Tag: Spotify Single

Gabito Ballesteros Honors the Legacy of Ariel Camacho With His New Spotify Single, ‘Te Metiste’

February 26, 2025

It has been 10 years since the world lost corridos tumbados godfather Ariel Camacho, but the influence of the Sinaloan singer-songwriter remains stronger than ever. His signature requinto and minimalist style paved the way for a new generation of artists now dominating international stages, like Natanael Cano, Peso Pluma, Fuerza Regida, and Christian Nodal.

Included in this group is Gabito Ballesteros, who was publicly encouraged by Ariel to keep pushing forward with his career. Today, Gabito is the eighth-most-streamed artist on Spotify in Mexico, and along with Spotify, he is honoring Ariel’s legacy with the release of his Spotify Single, “Te Metiste,” one of the greatest hits by Ariel and his band, Los Plebes del Rancho.

“For many, Ariel is an idol. Not just because of his age but because of how he started from the bottom, picked up a guitar, and made it happen,” Gabito said while recording the Spotify Single. “Many of us followed that path, and that’s why we relate to him so much. We owe a lot to Ariel Camacho, and that will never change.”

Gabito is not the only artist who has felt the positive effects of Ariel’s impact. Globally, Música Mexicana has grown by nearly 450% over the last five years, and Ariel was a key figure in making this phenomenon possible.

“Ariel Camacho was one of the first artists to bring sierreño to the mainstream. Before him, this genre was entirely regional, deeply rooted in northwestern Mexico,” said Alejandro Grageda, Artist & Label Marketing Lead at Spotify Mexico. “After his passing, artists who grew up listening to him started blending his style with trap and hip-hop elements, shaping the evolution of sierreño into what we now know as corridos tumbados.”

Ariel’s Songs Are Louder Than Ever

Ariel’s songs have not only remained relevant in the years since his passing, but the impact of his music has grown stronger over time. Streams of Ariel Camacho y Los Plebes del Rancho have increased by more than 130% in the last five years, and new generations continue to embrace his music, with more than 40% of his listeners on Spotify aged 24 years or younger.

“In the past, the biggest icons of Música Mexicana were well-established figures like Vicente Fernández or Los Tigres del Norte. But Ariel Camacho broke that tradition, proving that a young artist could stay true to the ranchera essence while keeping it fresh,” Alejandro added. “His rise coincided with the explosion of social media and music streaming in Mexico, which helped his songs, videos, and content go viral and gain traction on Spotify.”

For those just discovering Ariel’s discography, there are many must-listen classics, but “Te Metiste” (#1), “Hablemos” (#2), and “El Karma” (#3) are Ariel’s most-streamed songs on Spotify. In total, eight songs from Ariel Camacho y Los Plebes del Rancho have made it onto Spotify Mexico’s Top 100, while his music is featured in more than 18.7 million fan-created playlists.

Most-Streamed Songs by Ariel Camacho y Los Plebes del Rancho in History

Ariel’s streams outside of Mexico have also surged by approximately 80% in the past five years, with the U.S., Guatemala, and Chile being the top consumers of his music abroad.

Countries That Have Listened to Ariel Camacho y Los Plebes del Rancho the Most (Last 5 Years)

Mexico
USA
Guatemala
Chile
Colombia
Honduras
Costa Rica
El Salvador
Canada
Nicaragua

Without a doubt, the padrino of corridos tumbados remains more alive than ever on Spotify.

Find Gabito’s cover of “Te Metiste” and other timeless hits from the icon in the playlist Ariel Camacho Por Siempre.

10 Billion Streams and Counting: Spotify Singles Celebrates Its Biggest Hits

February 19, 2025

Spotify Singles, our longest-running original recorded music franchise, has officially surpassed 10 billion collective streams worldwide. That’s a whole lot of listening, and a testament to the power of connecting artists with fans in exciting new ways, since the program launched in 2016.

Spotify Singles provides a unique platform for artists across genres to reimagine one of their existing tracks or pay homage to their musical heroes by covering a song of their choice. Recorded in Spotify’s state-of-the-art studios in New York City, Los Angeles, London, and Stockholm, these sessions have resulted in nearly 1,000 recordings from more than 750 artists in 45 markets. In addition to our own studios, Spotify Singles have been recorded in famous studio spaces around the world, including Abbey Road and Electric Lady Studios.

Further expanding our global reach, our Stockholm Studio is now officially open to artists across Europe. The studio had previously only hosted Nordic artists. Damiano David, who fronts the Italian rock band Måneskin, recently inaugurated the refreshed space with a fiery cover of “Nothing Breaks Like A Heart,” which has already amassed more than 6 million global streams.

