Tag: new artists

6 Artists Taking Mexico’s Pop Scene to the Next Level

July 7, 2023

a series of artists looking at the camera with a graphic treatment that resembles a school yearbook

Music from Mexico boasts talent across many genres, including Música Mexicana and hip-hop. But like many markets, pop remains a staple. In fact, Mexico ranks fourth as the country that consumes the most pop on Spotify, and many of the world’s beloved Spanish-language pop stars hail from Mexico.

Now Spotify is featuring the latest wave of Mexican pop stars in a new campaign: La Gen 23. “For many decades, Mexico has led the Latin pop movement,” explains Uriel Waizel, Spotify Mexico’s Head of Editorial. “We are excited to amplify a new era of pop by showcasing the talented and creative Mexican artists who are captivating a new generation through music.” With an identity marked by collaboration and authenticity, this new generation of talent has made an impact on its Gen Z audience. On Spotify, listeners only have to go to one place to find the latest music from them: the la pop~wave playlist. 

Our campaign kicks off with RENEE, Kevin Kaarl, Bruses, Bratty, Humbe, and Leon Leiden, six artists whose monthly streams have increased by more than 9,000% since June 2020. They have a combined total of 18.4 millions monthly listeners—more than double the population of Mexico City. By bringing these artists to the fore, we’re giving fans a look at the newest and hottest pop stars coming out of Mexico. Get to know them. 

Kevin Kaarl

Kevin Kaarl has become one of the leading figures of the pop wave. His emotional indie-folk songs have hooked more than 7 million fans who relate to the heartbreak he shares in his tracks. Last year, his album, Paris Texas, debuted at #5 on the Global New Releases list on Spotify. 

RENEE 

RENEE, a Spotify EQUAL ambassador, is one of the most electrifying artists of her generation. Her songs have become anthems for women, and she has nearly 2 million monthly listeners. “Nunca Tristes (Me vale madre),” her best-known song, has been streamed by fans more than 45 million times.

Bruses 

Bruses was the first Mexican artist to be named a global ambassador for GLOW, Spotify’s music program celebrating and amplifying LGBTQIA+ artists and creators. At the 2022 Latin Grammy Awards, her album Monstruos was nominated for Best Pop Rock Album, and her track “qué voy a hacer conmigo???” was nominated for Best Pop Rock Song.

Humbe 

Humbe, hailing from Monterrey, has a knack for releasing hit songs. His 2021 album, ENTROPÍA, was well received, with all of the songs debuting on the Top 200 of Spotify Mexico.

Leon Leiden 

At 23, artist Leon Leiden has racked up nearly 50 million streams for his song “Gitana (feat Jeis, Pao Alvarado & Charly Romero).” With an unparalleled style, the music of “ESE LION” has grown by more than 2,600% in monthly streams between June 2020 and June 2023.

Bratty 

In 2023, Bratty became the youngest Mexican artist to perform at Coachella. While commanding the stage in Indio, California, Bratty performed hits like “Honey, No Estás,” “Continental,” and “Quiero Estar.”

 

Find fresh new music from these Mexican artists and more on our la pop~wave playlist.

Spotify Presents the Second Edition of RADAR Italy With 10 Featured Artists

September 27, 2021

In March of 2020, Spotify launched an emerging artist program called RADAR in 50 markets around the world. Since then, RADAR has propelled musical up-and-comers to the next stage of their careers by connecting them with new audiences on Spotify’s global platform. Now, Spotify Italy is getting ready to launch its second edition of the program.

Last year’s rising artists have experienced huge growth since joining the RADAR program. Genre-agnostic BLANCO saw a year-over-year growth of over 7,500% in monthly listenership and a 30,000% increase in daily listeners. When his debut album, Blu Celeste, was released, all 13 tracks occupied the top 13 positions on the Spotify charts. 

