Tag: Punjabi Pop

What Gen Z Listeners Are Streaming in Pakistan

September 15, 2023

Since Spotify’s launch in Pakistan in 2021, the platform has become a destination for younger generations to make their voices heard by powering unprecedented musical trends. To better understand what these listeners love, we looked at Spotify streaming data between July 2 and August 2 for listeners aged 16 to 27 to see what tracks, artists, and genres are rising to the top.

Overall, these listeners gravitate toward genres like filmi, modern Bollywood, desi pop, pop, and Punjabi pop. These high-bass beats often reverberate across Pakistan late into the evening, with 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. representing the most popular time frame for these listeners to stream music on Spotify.

We also learned that “Lagda Nahi” by Ammy Gill and Toshi is the most-streamed track for listeners between the ages of 16 and 20. Next in line are “Bikhra” and “Iraaday” by the powerful duo Abdul Hannan and Rovalio. Shifting to listeners aged 21 to 27, we found that the same songs rank in the top three, but the order is reversed: “Iraaday” ranks top, with “Bikhra” next and “Lagda Nahi” third.

One thing that the 16 to 27-year-olds can agree on: Rapper and songwriter Talha Anjum sits at the top as the most-streamed local artist for these listeners in Pakistan. He is followed by the pop legend Atif Aslam and Spotify’s Fresh Finds discovery, Abdul Hannan, who has blossomed into a global sensation.

If we turn to global artists, Indian artist and the king of heartbreak anthems Arijit Singh is the artist 16-to-27-year-olds stream the most, with Indian composer Pritam, American pop star Taylor Swift, Indian rapper Shubh, and Indian singer AP Dhillon rounding out the top five.

Spotify’s curated local playlists have also become a favorite for many listeners. For Gen Z, the top playlists streamed include Hot Hits Pakistan, Shaadi Hits, and Desi Hits. Millennials also gravitate toward Hot Hits Pakistan and Shaadi Hits, but their third-most-streamed playlist is Pakka Hit Hai.

Check out what Gen Zs in Pakistan have been grooving to late into the evening. Check out Hot Hits Pakistan.

Spotify Celebrates Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month by Spotlighting Creators and Activists

May 5, 2022

Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month banner

Each May on our platform, Spotify has amplified and honored the cultures and traditions of the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) communities for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. This year, our campaign expands from an American observance to a global celebration and highlights the full Asian and Pacific Islander diaspora. We’re proud to now mark May as Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month at Spotify.  

To celebrate, we’ve refreshed our Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month content hub with new activist-created playlists and a spotlight on up-and-coming artists. With Asian and Pacific Islander artists representing every genre and in all stages of audio creation, this campaign continues our ongoing efforts to create awareness and expand the API community’s presence on Spotify. Read on to learn more about our plans. 

Turning the volume up on API voices

Our API content hub is a space dedicated to the API community that showcases the work of activists while also highlighting fresh new releases from creators across the audio landscape. This year’s hub is adorned with new cover art and features a variety of audio content, from Punjabi and K-Pop playlists to podcasts from API creators around the globe. It’s also home to a variety of specially curated playlist takeovers. 

 

Letting activists take the lead 

This year, we worked with prominent API activists Malavika Kannan, Amanda Nguyen, and ALOK to create a series of playlists, each with a special theme and message. 

Malavika’s playlist is a musical love letter to fearless immigrant daughters, strong diaspora children, the proud queer community, and multilingual Asian Pacific Islanders. Amanda’s playlist includes music that celebrates API culture year-round. And ALOK’s playlist is a curated collection of API musicians across a wide array of genres and geographies. 

‘Wakhra Swag’ – Tracing the Global Rise of Punjabi Pop

April 6, 2021

From the pind (village) to pan-India, and from there the world, Punjabi music has seen a meteoric rise, capturing the imagination—and dance moves—of millions. From swagger-filled lyrics and globally-inspired sound production, to banging beats and mega-budget music videos, Punjabi Pop has grown into a larger-than-life celebration of cultural moments that is driving a whole new generation of fans and artists.

Global growth

The essence of Punjabi Pop can be traced back to its humble beginnings as an independent genre in the late 1950s. It has since grown from classical folk Punjabi songs, where poets and singers composed ballads, to a multi-million dollar industry. In fact, by 2018, it was almost five times the size of India’s Telugu music industry, the second-largest in the country’s regional music market.

It was in the 1990s that Punjabi Pop garnered mainstream prominence as iconic artists like Daler Mehndi, Gurdas Maan, Bally Sagoo, and Malkit Singh ruled music charts, producing singles and albums that have gained cult status today. 

Then, in the 2000s, the genre’s talent truly took center stage. These years saw the rise of Punjabi Pop artists Jay Sean, Dr Zeus, Miss Pooja, Panjabi MC, Juggy D, Jazzy B, and more.  The global contribution of Punjabi Pop is exemplified in the mash-up of “Mundian To Bach Ke” by Panjabi MC featuring Jay-Z. The original track, produced in the late ’90s, shot to global fame when it caught Jay-Z’s eye and was later re-released as a remixed single in 2003.

The 2010s saw the true globalization of Punjabi Pop, taking the Indian music industry into overdrive. By the end of the decade, a reported 20 songs were written, composed, recorded, and released, every day. From household names to global stars, Yo Yo Honey Singh, Diljit Dosanjh, Guru Randhawa, Hard Kaur, B Praak, Jassie Gill, Garry Sandhu, and Jasmine Sandlas, among many others, defined this decade.

Punjabi music has continued to grow in popularity among global listeners, and there are now several emerging Punjabi artists across the UK, the U.S., and Canada. Fusion music, remixed classics, and crossovers have gained immense popularity and great response internationally. 

Punjabi Pop is currently the highest performing genre for Punjabi music on Spotify, and in 2020, Punjabi Pop was the sixth-most consumed genre on the platform in India. Even the top 10 most-streamed Punjabi tracks featured Punjabi Pop—in addition to Punjabi Hip Hop and Bhangra.

Discover more

Since its launch two years ago, the Punjabi 101 editorial playlist on Spotify helps listeners discover the best Punjabi songs to stream. It’s grown significantly in this short time, with more than 300,000 followers to-date.

Want to learn more? To celebrate the genre’s vibrant journey and the artists who made it happen, Spotify recently launched a microsite where you can discover even more playlists and delve deeper into the genre’s artists. You can visit it here.