Last week, Spotify welcomed 500 guests from across the songwriting, producing, and publishing world to the second annual Created by Women Summit, a day dedicated to building a more equitable music industry. Since its launch last year, Created by Women has facilitated much-needed community, mentorship, and connection across the industry.
During a series of panels and interviews held at Spotify’s LA office, attendees heard from leading voices on a range of topics including being a working parent in the music industry, Black women in songwriting, and the power of creative collaboration across borders. Spotify’s Chief Public Affairs Officer Dustee Jenkins hosted the day’s keynote alongside songwriter Liz Rose.
“Today is about you,” Dustee said in her welcome remarks. “And it’s about what we can do together to make sure more people understand what you do and how much it matters. Your songs are traveling further and finding more listeners around the world. Fans want to build deeper connections with the artists and songs they love. They don’t want to just hear the songs, they want to know who made them.”
In the Heart & Soul Wellness Lounge, created in partnership with leading mental health and wellness non-profit Backline, attendees could stop by for a massage and nutrition consultation, and learn more about the resources and support available to them through the organization.
The event also featured live performances, and closed out with a mixer where guests had another chance to connect and keep the conversation going.
NCT’s JOHNNY was born and raised in Chicago, but moved to South Korea as a teenager to train as an artist. Years later, he’s still discovering new things about his adopted home every day. Now he’s inviting fans to explore Korean culture alongside him with JOURNEY with JOHNNY, a new video podcast available now on Spotify.
The show brings together personal stories and conversations about Korean customs and culture. Each episode also features a song handpicked by Johnny, connecting the conversation to music and moments from his everyday life.
For the Record caught up with Johnny to talk about these unexpected discoveries, music’s power to connect people, and why he hopes listeners leave each episode feeling warm and cozy.
What inspired you to start JOURNEY with JOHNNY, and what made this the right moment to bring it to life?
I’ve always thought it would be great to have more ways to talk and connect with fans around the world. So when this opportunity came up, I was excited to take it. The timing also felt right because, after spending many years in Korea, I feel like I’m now at a point where I can really put my experiences into words and share them in a more personal way.
Was there anything that surprised you when you were recording the show?
While filming, I actually caught myself being surprised quite a lot. There were so many things about Korea that I realized I still didn’t know, but also things that I didn’t realize I did know. Those little moments of discovery and realization will really be the key highlights. I really hope K-pop fans and anyone who’s curious about Korean culture can experience Korea alongside me. I’m still learning and discovering things too, so it really does feel like we’re going on this journey together.
Why was it important to you to make music a part of every episode?
JOURNEY with JOHNNY is on Spotify, so how could I not have music? [Laughs.] I thought of it as an opportunity not only to share some of my own taste, but also to really dive into music together with the listeners—what fans want to hear, what songs are trending right now, why I think those songs are popular. A lot of people tuning into the podcast probably discovered me through listening to K-pop in the first place. Music has always had this incredible ability to connect and find unity around the world.
With the podcast, NCTzens now have a new way to engage with you. What does it mean to you to have that kind of space, and how do you hope this show sits alongside your work in NCT?
I hope JOURNEY with JOHNNY can become a space that spreads positivity. Meeting fans throughout the years has taught me how much not only our music, but our personal experiences can give them strength. I think it will give people another way to get to know me, which hopefully also makes them curious about NCT, too. And if someone listens to the podcast without knowing NCT yet…I might have to make it my personal mission to change that. [Laughs.]
If you had to sum up the vibe of JOURNEY with JOHNNY in three words, what would they be?
Personal, relaxed, playful.
What are your biggest hopes for JOURNEY with JOHNNY?
Just like the name suggests, I want this podcast to feel like a journey—for me and for everyone listening. I hope listeners can simply have a good time with it. The goal for me would be for listeners to feel warm and cozy. And, hopefully, we can keep this journey going for a long time.
Ready to take a journey with Johnny? Watch the first episodes on Spotify now. New episodes drop every Wednesday at 11 p.m. KST.
Recently, fans of the German podcast Gemischtes Hack received a mysterious invitation to an event simply called “HACKTAG,” taking place September 22 at the Berliner Ensemble in Berlin. Without knowing anything else, an audience of 600 gathered, anxious to see what the evening might have in store. Then the curtain rose, revealing Gemischtes Hack hosts Felix Lobrecht and Tommi Schmitt seated in their signature studio setup, and the reason for the celebration: the series had officially reached one billion streams.
The milestone adds to an already impressive run for the show, which has been Germany’s most-streamed podcast for seven consecutive years and is the second most-streamed podcast on Spotify globally. Each episode, Felix and Tommi bring listeners into their wide-ranging conversations, covering whatever happens to be on their minds, from politics and culture to sports, music, and more.
HACKTAG was a one-of-a-kind celebration of the show’s milestone moment and a fitting tribute to its fan community. The name itself was a nod to longtime listeners, coming from “Mittwoch ist Hacktag” (“Wednesday is hack day”), one of the podcast’s signature phrases.
