Tag: pinoy hip-hop

82 Artists, 10 Countries, Limitless Sounds: Meet the RADAR Asia Class of 2025

April 24, 2025

The sounds of Asia are as diverse and vibrant as the continent itself. From the lively beats of Indonesian pop to the gritty rhymes of Pinoy hip-hop, the region is brimming with musical innovation.

Since 2020, Spotify has helped artists across Asia chart their paths to stardom through RADAR, our global program to support emerging talent. Now we’re thrilled to introduce the RADAR Asia class of 2025. Featuring 82 artists, the class represents Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

These artists span a range of styles and genres, reflecting the continent’s rich musical landscape. Representing RADAR Indonesia, acts like The Lantis evoke the nostalgia of ’80s Indonesian pop, while Aftershine brings the beautiful sound of Javanese pop to the forefront.

“RADAR is motivation. It fuels our passion, pushes us to dream bigger, and reminds us that every song we create has the potential to reach someone, somewhere,” said indie pop band The Lantis. “It’s a reminder that our music matters, that our stories resonate, and that there are listeners out there waiting to connect with what we create.”

With T-pop on the rise, RADAR Thailand welcomes groups like LYKN and FLIRT, as well as alt-rock duo SHERRY.

“We’re truly honored to be part of this year’s RADAR Thailand lineup,” said SHERRY. “Spotify is all about its users and creatives. It allows us to highlight our hard work and craft to a bigger audience in Thailand and beyond. We can’t wait to show our fans what we have in store for them in 2025.”

To the east, RADAR Philippines welcomes Pinoy female rapper Zae and Baguio-raised indie band Dilaw, among others, while pop and hip-hop acts such as Ánh Sáng AZA and CoolKid join RADAR Vietnam.

RADAR 新勢力, which is dedicated to the wider Mandopop space, welcomes newcomers like 艾蜜莉AMILI and Eileen Yo游宇潼. And in Japan, where RADAR is locally known as Early Noise, the 2025 class includes AKASAKI and Billyrrom. Finally, from the home of K-Pop, rookie group MEOVV is RADAR Korea’s first featured artist of the year.

“Music and culture are always evolving, and at Spotify, we’re here to celebrate that,” said Kossy Ng, Spotify Head of Music, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong & Taiwan. “With RADAR, we’re excited to shine a light on the breadth of incredible rising talents in Asia that span different genres and sounds. There’s so much to discover and something for everyone. We’re committed to supporting artists for the long haul, helping music from Asia reach fans all over the world.”

As part of the program, RADAR artists receive Spotify support through a dedicated playlist and special editorial placement. This support is clearly making waves in Asia and beyond. Globally, five of Spotify’s top 10 RADAR artists last year came from the Philippines. In Korea, meanwhile, last year’s RADAR artists saw a 34% boost in their average daily streams in the six months following their entry into the program. Bernadya is another success story: The 2023 RADAR Indonesia artist experienced a stunning 91% surge in monthly listeners a year after joining the program and became Spotify Indonesia’s top artist of 2024. This momentum continues across the region, with our RADAR Vietnam playlist boasting more than 70% international streams.

Ready to meet the full lineup? Discover the RADAR Asia class of 2025 below.

RADAR Indonesia

Adikara
Aftershine
Deborah Hanna
Difki Khalif
Elsa Japasal
Rafi Sudirman
Rony Parulian
The Lantis
Tissa Biani
White Chorus

Stream our RADAR Indonesia playlist.

RADAR Thailand

ALIE BLACKCOBRA
Daou Pittaya
FLIRT
GALCHANIE
guncharlie
Hunsick
Kakagoesbackhome
LITTLE JOHN
LYKN
Pearprapa
PONCHET
SHERRY

Stream our RADAR Thailand playlist.

RADAR Philippines

ALLMO$T
BGYO
Costa Cashman
Dilaw
ena mori
JERGE
Justin Vasquez
ONE CLICK STRAIGHT
Young Blood Neet
Zae

Stream our RADAR Philippines playlist.

RADAR Singapore and Malaysia

Danial Kifli
Dominic Chin
empty page.
Fahimi
Firdaus Rahmat
ICEBOX
karan
Kidd Santhe
lovlaine
Nadeera
NAKI
RENE
Yokez

Stream our RADAR Singapore and Malaysia playlist.

