Tag: performance

Country Star Morgan Wallen Returns Home for a Special Performance at His High School

March 3, 2023

Morgan Wallen performing onstage at a show

Last night, Morgan Wallen proved you can go home again. The Tennessee native visited his alma mater, Gibbs High School, and performed an intimate show for the crowd in Corrytown on the school’s baseball field.

Spotify partnered with the country star for this special performance to celebrate the release of his new album, One Thing At A Time. Show attendees included Gibbs High School faculty, the 2023 senior class, the baseball team, and more local guests.

Morgan Wallen playing guitar and performing on stage

“You cannot deny that his music has connected with listeners at a core level and is among the most popular with Spotify users—particularly in the U.S.,” said Brittany Schaffer, Head of Nashville Label Partnerships and Music Strategy. “Morgan is introducing a new generation of listeners to country music, which makes this album release an even more exciting moment for the visibility of the genre. We’re thrilled to be able to celebrate the release of this new album with him.” 

Morgan’s roots are an important theme in his music, and this homecoming show gave his Tennessee fans a chance to experience his new songs live. Guests could also create their own Gibbs HS baseball card, write letters on album-themed postcards to mail to loved ones, and enjoy other fun activities like cornhole.

“Morgan wears his heart on his sleeve as an artist and songwriter, and he brings fans into his world through his lyrics,” said Miller Guth, Artist & Label Partnerships Manager for Nashville. “We wanted to do just that: bring fans to an influential location of his past where they’ll get to know him even more and witness an unforgettable performance.”

Fresh Finds Artists Jump From the Playlist to the Stage in New Spotify Stages Showcase

February 15, 2023

Since 2016, the Fresh Finds playlists have introduced music fans to some of the most promising independent artists, and now Spotify is bringing them to the stage.

On March 23, we’re coming to the Los Angeles Arts District for the inaugural Fresh Finds Live show. The showcase is hosted by Spotify Stages, a team dedicated to producing live event experiences for emerging artists found by Spotify. It will spotlight four talented acts who have been featured in our Fresh Finds playlists: genre-blending rapper TiaCorine, rising singer-songwriter Katherine Li, alt-pop’s budding Abby Sage, and progressive folk project Baerd. For fans wanting to attend the showcase, tickets go on sale February 17 at 9 a.m. PST here.

On the platform, Fresh Finds consists of 11 genre playlists and 18 local-market playlists, which have served as a launch pad to success for artists like GRAMMY-nominee Omar Apollo, Clairo, Steve Lacy, and more. With this event, we’re creating a new experience to connect artists with listeners.

“As more new artists make their first forays into live music following the pandemic, this show allows us to bring Fresh Finds into the live setting to assist in that discovery and growth process, with the goal of amplifying these talented artists to the right audiences to build lasting careers,” shared Jesse Jacobsen, U.S. Indies Lead for Artist & Label Partnerships at Spotify.

In addition to the concert, Spotify is inviting the artists to take part in a five-day residency program at Spotify Studios in LA. As part of this experience, they can use the state-of-the-art facilities to work on new music.

While the showcase may not be until March, you can get to know these artists now.

graphic image background with artist tiacorine featured as a

Born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Tia grew up exposed to a range of music thanks to her Japanese and African American father and her Shoshone Native American mother. When Tia released her first single, “Lotto,” she caught the attention of local radio stations, DJs, and clubs, and the internet. Last year, Tia released the album I Can’t Wait, which includes the single “FreakyT.” Now the artist is preparing to share her unique sound with more audiences.

“Performing live gives you the opportunity to connect with fans on a different level. The feeling you get from it is electric, and I wanna share that with my fans at every show,” explained Tia.

 

The 19-year-old singer-songwriter’s music features themes of love lost and relationships that never were, and Katherine has amassed a fan base of hopeless romantics who identify with her lyrics. Last year, she released her debut EP, Crush(ed). The Toronto native is also featured as the cover artist of Spotify’s Fresh Finds: Class of 2022 playlist. Next, she’s gearing up for a series of concerts across North America.

“I used to think that the unrequited love I talk about in my songs was something no one else dealt with, but after sharing them [my songs] with a community of people who turned out to be just like me, I realized I wasn’t the odd one out,” shared Katherine. “I hope that after my set, the audience feels the same comfort I felt in knowing there is a whole community of people that have experienced, and relate to, the same things as you.”

