Tag: song of summer

Spotify’s Sizzling 2023 Songs of Summer Are Here

August 23, 2023

a graphic treatment showing suns and clouds

We’ve been waiting all summer, speculating and ruminating on what hot tracks would rise to the top as the songs of the summer. And now we have our answers for what hits have dominated during the past few months.

Drumroll please . . .

Globally, the most-streamed song of the summer is Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma’s smash hit, “Ella Baila Sola.” 

In the U.S., the most-streamed song is Morgan Wallen’s croon-worthy track “Last Night,” the first country song to claim the title on Spotify.

Digging in for a global look

“Ella Baila Sola” topped the chart this summer. Eslabon Armado, an American música Mexicana group, is no stranger to success, with many music awards under their belt. And we knew Peso Pluma was a talent to watch when we declared him a Spotify RADAR artist earlier this year. Three other tracks of Peso Pluma’s also made it into the global Top 30 list this summer: “La Bebe – Remix,” “Peso Pluma: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 55,” and “El Azul.” It’s a big moment for the música Mexicana genre, which has seen 430% growth on Spotify over the past five years, globally.

Coming in hot as the second-most-streamed song globally is Bad Bunny’s “WHERE SHE GOES,” while Jung Kook and Latto’s “Seven” sits at number three. 

Antonio Vazquez, Head of U.S. Latin Editorial at Spotify, explained why it’s no surprise that música Mexicana is taking hold of the charts. “Watching the rise of ‘Ella Baila Sola’ to become the global song of the summer has been truly exhilarating,” he said. “It’s a testament to how música Mexicana is not only capturing hearts but also dominating the international music scene and becoming one of the top growth-driving genres globally. This feels like an important milestone, and it’s only getting started.”

Latin music’s popularity has consistently and remarkably risen worldwide. “It’s not just about catchy beats anymore; artists are successfully infusing their music with their personal stories, experiences, and a sense of cultural pride,” said Antonio. “This authenticity, combined with cross-genre collaborations and a globalized music landscape, is contributing to the unstoppable growth of Latin music.” Antonio also noted that “the strong appeal of ‘Ella Baila Sola’ can be attributed to its unique blend of elements that resonate across cultures—the vibrant trombone-driven sound and the infectious requinto intro create a captivating experience.”

Summer party in the USA

In the U.S., listeners were feeling a little bit country this summer, with Morgan Wallen’s track “Last Night” as the most-streamed song. “‘Last Night’ has all the trappings of a hit that transcends genre,” explained Rachel Whitney, Head of Editorial, Nashville. “It kicks off with a storyline that keeps you guessing, and lands in the catchiest hook. It pulls in audiences from across the popular-music spectrum, with elements of R&B, pop, and country all in one. Between the beat, the hook, and the stripped-down guitar intro and Wallen’s signature southern drawl, it’s a song that can get people dancing or gathered around a campfire.” 

Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma’s “Ella Baila Sola” is the second-most-streamed song in the U.S., and Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” holds down the number three position.

Overall, listeners had a lot of love for country hits as they splashed the summer away: Five songs from the genre made it onto the U.S. Top 20 list. As Rachel shared, this isn’t so surprising as summer is the season when listening really peaks for country fans—country songs are perfect for road trips and lake days. Morgan landed two more hits on the list with “You Proof” and “Wasted On You,” while “Fast Car” by Luke Combs and “Something in the Orange” by Zach Bryan also made the cut. 

“Artists like Morgan Wallen, Zach Bryan, and Taylor Swift—with the release of her country album Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)—have driven a surge in the popularity of country music over the summer, especially with younger fans,” said Rachel. 

Sunny trends taking over the states

Here’s what else was trending in the U.S. this summer. 

Viva Latino 

From música Mexicana to reggaetón, Latin music made up 25% of the Top 20 U.S. list, with many tracks also included in our global list. “un x100to” by Grupo Frontera and Bad Bunny, “La Bebe – Remix” by Yng Lvcas and Peso Pluma, and “TQM” by Fuerza Regida are among the standouts. 