Along with watching a live episode recording, guests could snap photos with the hosts after the show and take them home in frames inspired by the 1 Billion Streams Award. There was also event-exclusive merch made especially for the celebration.
Mallory Rubin knows her career is unique. “Sometimes I describe my job to people and they’re like, ‘Wait, you get to just talk about Game of Thrones and football for a living? Like, what?’” she said recently, laughing. In her roles as The Ringer’s director of content and cohost of the House of R podcast, Mallory has spent her career diving deep into some of her favorite pop-culture properties (with plenty of detours to talk about her beloved Baltimore Ravens and Orioles). In the process, she’s had a firsthand look at the unique role podcasts play in strengthening the bonds between fans and their favorite things, from TV adaptations of fantasy novels to sports teams.
One of the funny things about fandom-driven podcasts is the way that being a superfan can earn you plenty of fans on your own, which is how Mallory and her cohost, Joanna Robinson, found themselves taping a live show at Camden Yards ahead of an Orioles game this summer. After they wrapped, Mal took to the mound to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before joining the show’s fans—the Bad Babies—in the stands to take in the game. For this child of Baltimore, it was a big deal. “I’m prone to hyperbole, so they’ll release a new flavor of a Dorito and I’m like, ‘What a life highlight!’ But this was actually a life highlight,” she said.
For the Record caught up with Mallory to talk about her fandom journey, the uniquely intimate qualities of podcasting, and the joy of seeing fans meet up in real life.
You threw out the first pitch at an Orioles game last night, but you didn’t just throw out the first pitch—it was House of R Night at Camden Yards! What did that mean to you?
It was totally bonkers and surreal—the kind of thing where, until people were sitting in the seats, I thought it was maybe an elaborate prank. The Orioles are a huge part of my life and always have been. It was truly a delight to come home and do a live pod at Camden and then throw the first pitch—and the people who bought tickets to the live show all watched the game together, so we got to basically do a watch-along with our listeners and viewers during the game. It’s a very special and meaningful thing to confront in real life what the shows mean to people, and this was a particularly special manifestation of that.
How was the first pitch itself?
It was wonderful as an experience. I have some notes for myself on the actual pitch.
Mallory on the field with ‘House of R’ cohost Joanna Robinson and the Oriole Bird.
Let’s talk about fandom. Is there an early memory or moment where you felt the fan thing switch on?
In a way that feels very appropriate given how I’ve chosen to spend my time, it really was a combo of sports and pop culture. My parents got divorced when I was really young, and when I would go to my dad’s every other weekend, we would watch [University of Maryland] Terps games, we would watch Orioles games. And he’s a huge fantasy literature fan, so he had put this little bookshelf in my room with some George R. R. Martin, Dune, but he never was, like, “Read these.” He just left them there, allowing me to discover them on my own when I was ready. In fifth grade, the first book that I read when I had kind of more confidence as a reader was The Hobbit, and TheLord of the Rings was really the first fictional universe that I fell deep deep deep into.
The first one that I found on my own was Harry Potter. Back in the AIM days, I was putting up away messages, like, “If you don’t know what a Horcrux is, we can’t talk right now.” And then the last movie that I saw in college, like the week I graduated, was Iron Man, so I associate the MCU with moving to New York City and becoming an adult. I started reading A Song of Ice and Fire when I was a young whippersnapper working at Sports Illustrated, living in the Big Apple, trying to find my way. I read it together with a friend of mine who was working at GolfMagazine, and we would meet for lunch and talk about it.
An in-person podcast! What do you think it is about podcasts as a medium that makes them so effective for fan-driven work? Obviously we have TV recaps and movie reviews, but there’s something different that seems to happen in the podcast form.
It’s a couple things. Podcasting is a very intimate medium. We’re in the video era now, but if you think about the audio roots of podcasting, when you put your headphones on, you have someone’s voice in your head. They become a part of the rhythm of your day. We talk a lot at The Ringer about, “Come for the topic, stay for the hosts.” People have to care about both things, ultimately, and if and when they do, then podcasts afford a depth of connection that is distinct.
We always talk about our shows being “expert but approachable.” You want the conversation to be the best version of the thing—if people give us their time, we don’t want to squander it. But it also has to be a good hang, and a lot of that is the rhythm and rapport and chemistry between the hosts, which you can’t fake. That allows people to form a connection, too, because then they’re like, “I’m hanging out with my friends.” That’s the great trick of podcasting: “I’m hanging out with my friends.”
You talked about how important expertise is, and you’re infamous, I’d say, for the amount of prep you do for podcasts. Tell me about your process.