 

A tender soul with an observational eye, Abby Sage draws comparisons to Florence + The Machine and Clairo. Brought up in Toronto, music-obsessed Abby eventually moved to LA, where the singer-songwriter released her debut EP, Fears Of Yours & Mine, in 2021. After Abby relocated to London last year, her sound shifted, and listeners can hear the evolution in her latest EP, The Florist. 

“I always hope that people can take something away from my performances, whatever that may be. Of course, I hope people enjoy the show and leave feeling tingly and excited!” said Abby. “The visual components of my shows and my work overall are very important to me, so I hope people enjoy that as well.”

 

Baerd is a seven-piece progressive folk and Americana band spearheaded by Isaiah Beard. Incorporating jazz, Americana, classical, and R&B, Baerd’s indie-folk sound is influenced by Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Punch Brothers, and Radiohead. 

On performing live, Beard shared, “The spirit of music in its purest form is live. To share attention with others and exchange more than words or notes with strangers, friends, and fellow artists animates my being more than anything.”

 

Hear more songs from top emerging talent in our Fresh Finds flagship playlist.

EQUAL Takes the Mic at Germany’s Reeperbahn Festival

September 23, 2022

Five women posing in front of a camera at the music festival

Taking place over four days and serving as a forum for international talent to discuss current developments in the global music industry, Reeperbahn is the biggest club festival in Europe. Since 2006, artists, fans, and industry players from around the world have gathered in Hamburg for the event.

For this year’s Reeperbahn Festival, Spotify celebrated its EQUAL Global Music Program. EQUAL aims to combat gender disparity in the music industry by amplifying and celebrating the work of women creators around the world.

At the festival, Spotify hosted a series of concerts to showcase the talents of German EQUAL artist LEEPA (who is also the EQUAL artist of the month for September), Sofia Portanet, and Ebow. “It was exciting to have three great artists perform at the internationally renowned event,” shared Conny Zhang, Spotify’s Head of Music for the German region. “At the same time, this showcase demonstrates, once more, the importance we place on promoting diversity in the audio industry at Spotify.“ 

Ahead of their performances, we caught up with two of the artists, LEEPA and Sofia, to learn more about their careers and experiences.

LEEPA

What has your experience in the Spotify EQUAL program been like up to now? 

LEEPA: It’s been great, but a bit surreal. It’s also been a lot of work, so I think I’m in super tunnel mode and will have to wait for the most intense part to be over to really realize it happened.

How does it feel to be part of the Reeperbahn showcase?

LEEPA: My reaction is disbelief, a great deal of perfectionism kicking in, and gratefulness. Other people’s reactions have been great too. It’s interesting because I’ve also gotten a lot of international reactions that were super positive, which was both super interesting and nice.

What’s been the most pivotal moment of your music career so far?

LEEPA: I think this week has been super defining. Having two shows as big as Reeperbahn Festival and Lollapalooza in combination with the EQUAL campaign in one week is the ultimate test, and I think this whole year has led up to this point. And successfully getting through it will be very defining for my career, and also essential to my confidence as an artist.

What’s next for you? 

LEEPA: A little break and lots of music making. 

How would you like to see greater gender representation in the music industry?

LEEPA: More female technicians and more female producers!

 

Sofia Portanet

How does it feel to be part of the EQUAL Reeperbahn showcase?

Sofia: I’m really excited about this showcase! I think it’s great and really important that Spotify is setting a sign for gender equality in the music industry. The fact that the EQUAL playlist and showcase have been brought to life is an indicator of a big issue in the music industry, and it’s good that this topic is getting more attention though this. Being a powerful streaming platform, it’s great Spotify is assuming their part of the responsibility in this matter by creating more visibility for female artists and helping to widen female artists’ audience. Having the opportunity to play live and be part of Spotify EQUAL myself is therefore extra exciting and makes me really proud! On top of this, I love playing at the Reeperbahn Festival. It’s a very dynamic and diverse festival, and I love to meet people and discover new artists here.

What’s been the most pivotal moment of your music career so far? 