Celebrate Five Years of Corridos Tumbados With Our New Spotify Single

October 9, 2024

Since the Mexican Revolution at the beginning of the 20th century, one particular style of music has served as a form of cultural storytelling for the Mexican people: the corrido. And while its popularity has endured, those accordion-laced ballads have evolved as modern influences began taking the genre in new and interesting directions.

Today, corridos tumbados are one of the most popular sounds under the Música Mexicana umbrella. Fusing trap and hip-hop with the traditional sounds of a corrido, a new wave of artists that includes Natanael Cano, Peso Pluma, Junior H, Fuerza Regida, and Eslabon Armado has been topping the global charts. And it was Natanael himself who gave the subgenre its name five years ago this month with the release of his album Corridos Tumbados under the Rancho Humilde record label.

“Corridos tumbados have transformed the vision of Mexican music and have connected with an unexpected audience globally. We had this idea since 2009, when we started Rancho Humilde,” said Jimmy Humilde, founder of Rancho Humilde. “For those of us who grew up between Mexican and American culture, we wanted to create something of our own, something that represented our identity. Today, thanks to this music, the new Mexican American generations are recovering Spanish, and our culture is more alive than ever. It was my dream, along with JB [José Becerra] and Roque Venegas.”

To celebrate this milestone anniversary, we’re releasing a new Spotify Single from Belinda, Kevin AMF, and Neton Vega. The trio teamed up to record an original song titled “Ni Fiestas, Ni Flores.”

While inspired by the sonic hallmarks of the earliest corridos tumbados, the track still carries a modern flair that you’d expect from three rising stars. Pop star Belinda only recently ventured into the world of corridos tumbados with hits like “Cactus” and “300 Noches.” Kevin AMF, meanwhile, is a young singer-songwriter known for fusing corridos tumbados with electro and dembow sounds. Last but not least, Neton Vega has made a name for himself as a producer of the genre. Together, these three Mexican artists offer a sense of the rich evolution of this sound and its impact on the industry.

“I love this new generation of Mexican music because it’s a generation unafraid to say what it thinks and what it feels,” said Belinda. “With this Spotify Single, we’re celebrating five years of corridos tumbados and building the future of this genre that is making history around the world.”

The rise of corridos tumbados

“Corridos tumbados were born in Los Angeles among a group of young artists who sought to express their experiences without disconnecting from their Mexican roots,” said Gerardo Mora, Senior Editor, Spotify Mexico. “But the genre has evolved a lot—today, it has become the anthem of a whole generation and a symbol for a community that identifies with its sound and its message.”

Let’s take a look at some of our top insights from the past five years of corridos tumbados.

Spotify has been proud to support Música Mexicana and its many flavors, including corridos. On our platform, fans can find a number of variant-specific playlists to explore the multifaceted genre. And last year, we teamed up with Fuerza Regida, Los Tucanes De Tijuana, and Eden Muñoz to release “La Tierra del Corrido,” a Spotify Single celebrating three generations of corridos artists.

Stream our Corridos Tumbados playlist to celebrate half a decade of the hit sound.

Take In the Many Flavors of Música Mexicana With Our Special Series of Spotify Singles

August 5, 2024

As one of the fastest-growing genres worldwide, Música Mexicana has emerged as an unstoppable cultural force in recent years. In fact, between 2018 and 2023, Música Mexicana streams on Spotify shot up by more than 440% globally, with artists like Peso Pluma, Natanael Cano, Fuerza Regida, and Grupo Frontera rising to the top of the charts. Younger fans are particularly captivated by the genre: Gen Z streams climbed nearly 60% over the last year.

And it’s not just a single sound that’s responsible for such a meteoric rise. The Música Mexicana umbrella encompasses a rich tapestry of styles and genres, including corridos, banda, norteño, sierreño, grupero, and mariachi. A number of Música Mexicana subgenres have experienced significant growth on Spotify, as new waves of artists put their stamp on long-established musical traditions.

To celebrate the diverse landscape of Mexican music, Spotify is launching “La Tierra de Música Mexicana,” a new campaign spotlighting three of today’s hottest subgenres: electro corridos, norteño sax, and sad sierreño. We’ll showcase these sounds with a series of Spotify Singles launching throughout the month of August, each representing a unique facet of Música Mexicana.

Electro corridos

Electro corridos are a modern take on corridos, a style of music steeped in history, tradition, and storytelling. This subgenre fuses the electronic sounds of dance and house music, as well as dembow and urban beats, with the lyrics and storytelling of a corrido.

Debuting August 7, the first of the three Spotify Singles is “LIV” by brothers Sebastian and Eugenio Esquivel and producer-DJ Deorro. The forthcoming release captures the essence of electro corridos, which have seen remarkable growth on Spotify in the past year. They’ve experienced a 644% rise in consumption in the U.S. and a 590% rise in consumption in Mexico.