Angsty anthems 

Emotions ruled with revenge pop anthems like “vampire” by Olivia Rodrigo, “Kill Bill” by SZA, “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2” by PinkPantheress and Ice Spice, and, of course, Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer.”

Hi, Barbie! 

One of the summer’s biggest films also drove streams, with two tracks from Barbie The Album making the Top 20 list: “Barbie World (with Aqua) [From Barbie The Album]” by Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice, and Aqua, and “Dance The Night (From Barbie The Album)” by Dua Lipa.

Punchy podcast picks and grade-A audiobooks

Music kept the pool parties going, but podcasts and audiobooks were equally hot. Add these faves to your list.

Spotify Editorial’s U.S. summer podcast picks:

Spotify Editorial’s summer audiobook reads:

Summer’s not over yet, so there’s still plenty of time to queue up our Songs of Summer playlist for your next gathering. And if you’re heading out on one last sunny vacation, don’t forget to take a look at our podcast picks and audiobook selections for the perfect story for beach listening.

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Spotify’s most-streamed songs of summer, globally:

  1. “Ella Baila Sola” by Eslabon Armado, Peso Pluma
  2. “WHERE SHE GOES” by Bad Bunny
  3. “Seven (feat. Latto)” by Jung Kook, Latto
  4. “Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift
  5. “La Bebe – Remix” by Yng Lvcas, Peso Pluma
  6. “un x100to” by Grupo Frontera, Bad Bunny
  7. “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus
  8. “Daylight” by David Kushner
  9. “Sprinter” by Dave, Central Cee
  10. “As It Was” by Harry Styles
  11. “Cupid – Twin Ver.” by FIFTY FIFTY
  12. “LALA” by Myke Towers
  13. “Kill Bill” by SZA
  14. “Peso Pluma: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 55” by Bizarrap, Peso Pluma
  15. “vampire” by Olivia Rodrigo
  16. “Dance The Night (From Barbie The Album)” by Dua Lipa
  17. “Classy 101” by Feid, Young Miko
  18. “TQM” by Fuerza Regida
  19. “I Wanna Be Yours” by Arctic Monkeys
  20. “Calm Down” by Rema, Selena Gomez

Spotify’s most-streamed songs of summer in the U.S.:

  1. “Last Night” by Morgan Wallen
  2. “Ella Baila Sola” by Eslabon Armado, Peso Pluma
  3. “Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift
  4. “fukumean” by Gunna
  5. “vampire” by Olivia Rodrigo
  6. “Fast Car” by Luke Combs
  7. “Kill Bill” by SZA
  8. “See You Again (feat. Kali Uchis)” by Tyler, The Creator
  9. “un x100to” by Grupo Frontera, Bad Bunny
  10. “You Proof” by Morgan Wallen
  11. “All My Life (feat. J. Cole)” by Lil Durk, J. Cole
  12. “WHERE SHE GOES” by Bad Bunny
  13. “La Bebe – Remix” by Yng Lvcas, Peso Pluma
  14. “Barbie World (with Aqua) [From Barbie The Album]” by Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice, Aqua
  15. “Something in the Orange” by Zach Bryan
  16. “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2” by PinkPantheress, Ice Spice
  17. “Wasted On You” by Morgan Wallen
  18. “TQM” by Fuerza Regida
  19. “Dance The Night (From Barbie The Album)” by Dua Lipa
  20. “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift

 

This May, Ari Elkins Is Bringing ‘Soundtrack Your Day’ to Spotify Live Alongside Seven Other New Shows

May 16, 2022

Ari Elkins on a brown background

Photo credit: Olga Ush

It’s never been easier to hear the latest takes from the hottest influencers, celebrities, and creators—in real time—thanks to Spotify Live. Along with a rebrand of the app formerly known as Spotify Greenroom, live audio is now available directly on Spotify, right alongside your favorite music and podcasts. Now you can tune into your favorite live programming right on Spotify on a creator’s podcast or artist page. 