In some ways it’s more intense than ever, which, as I get older, I just honestly can’t stay up this late or wake up this early. But I don’t want to ever go into one of these runs feeling like I got this, because then maybe I won’t. It does vary property to property, but the prep is: I want to be able to watch the episode multiple times. I want to read, if I can, source text. I try to spend as much time with the actual thing we’re covering—the movie, the show, whatever the case may be—and if there’s a source text, to really dive in and to learn about the mythology and the lore, but I don’t only want to focus on the mythology and the lore. Because we talk about character arcs and narrative structure and the quality of the writing and the world-building, too.
A packed house for the live taping of ‘House of R.’
At the O’s game, you got to hang out with all these fans and members of your community. What do they mean to the work you guys are doing?
I mean, it’s the best! It’s the best, it really is. Anybody who works on the internet in any capacity knows that sometimes it’s gnarly out there. I am a woman in sports media! And no stranger to how dark the feedback and reception on the internet can be. So I have felt astonished now twice in my career by the relationship that people have formed to a thing that my cohosts and I have made together. The Binge Mode fans were just unbelievable, and the House of R fans are at a god-tier level of love and enthusiasm for the thing we make. It’s unbelievable to us. I went to journalism school, I was editing football columns for years. I never thought I would be doing this professionally. The ability to spend time thinking about things that I actually care about is not something I take lightly, and to see other people respond to that is the gift of a lifetime.
The other thing that’s great about seeing people in real life is getting to see the listeners engage with each other. We met people who are huge House of R fans, but they had met in the Binge Mode days, and they had formed a trivia group because of Binge Mode. We’ve had a couple of House of R people reach out and invite us to their weddings. There are all of these different layers to the community around the shows that we make, and it’s been so cool to see the way that people discover the thing and then discover other people who love the thing, and then the depth of the bond just grows from there.
Last question: What’s the last thing that you were surprised to find yourself becoming a fan of?
To go back a few years, F1. Like a lot of American sports fans, during COVID, I caught up on every Drive to Survive season that had aired to that point. It was really the height of Danny Ricciardo-mania, and he had gone to McLaren at that point. We knew we wanted to pick an English team, and it felt like there was a little bit of an Orioles comp there with where they were at the time. So we became McLaren fans, and we started watching F1 in real time, waking up to watch the Grands Prix. And now, a few years in, we watch qualifying. We watch practice! Lando Norris is a very, very important figure in our lives. We’re coming off a couple Constructors’ Championships, and Lando won the Drivers’ title last year, so that was rewarding. Will the Orioles reward me similarly? I can’t say.
Keep an eye out for Mallory across the Ringer’s network of podcasts, and check out the latest episode of House of R on Spotify now.
No two fans connect with an artist in exactly the same way. Some have been listening since the very beginning, while others may be discovering them through a shared playlist today. Some return to the same songs for comfort, while others are always eager to hear what’s next.
It’s that diversity that inspired Spotify’s new in-app experience celebrating Atif Aslam’s latest release, Subah Aye Na—his first studio album in nearly two decades. One of Pakistan’s most celebrated artists, Atif has built a catalog of pop hits, film soundtracks, and devotional performances. His audience spans generations and geographies, with nearly 8 billion all-time streams and more than 30 million monthly listeners. Remarkably, 96% of those streams come from outside Pakistan.
Available now in the Spotify app, Discover Your Inner Aadeez is a mobile experience named after the artist’s fan community. It groups listeners into one of four personas based on how they engage with Atif’s music: Borderless Aadeez, Moonrise Aadeez, OG Aadeez, or Early Discoverer Aadeez. Designed to be both personal and shareable, it gives fans a new way to see themselves in the music they love.
Last week at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Spotify Beach brought fans, creators, and brands together for three days of conversation focused on culture and fandom.
Our daytime sessions kicked off with Building What Money Can’t Buy: New Rules of Brand Loyalty, a conversation featuring Coach CMO Joon Silverstein, artist Troye Sivan, Cosmopolitan and Seventeen Editor-in-Chief Willa Bennett, and Spotify’s Global Head of Business Marketing, Bridget Evans. Together, they explored how fashion, music, and identity intertwine to spark cultural connection.
During the session, Joon revealed that this fall, Spotify and Coach will be teaming up for an exciting new global cultural partnership.
“This is much more than a traditional brand collaboration,” said Joon. “It’s a cultural partnership built around self-expression, connection, and community. One of the biggest things we’ve learned about Gen Z is that what they wear, what they listen to, and the communities they belong to are all part of the same personal story. That’s what makes this partnership feel so natural. At Coach, self-expression lives in style. At Spotify, it lives in music. And what we’re building together goes beyond both.”
For the Record sat down with Bridget after the festival to talk about the new partnership, how brands can tap into fandom, and the secret to connecting with Gen Z.
Spotify Beach has become adestination during Cannes. What is the team trying to create there?
We want it to feel like Spotify in real life. People come to the platform with intention, they discover things that surprise them, they connect with artists and ideas they didn’t know they needed, and they feel something. We want Spotify Beach to do the same thing.