Sofia: Winning the Best Newcomer Award at the VIA – VUT Indie Awards at Reeperbahn Festival last year (2021). In my opinion, recognition shouldn’t ever be the goal, but it does encourage and give a lot of strength to keep on working hard! It was a really joyful moment and I feel really, really grateful for it.

What’s next for you? 

Sofia: Quite a few things actually. I’m preparing my upcoming single release for the beginning of November. The song is called “UNSTOPPABLE” and it’s about empowering people to keep believing in themselves no matter what! There will be a music video for it, too. Also, I’m preparing for my upcoming tour that starts mid-November until the 8th of December. It’s the headline tour of my latest album Freier Geist, which we had to postpone three times already. But this time, it’s finally going to happen! I’d recommend getting your tickets now. And last but not least, I’m working on my new album. I can’t wait to tell you everything about it very soon!

How would you like to see greater gender representation in the music industry?

Sofia: Despite all efforts in the past years, the music industry continues to be a super male-dominated industry with big gender inequality. First of all, it would be really important for everyone to understand that women don’t want to have special treatment; we just want to be treated no differently than men. That means we need to have just as many opportunities to prove ourselves, to get experience, to be respected, and to be treated equally. And equal treatment means equal representation in any sector of the music industry! May it be as an artist, songwriter, producer, or executive. In the long run, for me, equal treatment will no longer mean having “women panels” or “female music festivals.” It will just mean that women will equally be represented in any festival, any panel, any company. And don’t get me wrong, it’s great to have “women only” events or organizations as it raises the attention on the issue, but it’s important that women don’t feel stigmatized with this topic either, but integrated into the system instead.

 

Want to hear more from these powerful women artists? Check out the Spotify EQUAL GSA playlist.

 

Classic Hip-Hop, Rap, and R&B Hits Spiked After Yesterday’s Halftime Show

February 14, 2022

The halftime show of the Big Game garners as much excitement and anticipation as the gridiron rivalry itself, and last night was no exception. In Los Angeles, while the players hit the locker rooms, icons Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar, along with surprise guests 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak on drums, pumped up viewers in the stadium and at home with an electrifying set of hip-hop, rap, and R&B hits.

Halftime Hits

Following the 12-minute performance, fans were ready for more. Listeners turned to Spotify to continue streaming their favorites from the show. Last night, Mary J. Blige saw a lot of love with a more than 520% increase in streams of her song“No More Drama.” Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s “The Next Episode” saw more than a 270% increase in streams. The 1999 track “Still D.R.E.” saw an increase of more than 245%, and Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” saw more than a 250% increase. In the U.S., overall streams of Dr. Dre saw a nearly 185% increase on Spotify in the hour following the game.

’90s and ’00s Nostalgia

Last night’s performances brought back some of the most iconic hits of the 1990s and early 2000s, but the halftime show isn’t the only place listeners are getting a dose of nostalgia—listening to popular tracks from the past has become a big trend on Spotify.

Eminem is one of Spotify’s top-streamed hip-hop artists of all time, with “Lose Yourself” topping the list as the most-streamed track across classic hip-hop, rap and R&B.* Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg are two of Spotify’s top-streamed classic hip-hop artists, with “Still D.R.E.” being one of the most popular tracks.

Hometown Pride

Spotify also dug into the data for what listeners in Los Angeles and Cincinnati were playing on Sunday to prepare for the game. 

In Cincinnati, listeners showed spirit for their home team by streaming Bengals-themed tracks like “Welcome To The Jungle” by Guns N’ Roses, “The Bengals Growl (Fight Song)” by Cincinnati Pep Band and ML Music, “Joe Burrow” by Lil Gav, and “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor.

Farther west in LA, Spotify listeners prepped for the eventual Rams victory by cranking up tracks by the halftime performers, including “Nuthin’ But A “G” Thang” by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, “California Love – Original Version” by 2Pac, Dr. Dre, and Roger, “Forgot About Dre” by Dr. Dre and Eminem, and “Money Trees” by Jay Rock and Kendrick Lamar.

Check out the “I Love My Classics” playlists if you’re craving more of the hits you heard last night. From LA to ATL, Spotify’s regional playlists (West Coast, Down South, Midwest, and East Coast) give fans the best of the genre.

*“Classic hip-hop, rap, and R&B” refers to anything released pre-2005