Plus, there are always new conversations coming to Spotify Live. This May, eight shows join the ranks of fan favorites like Off the Record with DJ Akademiks, After Hours with Alex Cooper, Taylor Talk with Ellie Schnitt, and A Gay in the Life with Garrett Clayton and Blake Knight. 

One new show is coming from Ari Elkins, a creator who’s become known for his music taste and takes. We grabbed a few minutes with the recent University of Michigan grad ahead of the show’s premiere this evening. 

Can you give us a preview of your new show?

The idea for Soundtrack Your Day came from President Obama’s annual playlists. In my mind, Obama isn’t generally associated with music or being an artist, but so many people were tuning into his playlists, including me. So I thought, everybody’s listening to music. What if we take people from different sectors, get them to share the music they love and are interested in, get them to create a playlist of it, and talk about music that they’re passionate about? 

So Soundtrack Your Day is essentially looking at the intersectionality between pop culture and music by bringing on guests that don’t necessarily traditionally talk about music and pairing them with some of their favorite artists to create a playlist that we discuss in the live show. We’ll ask for songs for specific moments from each guest we invite on as well as the audience members. 

You’re best known for using TikTok to showcase music trends and insights. Why do you think that’s resonating so highly with people who tune in?

I think that a big piece of it has to do with just how I’m presenting things on TikTok. When I think about music, I associate music with different moments in my own personal life. I remember the song I was playing when I was driving on the PCH, going to the beach with my friends. And so how I like to think about music is associating different songs with different moments. And I think that really resonates with people because everybody loves going to the beach with their friends. And if you can present people with a playlist for that exact moment, people love that. 

I play a lot on nostalgia in my videos, so bringing back songs that your parents used to play. My dad, I grew up listening to my dad play jazz piano, so he was always just playing random oldies on the piano. Tons of Miles Davis songs. And so I kind of use the songs that my dad would always play and share that in some of my videos on TikTok. 

What’s your prediction for what song will be the song of the summer?

A song that has been blowing up recently that I think will keep being big in summer is “Sun Roof” by Nicky York. It’s been blowing up on TikTok recently, and it’s just all about having your sunroof open and driving along. One cool thing is that the “song of summer” could be a song that we might not have even heard yet and that might not have even been created yet. So I’m hopeful that the Song of Summer might be by an artist that no one’s even heard of yet. 

What elements does Live offer that are missing from other formats?

Greater audience participation. Like obviously you have your comments on TikTok, but to be able to bring someone up onstage and talk to them, human being to human being, and ask them directly, “What are the songs that resonate with you?” “Where are you from?” I think the cool thing about this is it’s bringing people together from all different places and backgrounds. To have these human connections with people beyond just a comment section. It’s pushing people to be more interactive. Spotify Live is all about bringing people together and having everybody be involved beyond just listening to something.

Why are you excited to work with Spotify on Soundtrack Your Day?

I’ve been an avid Spotify user my whole life. The first TikTok video I made that went viral was “songs that will take you back to your favorite college party.” And after that video went viral, everybody in my comment section was like “make a Spotify playlist, make a Spotify playlist.” And so I ended up making a Spotify playlist for that, gaining a bunch of different followers on Spotify and on my playlist. And then ideated off of that idea and created a video for “songs for when you’re feeling sad” and then created the Spotify playlist for that. So I’ve been making Spotify playlists for the past two or three years and getting a good amount of traction on these playlists. So to now be able to work in partnership with Spotify is just a dream come true. 

Going forward, I’m trying to figure out more ways to use my platform as a vehicle to support smaller artists. And I think Soundtrack Your Day could be a way into that. I think it’s gonna be a really fun show, a really different show. It’s a show that celebrates both music and pop culture by presenting music in a new way. Whether you’re 14 or 40, everyone shares music in their daily lives and does so differently. I hope everyone streaming the show is ready to come to the table to tell stories about how music has impacted them and changed their lives.