What made Coach the right partner for this moment, and what does this partnership say about the kind of relationships Spotify wants to build with brands?
Gen Z is craving connection, and both of our brands have earned a place in their lives. Coach does that through how consumers express themselves and how the brand shapes their identity. On the Spotify side, we’re an essential daily companion. Music is a catalyst for real connection, on and offline.
So when we looked at what Joon and her team have built, it just made sense. We’re excited to bring our flavors of fashion and music together in a way that feels real. That’s the kind of partnership we want to build more of. It’s not a media buy or a logo placement. Instead, both brands actually have something to contribute to the fan.
From your perspective, what’s changed the most in how brands need to show up now?
There was a time when showing up with a big enough activation meant something. Now, you can’t buy your way into culture. People see through that pretty quickly, and it’s become more competitive than ever. And brands that haven’t caught up to that reality show up at Cannes and wonder why their message isn’t landing, whereas the ones who’ve figured it out are building real relationships.
You’ve made a distinction between sponsoring culture and participating in it. What’s the difference, and why does that matter?
Traditional sponsorship is transactional. You pay to be there, you get your logo placement, and then it’s over. Participation is something different. It means you actually have something to contribute to the experience. The fans know when a brand is just renting space versus when it’s really adding something. Gen Z especially.
When we talk to partners about what’s possible on Spotify, we’re really asking is: What do you actually have to offer fans? Not just, What do you want to say to them? The work that comes out of that question is almost always more interesting, and it tends to drive better results, too.
You’ve described Spotify as the soundtrack to people’s lives, both in big moments and ordinary ones. Why is that so powerful for brands trying to connect with Gen Z?
Because the ordinary moments are actually where identity gets formed. Your commute, the late night wind-down, a workout—those are times when you’re alone with what you love, and Spotify is there for all of it. For Gen Z especially, that depth of relationship builds real affinity. Our research is pretty clear that they feel like Spotify gets them. That kind of trust is rare.
AUX, Spotify’s in-house music consultancy for brands, seems to signal a new model for brand partnerships. How would you describe it to someone who hasn’t followed the evolution of the work?
We draw on over a decade of editorial expertise, data, and artist relationships to help brands figure out how music can be incorporated into their marketing strategy. And it goes well beyond placement. It’s about connecting brands with artists and fans inside cultural moments that already have real energy.
Think of NBC Peacock around NBA All-Star with RapCaviar, or Hilton sponsoring Spotify’s annual Best New Artists celebration. LinkedIn and John Summit threw a surprise corporate rave to celebrate his sophomore album. At CMA Fest, Mountain Dew brought Fresh Finds Country to life with a live rooftop show featuring emerging artists.
Each of those is a brand showing up as a participant rather than a sponsor. The Coach partnership we announced at Cannes is the most ambitious version of that yet.
If a brand wants to build “fandom,” what does success look like beyond standard media metrics?
Loyalty at scale isn’t measured in impressions—it’s visible in action. When fans are truly loyal, they want to consume and create. On Spotify, fandom means building something around the things they love.
Over the past month, we’ve seen a 235% global increase in playlist creation on Spotify related to a certain football tournament. That’s over 1.6 billion playlists! Fans aren’t just watching the matches, they’re extending that moment with Spotify as their constant companion.
Of course, we’re finding ways to be a part of the conversation in ways that make sense. To celebrate the opening day kickoff, we teamed up with Celsius energy drinks to host a pregame party at Academy LA. With DJ performances, interactive activations, and custom merch, it brought together music and sports in a way only Spotify could, connecting the world’s biggest football stage to the artists and sounds fueling fan excitement.
When a brand earns its place inside one of those moments, that’s where you build loyalty. That’s what you’re looking for. And you’ll feel it before it shows up in a campaign report.
What’s one thing you think too many brands still misunderstand about culture and connection today?
That speed is the same as relevance. There’s this pressure to react to every trend the moment it surfaces, to always be in the conversation, to never miss a moment. And what I see is brands moving so fast that they never actually have anything to say. Real connection takes some patience. It takes actually understanding who your audience is and what they care about before you try to show up for them. The brands I admire most right now are the ones that have been consistent enough that when they do show up in a cultural moment, people believe it. That consistency is really hard to shortcut.
Check out our full Spotify Beach 2026 recap to learn more about our daytime panels and evening performances.
On Purpose is one of the most popular podcasts in the world, known for conversations with influential voices across culture, wellness, and personal growth. Now, Spotify, Netflix, and host Jay Shetty are teaming up to bring the show to video across both platforms beginning July 13.
“On Purpose has built one of the most engaged podcast audiences in the world, and we’re excited to expand our partnership with Netflix and Jay by bringing video episodes to Spotify,” said Roman Wasenmüller, VP, Global Head of Podcasts, Spotify. “Spotify is already where millions of fans come to listen to the show, and this next chapter builds on that momentum by giving audiences an even more immersive way to experience it. This partnership also reflects our continued investment in video and our commitment to helping creators grow global franchises on Spotify.”
