning to my essence. Rayo is the name of my first car, a car that my father went through a lot of effort to buy me. I used to drive my school friends around and charge them a monthly fee as the driver. 

That car allowed me to take my music to different neighborhoods, clubs, and schools. I sold CDs on the street and at events like “Sonido sobre Ruedas” [Sound on Wheels], where everyone shows up with their sound systems and cars. I even sold clothes from the trunk of Rayo.

Rayo played a big role in the reggaetón history of Medellín because it took me to so many places that, nowadays, have been hugely impacted by the reggaetón scene. So, Rayo, the album, brings a lot of nostalgia, because it’s about returning to my essence, to who I was when I made music with no pretensions, without thinking about numbers or streams, but just enjoying it like a little kid.

Which artists inspire you?

Daddy Yankee is the reason I decided to enter the world of reggaetón. But I have many inspirations: Craig David, Kurt Cobain, James Hetfield from Metallica, and Ed Sheeran, who is a great friend of mine. 

Every era has artists who make a huge impact with different moments. These are some of them, but there are hundreds more.

What other genres of Colombian music do you listen to?

I really love Colombian salsa, especially the salsa from Cali and Medellín. I’m also fascinated by vallenato music, like that from Silvestre Dangond. I love what Andrés Cepeda does—same with Fonseca. And I really enjoy the rock music from Juanes, who is from my hometown. El Rock De Mi Pueblo from Carlos Vives is also an album I like a lot. I think Colombia has a lot of incredible music. Of course, there’s also native music like cumbia and joropo. While that music may be less commercial, their flavor and groove is carried in the rhythm of the music from the country.

You’re known for your collaborations. Which artists, songwriters, or producers would you like to collaborate with from the new urban music scene in Colombia?

So many have emerged. Right now, there’s Kapo with his Afrobeat song “Ohnana,” Esteban Rojas from Cali, who I really like, and Philip Ariaz from Medellín, who is amazing. Nath from Medallo is also very good. Pirlo from Cali is also fantastic, and El H from the coast is great, too. There are so many artists. But with all of them, I know that if the opportunity arises, we can work together and enjoy the connection we have.

How has Spotify supported you and your music?

Spotify has contributed a lot to my career. The platform helped me reach a truly global audience. Since becoming the most-streamed artist worldwide a couple of years ago, it has really shown me how great Spotify is for helping artists get discovered, and how listeners can explore different cultures from other countries through their Top 50 lists. 

How do you like to discover new music on Spotify?

Thousands of songs are released every day. I like to focus on the Top 50 lists—not just in Latin countries, which is typically the core or base where our music plays, but I’m also very interested in what’s being listened to in places like Nigeria, Japan, Sweden, Netherlands, Lithuania, and Poland. It helps broaden my perspective and makes me think about other genres and languages that I didn’t know before.

Go back to the beginning with J Balvin and his new album, Rayo, available now.

Peso Pluma’s New Album Reveals ‘The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly’

June 24, 2024

Peso Pluma—aka “La Doble P”—is one of the fastest-growing Latin artists in Spotify’s history and the first to go from 2 million monthly listeners to 50 million in under a year. As Música Mexicana’s popularity continues to soar, the singer, rapper, and songwriter is leading the way with more than 14 billion streams on Spotify . . . and counting.

Peso’s 2023 album, GÉNESIS, was the most-streamed album in Mexico and ninth-most-streamed worldwide on Spotify last year. And his new album, ÉXODO—featuring collaborations with the likes of Junior H, Eslabon Armado, DJ Snake, Cardi B, Arcángel, Rich The Kid, and Anitta—is poised to follow suit.

For the Record caught up with Peso to talk about the new album, growing as an artist, and bringing Musica Mexicana to more listeners.

Your new album, ÉXODO, has just been released. How is it different from GÉNESIS?

You’ll get to see a whole different side of me on ÉXODO. It was made in many stages and phases of my life and career. It’s all in there, the good, the bad, and the ugly. It’s a really raw side of me.

You’re officially the Mexican artist with the most Spotify streams ever. How does that make you feel?  

Wow—what an honor! It feels amazing! Spotify has supported my project from day one and put their faith in what we were doing. We are all so grateful that this project has been so well received, and this motivates me even more to keep going, keep breaking records and finding ways to evolve my music, because my fans deserve the best.

How has working with Spotify helped you build a stronger connection with your fans?

Because Spotify is global, we have the opportunity to get discovered around the globe as well. Música Mexicana is now known in places where we never thought they would listen to us.

What advice do you have for other artists who are building their careers?

Never give up, don’t let people detour you from your dreams, and keep working until you achieve your goals.

Check out Peso Pluma’s new album, ÉXODO, for yourself

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.