Introducing Two New Personalized Playlists: On Repeat and Repeat Rewind

September 24, 2019

You play Discover Weekly when you’re looking for something new, Release Radar when you’re looking to stay ahead of the trends, and Your Summer Rewind when you need a bit of summer nostalgia. No matter what you’re looking for, one of our personalized Spotify playlists has you covered—and now, we’re releasing two more into the mix: On Repeat and Repeat Rewind. 

With these two new playlists, you can sit back, relax, and fall in love with the songs you’ve played most all over again. Check out what each has to offer.

On Repeat – The music you’ve been streaming nonstop

Get even more of your current favorite tracks with On Repeat. This playlist helps you keep track of what you’ve been playing most over the past 30 days. On Repeat auto-updates, so you can be sure everything on there is the most up-to-date account of what you’ve been playing nonstop. It’s a great combination of all the music you love, no matter what artist or genre, so each time you tap play, it will sound a little different. 

Repeat Rewind – The tunes you used to play a lot, re-delivered

On the other hand, Repeat Rewind is a great way to reminisce with the songs you fell in love with in the not-so-far-off past. It includes tracks that you played over a month ago for you to rediscover. Whether you’re constantly discovering something new or a purveyor of the classics, sometimes it feels good to just kick back with the familiar. Similarly to On Repeat, your songs can span across artists, moods, and genres, and update every five days. (But don’t worry, the tracks will never appear on both playlists at the same time).  

Can’t wait to see the songs you’ve been streaming nonstop? These two playlists are now available globally for Free and Premium users in the Made For You Hub, as well as the “Uniquely Yours” shelf on Home. See if yours stack up with the top 10 most-repeated songs globally.* 

  1. “Señorita” – Camila Cabello, Shawn Mendes
  2. “China” – Anuel AA, Daddy Yankee, J Balvin, KAROL G, Ozuna
  3. “Ransom” – Lil Tecca
  4. “Goodbyes (Feat. Young Thug)” – Post Malone, Young Thug
  5. “boyfriend (with Social House)” – Ariana Grande, Social House
  6. “Beautiful People (feat. Khalid)” – Ed Sheeran, Khalid
  7. “Dance Monkey” – Tones and I
  8. “How Do You Sleep?” – Sam Smith
  9. “Lalala” – Y2K, bbno$
  10. “Lover” – Taylor Swift

*Songs that have been played by users more than once per day, in the past 30 days

Catching Up with Bazzi after Spotify’s Songs of Summer Soiree

July 1, 2019

R&B/pop artist Bazzi started making waves in the music world with the 2018 release of his breakout album, Cosmic. But there’s no telling what the stars have in store for the 21-year-old singer, rapper, and producer—and with the start of summer in the U.S., he’s plenty busy.  

Bazzi opened the month of June with his release of “Focus (featuring 21 Savage).” The collaboration revealed the young performer’s genre-blending range and dynamic musical ability. Then, Tuesday night, June 25, Bazzi took to the stage at Spotify’s Songs of Summer Soiree in New York City to celebrate the start of the summer season and Spotify’s Summer Rewind playlist with music and nostalgic trivia of songs from summers past. DJ Steph Cakes played the tables as the sun set over NYC, and then Bazzi took the floor.

Spotify’s 2019 Summer Song Predictions

June 12, 2019

Summer is right around the corner, and once again we’re predicting which songs will dominate speakers and headphones while the Northern Hemisphere sizzles.

From Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts” and Billie Eilish’s “bad guy” to Tyler, the Creator’s “EARFQUAKE” and Daddy Yankee and Snow’s “Con Calma,” many of these “song of the summer” contenders are already seeing strong engagement in Spotify’s key playlists, like Today’s Top Hits, RapCaviar, and ¡Viva Latino!.