The partnership reflects growing demand for video podcast experiences and Spotify’s continued focus on helping creators deepen connections with their fans.
“Jay Shetty has an extraordinary ability to spark deep, meaningful connections that resonate with millions,” said Lauren Smith, Netflix VP of Content Licensing and Programming Strategy. “By joining forces with Spotify, we’re giving On Purpose an expansive new canvas, bringing these visually captivating interviews to our members’ screens.”
Spotify will now also serve as the global sales representative for the show and offer fans the flexibility to seamlessly watch or listen within a single app.
Ahead of the launch, For the Record caught up with Jay to talk about the evolution of On Purpose and what audiences can expect from this next chapter.
You called this a “historic moment” for podcasting. How do you think Spotify has helped push the medium forward and open up new possibilities for creators?
Spotify has played a pivotal role in transforming podcasting from an audio format into a global medium for storytelling and conversation. They’ve invested in creators, discovery, video, and global reach in a way that’s expanded what’s possible for podcasts. It’s created more opportunities for creators to build meaningful communities and connect with audiences in deeper, more personal ways.
What excites you most about bringing On Purpose video episodes to Spotify fans around the world?
What excites me most is creating a more immersive experience for our audience on the platform. So much of human connection happens through expression, energy, and emotion, and video allows us to bring people even closer into those conversations. We’ve always wanted On Purpose to feel like you’re sitting in the room with us, and this is another step toward that.
You’ve interviewed so many incredible people over the years—anyone you’re hoping to speak to next?
I’m always interested in speaking to people who are shaping culture in meaningful ways, whether through entertainment, science, sports, wellness, or business. I’d say Taylor Swift,Beyoncé, and Rihanna are at the top of my list. What draws me most to conversations is creating a space where people feel comfortable sharing stories they have never opened up about before, in a way that feels authentic to who they are. Through those conversations, both the guests and the audience can feel seen, heard, and understood.
What podcasts are you listening to right now?
I’m listening to The Rest Is History hosted by Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook. I’ve always been fascinated by historical figures and the moments that shape how we think and live. Recently, I really enjoyed their episode on the mystery of the Mona Lisa and the unexpected story behind how it became the most famous painting in the world.
If you had to predict your Spotify Wrapped for 2026, who would be your top artist, top podcast, and top audiobook?
Listen to audio episodes of On Purpose with Jay Shetty on Spotify now. Video episodes begin dropping July 13 and will also be available to Netflix subscribers worldwide.
Last week, guests gathered in New York City for On Air, In Style: An Evening with Spotify—a night of conversation, culture, and connection celebrating the intersection of fashion and podcasting. On Spotify, that intersection is thriving. Fashion podcast audiences grew 23% year‑over‑year in 2025, while streams jumped 68%, and searches for “fashion week” were up 93%.
Hosted by fashion and culture creator Mina Le, the event centered on a fireside chat between Mina and breakout pop-culture star Mia Calabrese. Together, they explored fashion inspirations and traced Mia’s style evolution, while offering a candid look at how personal perspective shapes creative expression.
Mina also revealed that this summer, she’ll be bringing video episodes to her podcast, High Brow.
Over the past 20 years, Spotify’s look and feel has evolved with the way people use our platform, while ensuring we preserve an intuitive, personal, and familiar experience for anyone who presses play. Every change, big or small, has been shaped by how users, artists, podcasters, and authors discover, share, and connect on Spotify.
For the Record caught up with Spotify’s Nicole Burrow, VP of Product Design, and Lauren Solomon, Senior Director of Global Brand, to explore the elements that have defined Spotify’s brand and visual identity on and off platform, and the things that make it feel unmistakably Spotify today.
Where does the name “Spotify” and its iconic green come from?
Lauren: It’s funny, because something as iconic and identifiable as the name “Spotify” didn’t actually start from this big, strategic decision. According to stories from those who were in the room where it happened, it was misheard in a brainstorm. Our co-founders Daniel [Ek] and Martin [Lorentzon] were throwing around ideas, and one of them landed as “Spotify”—but it was essentially an accident.
Nicole: What I love about that is the meaning came later—and it was our users who conveyed that meaning. The lore has become that it’s a blend of “spot” and “identify,” which, when you think about it, is exactly what our platform helps users do. You hear something, you recognize it, you make it yours. But that wasn’t engineered from the start. It grew into its meaning, the same way our platform grows to respond to our users.
Lauren: The green was the opposite. That was a very intentional choice. At the time, everything in tech felt so safe. A lot of blues, a lot of neutrals, a lot of… meh. Choosing this really bold, bright green was about standing apart immediately. It had energy. It felt alive. It matched the spirit of disruption and innovation that came with the founding of Spotify.