Stream our Electro Corridos playlist to hear some of the best the genre has to offer.

Norteño sax

Up next, “Beso” by Los Primos del Este, which showcases the norteño sax sound, will drop on August 21. Norteño sax blends the traditions of northern Mexican music with the distinct melodies and sonic textures of the saxophone. On Spotify, consumption of norteño sax has grown by 39% in both the U.S. and Mexico over the past year.

Discover the genre’s hottest hits on our Norteño Sax playlist.

Sad sierreño

Last but not least, “Cielo Eterno,” the sad sierreño single by DannyLux and Jasiel Nuñez, will arrive on August 28. Sad sierreño is a Gen Z twist on sierreño, a style of Mexican folk music best known for nostalgic ballads performed with acoustic guitars. Infused with emotive and introspective songwriting, sad sierreño has seen a 48% increase in consumption in both the U.S. and Mexico over the past year on Spotify, with Gen Z accounting for more than 40% of the genre’s streams.

Dive into our Sad Sierreño playlist to hear tracks that’ll get you in your feels.

Spotify has been proud to support Música Mexicana’s rise into a global powerhouse. “La Tierra de Música Mexicana” follows last year’s “La Tierra del Corrido” campaign, which included a special showcase featuring performances from top artists like Chino Pacas and Esteban Gabriel. We also celebrated “La Tierra de Texas” earlier this year, bringing live Música Mexicana performances to the iconic Houston Rodeo.

Head over to our Música Mexicana hub to explore the genre in all its glory, with everything from new releases to classic favorites.

The Hives Celebrate 50 Years of Sweden’s Global Music Success With Spotify Singles Cover

May 24, 2024

On April 6, 1974, the Swedish pop quartet ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest with “Waterloo,” a victory that would propel them to dazzling international fame. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic Ocean, Björn Skifs and Blue Swede’s “Hooked on a Feeling” had just become the first single by a Swedish artist to reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S.

As it turns out, that was just the beginning. Today, half a decade later, Sweden is one of the world’s biggest music exporters. To commemorate the outset of the country’s remarkable global success in music, Spotify invited the Swedish rock quintet The Hives to our Stockholm studio to record a Spotify Singles cover of “Hooked on a Feeling,” out now:

Known for their legendary live performances and strict black-and-white dress code, The Hives have been making heavy garage music for more than three decades. As one of the most-streamed Swedish rock bands globally, they’re thrilled to be carrying the storied song into its next chapter.

“I think there’s a synergy effect of Swedish music having made it abroad, and you feel like it’s possible. We can’t make it more perfect than the original is, so we went the other way instead: ruined it but made it sound exciting,” quipped front man Pelle Almqvist.

“Since the iconic year of 1974, when ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest, music from Swedish creators has continued to influence beyond its borders,” said Sophia Olofsson, Music Program Lead at Spotify. “We hear a lot about the Swedish pop wonder, but rock and metal are also two impactful genres for listeners around the world. With this Spotify Singles release, we wanted to celebrate the anniversary of the export of Swedish music while also paying homage to Sweden’s rock talents.”

The original “Hooked on a Feeling” was written by Mark James and performed by American singer B.J. Thomas in 1968. In 1973, Björn Skifs and his Blue Swede band recorded their version, which retained the “ooga-chaka” introduction from an earlier cover by English singer-songwriter Jonathan King.

To date, Blue Swede’s version of the song has racked up more than 670 million streams on Spotify globally. It has continued to gain traction over the years, having been featured in movies like Reservoir Dogs and Guardians of the Galaxy.

A spotlight on Swedish rock

Sweden might be best known for its pop music, but Spotify data shows that rock is also driving the country’s music exports. On our platform, the love for Swedish rock stretches near and far. In the past five years, streams of rock music by Swedish acts have increased by 90% globally, with France, Italy, Mexico, and Australia being the biggest consumers. Over 40% of the consumption comes from listeners aged 18-29.

Stream The Hives’ “Hooked on a Feeling” now, then dive into our Made in Sweden playlist to explore more tracks from Swedish artists.

Swedish R&B Star Cherrie Releases New Spotify Singles with Fans as Backup

June 14, 2019

In April, Sweden’s R&B queen Cherrie posted on Instagram that she’d be recording two new Spotify Singles—and she invited fans to be her backup singers. Nearly 300 people responded. Seven were chosen to join Cherrie in the studio to record her brand-new song, “Ledaren,” or “The Leader,” available today on Spotify.

“Seven of my girls hung with me in the Spotify studio and their sick, heavy energy made this song very special,” says Cherrie. “The studio is my favorite place in the world, so I’m glad to have shared my world for a day with my sisters.”