Tag: Radar Landing Page

Spotify’s RADAR Program Launches Second US Artist, J.I The Prince of N.Y Alongside New Content

July 15, 2020

RADAR, Spotify’s global emerging artist program that launched in March 2020, represents Spotify’s commitment to supporting artists across all genres and stages of their development. We created RADAR, along with its 20 global sister programs, to harness the strength of our platform to deepen new artist connections to their audiences. Today, in the next step of the RADAR journey, we are excited to announce our newest partnership with NYC-based rapper J.I The Prince of N.Y. 

“Our team is excited to announce its partnership with J.I The Prince of N.Y for its RADAR program,” says Carl Chery, Spotify’s Head of Urban. “We look forward to helping develop the career of one of the most promising new rappers in the game.” Ned Monahan, Spotify’s Head of Global Hits, continues, “We’re proud to be championing world-class talent through our global marketing and editorial teams with RADAR. J.I has built a devoted fan base that is ready to support him as he continues to grow and attain a broader audience. We couldn’t be more excited to be a part of this development.”

J.I The Prince of N.Y is the second 2020 U.S. RADAR artist. He’s already made waves in the rap community and is known for his melodic flow, infectious charisma, and powerfully honest lyrics. “I used to write short stories in school,” says J.I The Prince of N.Y.  “English was my favorite subject and it inspired me to try and write music at 12. And then at the age of 14, I went for it and put myself out there.”

At 14, the Puerto Rican-native—by way of Crown Heights, Brooklyn—began posting his freestyles on Instagram and soon caught the attention of legendary rapper-producer-executive Jermaine Dupri.

“I used to create videos of myself rapping and would upload them and tag the show, production, and Jermaine Dupri,” the rapper explained. “He started following me on social media, and then they reached out and finally flew me out to record [The Rap Game]. This show gave me a platform and it’s exactly what I needed.”

As the rapper’s star continues to rise, Spotify is propelling J.I The Prince of N.Y’s further success through the RADAR program’s wide universe of original content. That includes the forthcoming mini-documentary premiering on HotNewHipHop with a trailer out today, third-party partnerships, features in On Our Radar and RapCaviar playlists, a Spotify Singles recording, support on his album release, and marketing and social promotion across each tentpole initiative.

“I want to stress to all aspiring artists that a solid team behind you is what you need. When I started my career I had my family working with me,” J.I The Prince of N.Y explained. But “the reality is that they were not industry connected.”

J.I The Prince of N.Y has captured the attention of artists such as Jadakiss, Cardi B, and Drake, who recently sang along to his track “Used To” on Instagram Live. His music continues to be shared with his fan base, which includes over 1.4 million followers.

J.I The Prince of N.Y’s single “Need Me” is now climbing past the 89 million stream mark, and “Love Scars” and “Proud of Me” total over 300 million streams on Spotify. The East Coast rapper, who has cemented his place as a rising star to look out for, is set to release his new EP, Welcome To G Starr Vol. 1, on July 17, which is only the tip of the iceberg. He has a wave of music in store for his fans and a new approach to changing the game.

“Some of the artists that I am listening to include Novani, a rapper from Brooklyn who stays true to himself; and Toosie—he is blowing up and I am planning on working with him,” he said. “We need inspiring artists. We are in a weird gap in the music industry and we need more artists to make an impact in a positive way.” 

Since RADAR launched, Spotify has supported and helped spotlight breakthrough artists such as the first U.S. RADAR artist, Alaina Castillo, as well as Agnes Nunes (Brazil), Lous & The Yakuza (Belgium), CHAII (Iran), and more. With RADAR, Spotify uses its strength in discovery to support artists of all levels and genres globally so they can be heard and supported in every way throughout their careers.

“I am excited to be presented with this global opportunity . . . with all of Spotify’s support, it’s just adding fuel to our jet pack,” J.I The Prince of N.Y said. “I don’t plan on going anywhere and people will need to get used to me.”

Stream J.I The Prince of N.Y’s top hits below.

Meet Alaina Castillo — Bilingual Singer-Songwriter and Featured U.S. RADAR Artist

March 30, 2020

Recently, Spotify launched RADAR, a global development program for emerging artists around the world. RADAR allows us to deepen our commitment to young talent at all stages and strengthen their connections to their audiences. One such young talent we’re excited to support is U.S.-based singer-songwriter Alaina Castillo.

Prior to her junior year of high school, Alaina’s musical career revolved around singing in the church choir. Then, she began posting original songs, covers, and ASMR content on her video channel. In a matter of months, the Houston native had accumulated nearly 800,000 subscribers and made a fan of RØMANS — a producer known for churning out hits from pop stars like Demi Levato, John Legend, and Clean Bandit. From there, her career took off. 

RØMANS went on to produce Alaina’s debut EP in 2019, Antisocial Butterfly, which showcased her ability to weave beautifully between her two languages, English and Spanish. The album’s hit single, “i don’t think i love you anymore,” raked in more than 3 million streams on Spotify and paved the way for her sophomore single, “Valentine’s Day.” Most recently, she released two new singles, “ocean waves” and “just a boy,” and two Spotify Singles recordings.

We caught up with the RADAR U.S. representative for an inside look at her EP Antisocial Butterfly, what it was like to collaborate with RØMANS, and life on Spotify’s RADAR.

36 New Artists Around the World That Are on Spotify’s RADAR

March 9, 2020

Lauv. The Blaze. King Princess. Lil Baby. Official HIGE DANdism. Jorja Smith. These are undeniably prominent artists in today’s global musical landscape. They’ve been making their way onto Wrapped cards and festival headliner slots—but not so long ago they were just starting out, working their way up for a chance in the spotlight. Each was assisted in this journey by Spotify’s commitment to bringing up-and-coming artists to your attention—something we’re excited to continue with the launch of RADAR.

Through RADAR, our global emerging-artist program, we’re deepening our commitment to emerging artists at all stages of their development and strengthening their connection to audiences. With this global launch, we’ll continue to build on Spotify’s history of working with emerging artists through 19 sister programs featuring up-and-coming creators from more than 50 markets worldwide, all focused on helping artists from around the world reach the next stage in their careers.

“Spotify is a major reason why I’m able to be an independent artist,” says American singer-songwriter/producer Lauv, who was featured through Spotify’s developing artist program a few years ago. “Having their support from day one in making my music accessible to millions of users around the world has allowed me to grow as an artist and share music on my terms over the past five years. To have fans, whether in the Philippines, Peru, or Philadelphia know the words to songs all before I ever toured there speaks to Spotify’s global reach and ability to speak directly to fans with music that resonates around the globe.”

The launch of the program brings a mixture of Spotify’s best-in-class editorial and marketing abilities. Our playlists feature new and emerging talent around the world, and our marketing campaigns provide fans with the opportunity to get to know their new favorite artists.

“Spotify is thrilled to announce the launch of RADAR this year with an incredible group of emerging artists from across the globe,” said Ned Monahan, Spotify’s Head of Global Hits. “RADAR will become an influential program for up-and-coming artists across all genres worldwide and a great way for our global marketing and editorial teams to support the next generation of international superstars.”