Nicole: The exact shade of green has evolved, but the idea hasn’t. It still needs to feel vibrant, a little unexpected, and very much its own thing. That’s kind of the thread across both the name and the color—we weren’t about following an existing formula. In the same way we weren’t following a formula in the creation of the company. We were about creating something that felt different from day one.
In your opinion, what makes Spotify’s design instantly recognizable?
Nicole: Alongside the Spotify green, we were also an early dark mode app, long before dark mode became as popular and pervasive as it is now.
Lauren: There’s our unique typeface, Spotify Mix, designed to be truly distinct to us. It’s dynamic, so it can be used across a range of expressions, and be responsive to where it sits.
There are also so many things you don’t instantly see, but you feel. We understand that what you listen to is deeply personal, and that many use Spotify as a home for their creativity. Our brand reflects that. We have brand elements that remain consistent but also allow room and flexibility to shift with culture, content, creators, and our community.
Nicole: And our personality comes through in how our app “talks” to you—playful and culture-obsessed. We “talk” the way fans talk, because we’re fans ourselves. That’s one of the ways we underline how well Spotify knows you.
Then, of course, there’s Spotify Wrapped—which set a standard in the industry. It inspired many copycats, but Wrapped helped define the format and created a truly shared moment for fans around the world.
Wrapped does feel unique to Spotify. When you think back to our platform in its earliest days, what else stands out to you?
Nicole: We were the first app to prioritize playlists. Early versions were built around playlists as the main user experience. Today, playlists continue to be one of our strengths and one of the key ways fans can express who they are and what they love. Playlists are where much of our innovation happens.
When you look at our recent innovations like Prompted Playlist and mixed playlists, they build on what’s been true since our earliest days—playlists are at the heart of the Spotify experience and one of the main ways listeners express who they are. What’s changed is that playlists are no longer static. There has been a real shift from playlists you make or follow to playlists that actively respond to you. It’s a more dynamic, adaptive experience, and it’s a big part of how we continue to push personalized listening forward.
How has Spotify’s design adapted as listening behavior has changed over time?
Nicole: A good example is users listening more often in group settings with friends—turning listening into something shared. We’ve made sure listening together is just as easy through features like Request to Jam and Wrapped Party.
And we’re already revolutionizing how people can listen to audiobooks. We’ve introduced industry-leading features like Recaps and Page Match, which were born from the idea of giving listeners the flexibility to enjoy stories in the way that works for them in any given moment. That idea of personalized listening is really at the heart of everything we do.
Lauren: The Spotify brand people know today was built from celebrating the behavior of our users. We pioneered helping people understand their listening through data storytelling, making it a true reflection of the community on our platform.
We know our users are really creative and feel that their listening is a deep reflection of who they are, so we’ve created experiences and tools that give them new ways to express themselves, like the playlist cover art tool and mixing tools.
As podcasts, audiobooks, and videos have joined the platform, how has the design evolved to support them?
Nicole: We believe in the “one experience” approach. One that feels coherent while adapting to context. Every major shift starts with how fans want to listen. We give users more control, more context, and more meaningful engagement with what they hear. Over the years, we’ve continuously evolved our UX and interface to respond to what a user is listening to, shaping the experience to feel relevant in each moment. This has meant designing with flexibility at the core.
How have outside design trends influenced Spotify’s look?
Lauren: We’re fans ourselves, so that’s where our heads naturally go: music, creators, content, culture. That’s the stuff that moves people, and it’s what we draw from. This is what makes our work feel expressive, honest, and timely. It doesn’t look like everyone else because it didn’t come from the same place as everyone else.
Wrapped is a great example of this. Every year the design is created specifically for that moment. It’s something people look forward to.
What’s one small Spotify design detail that might go unnoticed but is intentional?
Nicole: Easter eggs have a long-standing tradition at Spotify. When Stranger Things Season 4, Volume 1 was released, we transformed the Now Playing view into an upside-down experience, which sparked a shared, viral moment among fans. We’ve also created Easter eggs to celebrate Spotify’s most-streamed artists of the year: Taylor Swift in 2024, and Bad Bunny in 2025. Keep an eye out for new Easter eggs—more are on the way!
Another small detail that not everyone has noticed yet is the “Eat This Playlist” game featured in some playlists. This was an internal hack project that has garnered a lot of love from users over the years. If you haven’t seen it before, just open a playlist, tap the three dots menu, then select “Eat This Playlist” at the bottom to play!
Lauren: At key moments, we adapt our logo bug and let it become an expression of culture. A great example of this is the past two years on Wrapped. Before launch, we released a set of logos adapted to reference some of the top artists, tracks, and albums of the year, teasing what’s to come.
Last question: How do you balance staying fresh and relevant while remaining true to our brand’s core look and feel?
Nicole: We lean away from chasing trends while making sure we’re always culturally fluent—meaning our voice evolves naturally as culture moves. Our playful, bold, opinionated heart never changes, but our language reflects the way our listeners speak and express themselves. That has changed plenty over the last 20 years, and will continue to evolve with them over the next 20.