Singer and musician Mara Sattei also found new fans and became the fourth most-streamed female artist in Italy in 2020. Daily streams of Rondodasosa and Il Tre grew by 470% and 560% respectively in one year, and during the last three months, newcomers Speranza, Radical, and CARA were Italy’s most-discovered artists with more than 300,000 new plays each.

This year’s selection of artists is poised to become just as popular. These RADAR musicians also reflect a changing landscape of Italian and global music in which genre lines are becoming blurred and themes of diversity and inclusion dominate.

“Spotify is particularly focused on the growth of artists, and RADAR Italia 2021 is yet another demonstration of this,” said Melanie Parejo, Spotify’s Head of Music for Southern Europe. “Our priority will always be to increase the connection between creators and their fans, as well as to help them reach new audiences. The aim of the program is to give visibility to emerging talent on an international level and to highlight all culturally relevant music genres in Italy, as Spotify reflects the country’s diverse musical culture.”

Through this program, Spotify will continue to support these rising stars with a dedicated RADAR Italia playlist, features on our editorial channels, and a personalized marketing plan that will give listeners around the world the chance to discover their music.

Get to know the 10 artists participating in RADAR Italy 2021:

Spotify’s RISE Ushers in a New Wave of Artists … and the Stories Behind Their Songs

October 16, 2018

Every song tells a story—from the indie jam at the coffee shop to the hip-hop hit blasting from the car radio—and so do the artists behind them. Their lyrics, melodies, and soundtracks come from their experiences as musicians and the journeys they took to achieve their musical goals. For these artists, the many stories in their collection becomes the album they share with the world.

Spotify wants to highlight those stories. That’s why we have RISE—an artist development program, sponsored by Aloft, that supports new artists and gives fans a peek behind the scenes of their journeys.

After recently spotlighting country band LANCO, R&B artist Jorja Smith, Latin singer Karol G, and indie artist Rex Orange County, it’s time to pass the baton to a new wave of RISE-ing stars including pop singer King Princess, R&B artist Joji, and Atlanta-based rapper Lil Baby.

RISE will delve into what makes each of these artists unique, from their inspirations to their dreams for the future. For King Princess, motivation comes from the LGBTQ community. “Having a strong community of gay men and women around me has helped me to realize my vision as an artist. It has also helped me stay loved and supported throughout this experience,” the artist told For the Record when asked about who has helped her most throughout her blossoming career.

Joji, on the other hand, knew he wanted to make it in the music industry the moment he heard Soulja Boy sing “Crank Dat” on the radio. “If that song had us going apeshit in middle school, it had to be something special,” he told Spotify.

Here’s a little bit more about Spotify’s New RISE artists:

King Princess: Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, King Princess’s musicality covers singing, songwriting, and various instruments. Having spent a large chunk of her childhood in her father’s music studio, King Princess learned to play bass, drums, and piano, and even got the hang of music production. Her debut single and tribute to the LGBTQ community, “1950,” has over 144 million streams, and her first album, Make My Bed, was released in June 2018.

Joji: The Japanese-Australian producer, singer, and R&B artist launched his fame from his bedroom—which is where he made his debut EP, “In Tongues,” released in November 2017. He credits Dipset and Soulja Boy as being two huge influences on his music.

Lil Baby: Lil Baby is the rookie of the year. Just two years ago he started rapping under the nourishment of Coach K and Pierre “Pee” Thomas. Harder Than Ever marks the 23-year-old rapper and trap artist’s debut album. This musical tour de force debuted at No. 3 on Billboard’s Top 200, and featured the smash single “Yes Indeed” featuring Drake. “Yes Indeed” peaked at #1 at Urban Radio and No. 6 on Billboard’s Hot 100. Since its release, it has amassed over 500 million global streams. In 2018 alone, Lil Baby has clocked in over 2 billion streams and counting across streaming platforms.

Beyond the music, RISE features short-form documentaries that authentically capture these unique artists and their creative processes, collaborations, insight on their own role models, exclusive photoshoots, and more BTS goodies. And let’s be honest—you’ll probably want to “heart” their tracks to save them to your favorites playlist, too.