RADAR Korea

MEOVV

Stream our RADAR Korea playlist and stay tuned as more participating artists are unveiled throughout the year.

RADAR Japan

7co
AKASAKI
Billyrrom
Brandy Senki
Lavt
noa
PAS TASTA
reina
Retro Riron (レトロリロン)
ziproom

Stream our RADAR Japan (aka RADAR: Early Noise) playlist.

RADAR Vietnam

Ánh Sáng AZA
CoolKid
GUrbane
VƯƠNG BÌNH

Stream our RADAR Vietnam playlist.

RADAR Hong Kong

Arvin曾傲棐
Billy Choi
Gordon Flanders
Michael C
Nancy Kwai
risy
Rover
SOPHY
Tr33 
Uchu Yurei

Stream our RADAR Hong Kong playlist.

Radar 新勢力

阿蘭 AC
艾蜜莉AMILI
Andr
齊翔XIANG
Eileen Yo游宇潼
JUD 陳泳希
公館青少年GGteens
Haezee
Mandark
Marz23
PPlin 林芃逸
王ADEN

Stream our Radar 新勢力 playlist.

Spotify’s KALYE X Campaign Illuminates Pinoy Hip-Hop

December 20, 2023

Pinoy hip-hop is overtaking the music scene in the Philippines, and the lively beats of Filipino artists are finding their way to listeners far beyond the geographical borders of the country. “The genre reflects the energy, how organic the art form is, and how accessible rapping is to everyone,” shares Chesca Tan, Spotify’s Lead Editor for Philippines. “Pinoy hip-hop is gritty; it’s street.”

To celebrate Pinoy hip-hop’s massive growth on Spotify—a more than 700% increase in streams in the Philippines since 2018—we launched KALYE X. For the uninitiated, “kalye” means “street” in Filipino. The initiative celebrates the collaboration between artists, fans and community, and serves as an extension of Spotify’s popular Kalye Hip-Hop playlist. “This playlist is home to the best of Pinoy hip-hop tracks, also enabling artists to be discovered and reach more fans in the Philippines and beyond—gaining listeners from 184 countries,” says Chesca.

The KALYE X campaign kicked off with an unforgettable street-themed party. It featured live performances from contemporary Pinoy hip-hop icons Al James, Morobeats and Midnasty; a hip-hop dance showdown; street graffiti; and a chat session with Spotify’s Head of Music, Kossy Ng, about the vibrant culture of the Pinoy hip-hop genre. The launch was a testament to the vibrant tapestry of Pinoy hip-hop culture.

We also teamed up with six local artists from the three main islands of the Philippines—Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao—to record and release three new Spotify Singles. Each track showcases the depth and diversity listeners can find in Pinoy hip-hop.

Midnasty and Cookie$ bring the best of Bisaya beats in the track “Wa Na Wa.” “I have been dedicating my music and craft to take Bisaya hip-hop beyond Visayas, and this collaboration with Midnasty is an important step in that direction,” explains Cookie$. “Working with Spotify allows us to transcend boundaries and share the vibrant Bisaya culture through our music. I hope this latest track not only empowers our fans but also creates a legacy that resonates far beyond our hometown.”

Gloc-9, Hero, and Ramdiss pulled off a three-way mash-up for their song “Umaga” that represents the island of Luzon. “I love writing songs about real stories and struggles of people, and being able to capture what we go through every day,” says Gloc-9. “As an artist, I want my music to resonate with everyone, hip-hop fan or not. That is why I take pride in creating songs that tell people’s stories like what we did here.”

Morobeats reimagines Mindanao hip-hop on their single, “Kendeng.” DJ Medmessiah, a founding member of the group, says, “We’re proud and excited that the rest of the world will hear ‘Kendeng.’ We’ve been dedicating our music and talent to showcase the rich Mindanaoan culture and share our style of hip-hop, and this collaboration with Spotify is providing us with that opportunity.”

After spending time in the studio, the artists took to the stage for Spotify-hosted performances of their Spotify Singles in Cebu, Davao, and Manila. The excitement was palpable as nearly 6,000 fans attended the shows. The love for these songs spans the globe, and the artists and their Spotify Singles were featured on a billboard in New York City’s Times Square.

Learn more about these diverse and talented artists in our Spotify Singles documentary.

Want more Pinoy hip-hop? Check out our Kalye playlist below.