To explore more from the anniversary celebration, visit our Spotify 20 hub.
As podcasting continues to evolve, growth increasingly means building beyond audio. Creators are expanding into video, merch, and live events, finding new ways to deepen listener relationships and bring audiences together. One clear example is the paranormal-comedy podcast Let’s Get Haunted.
Hosted by best friends Alyssa Terry and Natalia Strawn, the show has built a devoted fanbase—affectionately known as the “Haunties”—around a shared love of the spooky and the absurd. Last year, the podcast joined Spotify’s 2025 RADAR creators class, our global program designed to help emerging creators reach new audiences.
That support helped pave the way for a new milestone: the show’s first-ever live taping, recently recorded in front of about 120 fans at Spotify Studios in Los Angeles. The episode is now streaming on Spotify, offering a snapshot of the community they’ve built.
To mark the occasion, For the Record caught up with Nat and Aly for a joint Q&A about the show’s evolution, their live debut, and what’s next.
For anyone hearing about Let’s Get Haunted for the first time, how would you describe the show?
It started as a tongue-in-cheek response to the horrors of everyday life. We take turns deep diving into paranormal topics—ghost encounters, alien abductions, cursed objects—with the assumption that each story is true. Our goal is to give the audience a chance to suspend their disbelief and tap into a sense of childlike wonder.
We also have a broad definition of “haunted.” Did you get three flat tires in a month, hunt down the person who stole your credit card instead of calling your bank like a normal person, or rescue a possum on the side of the highway and crowdfund its femur surgery? Congrats, you’re haunted! (These are all things that have really happened to us.) We try to match the chaos of the hauntings in our personal lives with the tales we select for the storytelling portion of the show.
How has the podcast changed since you first launched it? And how have your listeners helped shape where it’s gone?
Our podcast has always been very community-based. We use listener surveys to get feedback at the end of every season, then have a meeting where we go over that feedback and figure out which suggestions are feasible for us to incorporate.
When we first started the pod, we were living on opposite ends of Los Angeles and would scramble to find places to record that were roughly in the middle. We’ve recorded in bathrooms, cars, empty office buildings, and anywhere we could find.
In 2023, thanks to the generosity of our audience, we were finally able to sublease an office space. Having a stable place to record was a total game changer: It allowed us to increase the number of episodes we were putting out, create vlogs, produce and store merch, and organize fan meet-ups. We literally would not exist without the support of our listeners.
Your first live taping was a big milestone. What did that moment feel like for you?
It was absolutely surreal! We were so nervous going into it, but as soon as we parked at the venue we immediately ran into two Haunties who had arrived three hours early to be first in line. Knowing we were walking into something brand new with the support of the people who’ve been with us since the beginning made us feel so much more at ease.
Like the immortal lives of vampires, some stories never really end. That’s the vibe K-Pop boyband ENHYPEN brings to The Blood Diary, a new video podcast series that explores mysterious events from around the globe, where members of the group take turns blurring the line between fact and fiction.
Throughout each episode, members of ENHYPEN take turns recounting stories while attempting to uncover the hidden “liar.” Fans (aka ENGENE) are encouraged to follow along, piecing together clues and deciding for themselves which story isn’t what it seems.
Created by HYBE MEDIA STUDIO and brought to fans in partnership with Spotify, The Blood Diary is the first from STAN:A, a new video podcast show that brings fans closer to artists they love through candid conversations and original storytelling.
The first episode of The Blood Diary is out now on Spotify, and new episodes will drop biweekly every Friday at 8PM KST.
To step further inside the mystery, For the Record spoke with the first hosts of The Blood Diary—ENHYPEN’s JUNGWON, JAY, JAKE, and SUNOO—about what it was like to work on the series, the stories they chose to tell, and what fans can expect as the series pulls them into its thrall.
The Blood Diary features you all as immortal vampires sharing mysterious records on the night of a full moon. What was it like stepping into these roles?
JUNGWON: It was cool and fun how each member came ready with a story and shared it. When I was telling my story, I got so immersed that it became a little scary. I hope this vibe comes across well to ENGENE and that they really enjoy it.
JAY: It was a new concept that we had never tried before, but I found myself completely immersed in the story, maybe thanks to the atmosphere on set. Telling a story as a vampire was already fun, but the best part was watching the members suspect each other and trying to find the Blood Liar.
JAKE: I was so happy that we were able to show a new side of ourselves to ENGENE. This vampire concept is something only ENHYPEN can pull off, don’t you think? Combining a concept that only we can handle with storytelling is really going to make for an even more fun video podcast.
SUNOO: Telling stories as a vampire was fun, but it was even more exciting to watch and listen to the other members share theirs. I actually think I got more nervous listening to the other members’ stories than when I was telling my own. I found myself completely absorbed the whole time.