Meet Taylor Swift at ‘Midnight’ as Spotify Reveals New Lyrics off Her Upcoming Album

October 18, 2022

a photo of a digital billboard in london that says "meet me at midnight"

Swifties, it’s almost time. Friday, October 21 Taylor Swift will share her 10th studio album, Midnights, with fans all over the world. In her own words, the record-breaking artist describes the new music as “the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life.”

From the moment the album was announced in August, fans have been waiting eagerly as Taylor’s dropped hints on social media about what listeners should expect, including revealing a track with Lana Del Rey titled “Snow On The Beach.” 

We’re here to help build the excitement. Spotify is revealing lyrics from Taylor’s album on different billboards around the world. True to the album title, the billboards will not be shared until . . . midnight on their respective reveal dates. 

Once the billboard is live, Spotify will also have a special lyric teaser video that accompanies the billboard photos. On top of that, Taylor herself will share nightly clips about Midnights on the mobile-only pre-save page—so pre-save the album on Spotify to ensure access to each day’s new reveal.

On October 17, the first billboards were revealed in New York City and London, when the clock hit midnight in each respective city.

a photo of times square with a digital billboard showing lyrics from taylor swift's new album

Taylor’s last release, Red (Taylor’s Version), broke the Spotify record for the most-streamed album in a day by a female artist, generating more than 90 million streams and breaking the record she previously held with folklore.

Taylor raised the bar even higher when she became the most-streamed female artist in a day in Spotify history with over 122.9M streams, and ended 2021 as the most-streamed female artist on Spotify.

We can’t wait to see what else is in store for Taylor with the launch of Midnights. Pre-save the album on the mobile-only page today.

Coldplay Challenges Fans to a Global Scavenger Hunt—and Shares Lyrics From Their Upcoming Album That Are Out of This Universe

October 14, 2021

This week, Coldplay fans encountered an out-of-this-world mystery. Digital billboards appeared in cities across the globe, flickering with messages in an alien language that only the most dedicated listeners could decode. And online, social media was abuzz with speculation. Finally, after expert sleuthing, fans cracked the case. The symbols on the billboards were, in fact, lyrics from the group’s ninth album, Music Of The Spheres, which debuts tomorrow, October 15. Spotify partnered with Coldplay on the earthly adventure, engaging listeners worldwide in a week-long scavenger hunt to find the billboard sites. Clues on social media and on Spotify guided fans to the next location. Plus, the billboards’ cryptic displays contained a hidden Spotify code that, when scanned, took participants to the Music Of The Spheres playlist (available no matter what galaxy you’re in). The album launch marks another exciting chapter in the group’s 21 years of hit-making milestones. Coldplay has accumulated more than 16.7 billion all-time streams, so we took a look at our Spotify streaming data to see their impact. Though each of their albums is iconic, their top five most-streamed are:

      1. A Head Full of Dreams with over 2.4 billion streams.
      2. A Rush of Blood to the Head with over 2.1 billion streams.
      3. Ghost Stories with over 2 billion streams.
      4. Parachutes with over 1.7 billion streams.
      5. Mylo Xyloto with over 1.5 billion streams.

With eight studio albums already under their belts, the artists also have an impressive catalogue of tracks. The top five most-streamed tracks are:

      1. “Something Just Like This” (with The Chainsmokers) with more than 1.5 billion streams.
      2. “The Scientist” with more than 1 billion streams.
      3. “Yellow” with more than 940 million streams.
      4. “Viva La Vida” with more than 930 million streams.
      5. “Fix You” with more than 850 million streams.

And the release of Music Of The Spheres will likely add to those numbers. Already, the first single, a collaboration with K-pop sensation BTS called “My Universe,” has drawn new fans and excited longtime followers. The track also happens to have helped kick off the global scavenger hunt through a Spotify Canvas—a short looping video accompanying the track—that revealed clues to help locate the first billboard. For fans following along on social media, however, the first alien message came directly from Coldplay. On Sunday, October 10, the group sent the first hint to fans worldwide. The symbols, spheres, and coordinates teased of the adventure to come on Monday. Then, in the U.K., Londoners spotted the first billboard—quickly followed by a sighting in Moscow, Russia.

In London, fans learned the lyrics to “Biutyful.” While in Moscow, Coldplay made contact and shared “Humankind.”

Across the globe, in the United States, an unidentified floating billboard was spotted on Tuesday in Los Angeles, California. There, Selena Gomez fans had an exciting surprise—an upcoming collaboration with Coldplay on “Let Somebody Go.”

One of the final spooky sightings occurred today, in São Paulo, Brazil, where residents found extraterrestrials among themselves. The song “Human Heart” arrived courtesy of a flying saucer.

The other was in Johannesburg, South Africa, where a billboard sported the last words from outer space: “People of the Pride.”

Coldplay comes in peace. Start your intergalactic adventure and stream the Music Of The Spheres playlist now. Then, let the new release, Music Of The Spheres, transport you to another universe on October 15.