Then there are the tracks with massive potential. Take, for example, “I Think I’m OKAY,” the newly released collaboration between Machine Gun Kelly, YUNGBLUD, and Travis Barker. We’re also seeing interest in Yonaka’s song “Rockstar,” and Clairo’s new track “Bags” is resonating with our 18-24-year old listeners in particular.

More than Magic: Behind Our 2018 Songs of Summer Predictions

May 23, 2018

If you’re looking to get a head start on the songs that will rock this summer’s hazy airwaves, there’s no need to consult a crystal ball. We used our own tarot cards, palm lines, constellations, and tea leaves to divine the season’s standouts.

Okay, not quite—but we do have a solid track record of predicting the most listened-to songs of summer, calling out hits like Luis Fonsi, Justin Bieber, and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito” remix, Drake’s “One Dance” and Calvin Harris’ “Summer”—all songs that have dominated summer streaming.

Magic aside, creating this list of summer crowd-pleasers is no easy task—we’re pulling a very select number of songs from thousands of options. There are plenty of factors to consider across a range of musical categories, so we consult Spotify’s own genre experts. Those genre experts span pop, hip-hop, latin, country, rock, and electronica, and they’re behind some of your favorite playlists, from RapCaviar and Hot Country to Today’s Top Hits. As music experts, they shine a light on exactly what’s trending.

Overall, predicting the Songs of Summer is a full a team effort. We look for:

  • Songs on an upward trajectory: Recent hits played more and more with no sign of slowing down are likely to carry that momentum into the summer.
  • Songs with strong engagement in key Spotify playlists: How well a song is doing in influential playlists (are listeners saving it and not skipping it?) gives us a good indication of hit potential.
  • Songs with strong chart performance: We can see how a track is performing in relation to all others through our charts – if it rises to the top, it will rise with the summer heat.
  • Songs with momentum driving them: If an artist is getting ready to tour, drop a new album, or if the song is highly anticipated, it’s more likely to command playlists.
  • Songs generating buzz: Is it making headlines for being the first of its kind, particularly relevant, or created by an up-and-coming artist? (Think Childish Gambino’s “This Is America.”) Those factors will probably continue to drive its success.
  • Songs that just sound like summer: Is it beach, poolside, or backyard-party-worthy? We know ‘em when we hear ‘em.
  • Songs that our gut tells us to go for: We go with our instincts. Some songs just have that inexplicable summer magic.

Historically, songs that end up being summer hits fall into a few of these categories. Last year, “Despacito – Remix” was the undisputed song of the summer, with more than 786 million streams during the summer months. According to Shanon Cook, Trends Expert at Spotify, “Despacito” was a rare find.

“‘Despacito’ was such an interesting song-of-the-summer story. Not only did the track have a summery – and saucy – reggaeton vibe, but it sustained itself as one of Spotify’s top-streamed global songs for about 10 weeks. And because it originated as a latin music track, ‘Despacito’ brought with it this wonderful cross-cultural narrative that got everyone talking.”

With these considerations in mind, we’ve conjured up this year’s song of the summer predictions, one of which we think will most likely be crowned The One when we reflect back in August (but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.)

See for yourself:

According to Cook, this summer’s leading contenders fit easily into the top hits criteria, from Calvin Harris to Camila Cabello.

“Cardi B’s ‘I Like It’ screams summer jam, and it’s hard to overlook Calvin Harris’ ‘One Kiss’ as the dance-pop track that will be ubiquitous from now until August. Both are doing really well on our global chart at the moment. The brand new Camila Cabello-Pharrell Williams collaboration ‘Sangria Wine’ could really take off, and no doubt Drake will be soundtracking our summers with ‘Nice for What’ or a new release in the coming weeks.”

So get out your flip-flops, put on those sunglasses, and start summer early with our 2018 Songs of Summer playlist.