The tagline of the show is “The Mystery Records of Immortal Vampires.” Without giving too much away, what kind of “bizarre events” can fans expect to hear about in your diaries?
JAY: Stories from the past that feel even more fantastical than fantasy, and strange incidents hidden behind everyday life. We’ll be sharing scary stories that are even harder to believe because they actually happened in real life.
A highlight of each episode is the “Blood Liar” game, where one member weaves fiction into their story to deceive the others. Before you went into production, did you already have suspicions on who the best “Blood Liar” would be?
JUNGWON: JAY is pretty good at lying. So if he’s the “Blood Liar,” I think he’ll be very good at deceiving the rest of the members.
JAY: When it comes to “liar,” you’ve got to think of JAKE! He once made plans to meet me, but then totally flaked. That’s when I realized that he really is a liar.
JAKE: We’d never done a concept that involved deceiving each other before, so it was hard to predict. But somehow… I thought that JAY might be the best “Blood Liar.”
SUNOO: Before the shoot, I was trying to guess who it might be… and I had a feeling it would probably be JAY!
Every day on Spotify, we see how audio has the power to move and resonate with people in a deeply personal way. How did the specific sound design and atmosphere of The Blood Diary help you get into character and bring these mysteries to life?
SUNOO: Watching the final edit of the video podcast with all the sound effects, I was completely drawn in by how realistic it felt. Thanks to the sound design, I think ENGENE will experience thrills and feel curious in ways they normally wouldn’t while watching the podcast. I highly recommend that everyone fully dive into The Blood Diary.
What are your biggest hopes for The Blood Diary?
JUNGWON: Until now, we’ve mostly appeared on lighthearted, fun variety shows, but with The Blood Diary, we’re looking forward to showing a heavier, more serious side of ENHYPEN that fans haven’t seen before.
Anything else to add about the making of the podcast or reflections you have now that the first episode is out?
JAKE: I filmed a lot with JAY, and I got a huge kick out of seeing him get scared while listening to the stories. It was also really fun preparing a new story for each episode and sharing it directly with the members. I’m also really looking forward to all the different stories the other members will bring in future episodes. I hope ENGENE enjoys it as much as we did.
JAY: Spotify is an essential part of my daily life, so I’m thrilled to be a host for this video podcast! The Blood Diary covers a variety of real-life incidents, so I think viewers will get to experience a more authentic thrill. It’s definitely worth looking forward to.
JUNGWON: I use Spotify all the time, so I’m really happy to be a host for a Spotify video podcast. I hope ENGENE will see many different sides of us through The Blood Diary. Please look forward to it.
SUNOO: When I was filming the episode where I was the “Blood Liar,” I had to deceive the other members, constantly insisting, “It’s true! I’m not lying!” which was really tough. But as I watched the others gradually fall for my story, I started to enjoy it. I’m not sure when the episode where I play the “Blood Liar” will be released, but I hope you all look forward to it!
Check out the first episode of The Blood Diary on Spotify now.
Few filmmakers have shaped popular cinema as profoundly as Steven Spielberg. So when Sean Fennessey, co-host of The Big Picture from Spotify’s The Ringer, sat down with the director at SXSW earlier this month, it made for a conversation movie fans won’t want to miss.
Now streaming on Spotify, the interview spans from his filmmaking process to his career and the communal experience of going to the theater. But what does it take to prepare for a conversation with a figure like Spielberg? For the Record caught up with Sean to hear about his research process, his interviewing philosophy, and what helps a conversation feel both thoughtful and natural.
After having a little time to reflect, what has stayed with you most since your sit-down with Spielberg?
Well, aside from his confession that he believes we are not alone on this planet, I was struck by Spielberg’s balance between certitude and vulnerability. More than six decades into his legendary career, he’s as comfortable talking about being completely out of his depth while making Jaws as he is holding court on the communal nature of moviegoing.
It’s rare that such a godfather figure—someone who really knows everything about his field—retains that sensitivity, playfulness, and lack of cynicism. It was inspiring to find that he’s still the same guy who was excitedly putting his dreams on the big screen in the ’70s.
You’ve interviewed many filmmakers over the years. Do you prepare differently depending on who you’re speaking to, or is there a core approach you always come back to?
I always rewatch the work. Always. For directors whose films I already know well, I go hunting for themes and look for ways those ideas connect to their personal history. I’m an inveterate researcher, and I like to start with interview compendiums and contemporaneous magazine profiles. For this sit-down, I read a great collection of Spielberg interviews from The University of Mississippi Press. Spielberg is arguably the most famous film director in world history, so there’s no shortage of material, but he doesn’t often do State-of-the-Union-style conversations. That meant there was still a lot of ground we could cover together.
For other filmmakers, I look to biographies, criticism that connects their filmographies, and especially, director commentaries on physical media, where you can find subjects in a surprisingly revealing state talking about how and why they made certain creative and practical decisions.
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