Tag: sweden

The Hottest Artists, Trends, and Sounds Coming out of Sweden in 2025

February 18, 2025

Sweden has always had great success showcasing its musical talent globally, especially in the dance and pop spheres. But 2025 is shaping up to be a special year for Swedish music at large, especially when it comes to the artists who are experimenting with genre-defying sounds.

At the start of the year, we put a spotlight on this scene with our list of Swedish Artists To Watch in 2025 featuring some of the country’s most promising indie acts, as well as hip-hop stars who are pushing their styles into new melodic territories. The list exemplifies the global appeal of Sweden’s music scene.

Next month, the 42nd edition of Sweden’s Grammis awards show returns to recognize the nation’s best and brightest musical talents. As a proud sponsor of this annual celebration, Spotify recently had the honor of announcing the nominees for the Best New Artist category, which include: Becky and the Birds, Hannes Aitman, ORKID, Sunnan, and Y4ska.

Spotify Teams Up With Swedish Youth Organization Fryshuset To Amplify the Next Generation of Local Artists

February 5, 2025

Investing in the future of music means investing in the next generation of artists. That’s the driving force behind Spotify’s multiyear partnership with Fryshuset, a Swedish nonprofit youth organization. Together, we’re helping young people develop and express themselves through music and culture.

The collaboration kicked off in 2024 with music camps at Fryshuset centers in Gothenburg, Helsingborg, Malmö, and Stockholm, providing more than 100 promising young artists with masterclasses, studio time, and opportunities to create and collaborate. Get a behind-the-scenes look at their creative journeys in the film below.

The result? Fryshuset x Spotify, a playlist of 27 original songs showcasing the talent emerging from these workshops. The tracks recently debuted on Spotify and were celebrated with a release party at our Stockholm headquarters.

“Together with Spotify, we want to give more young people meaningful free time with music and culture,” said Karl Bjurman, project manager at Fryshuset. “The playlist is a tribute to young people’s creativity and an opportunity for them to share their music with a wider audience.”

This initiative comes at a crucial time in Sweden, following cuts to state funding for community arts schools in 2023. Spotify and Fryshuset aim to bridge the gap, providing vital resources and opportunities for young music enthusiasts. Future projects will include more studio sessions, training, and events to support emerging artists.

This partnership builds on Spotify’s ongoing support for youth music programs. Similar initiatives, like our collaborations with Mentivity and Youth Music in the U.K., demonstrate Spotify’s commitment to nurturing young talent and providing access to creative spaces.

Check out the Fryshuset x Spotify playlist to discover Sweden’s sounds of tomorrow.

Spotify rapporterar intäkter för tredje kvartalet 2024

November 12, 2024

Idag rapporterar vi intäkter för det tredje kvartalet 2024, ett kvartal då vi överträffade förväntningarna för våra nyckeltal och tog ett steg närmre ett helt årmed lönsamhet. Här är höjdpunkterna:

Månatliga aktiva användare ökade med 11 % jämfört med föregående åroch uppgick till 640 miljoner.
Antalet premiumanvändare ökade med 12 % jämfört med föregående åroch uppgick till 252 miljoner.
De totala intäkterna ökade med 19 % jämfört med föregående år ochuppgick till 4.0 miljarder euro.
Bruttomarginalen uppgick till 31,1 %.
Rörelseresultatet förbättrades till 454 miljoner euro.

“Vi har aldrig varit i en starkare position och det är tack vare en enaståendeinsats från vårt team. Jag är oerhört stolt över hur vi har levererat och för de framsteg vi har gjort, säger Daniel Ek, grundare och VD för Spotify. “Vi harkommit dit vi siktade – om inte lite längre – och befinner oss på en stadig vägmot våra långsiktiga mål. Denna outtröttliga strävan efter innovation ikombination med vårt fokus på tillväxt gör att vi kan leverera den främstaanvändarupplevelsen i branschen, samtidigt som vi stärker de kärnvärden somgör Spotify unikt. Jag ser verkligen fram emot allt vi har framför oss.”

Spotify rapporterar intäkter för andra kvartalet 2024

July 23, 2024

Idag publicerar Spotify sina finansiella resultat för andra kvartalet 2024. Med stark ökning av antalet premiumanvändare, förbättrad intäktsgenerering och rekordstor lönsamhet rapporterade Spotify följande:

Månatliga aktiva användare ökade med 14 % jämfört med föregående år och uppgick till 626 miljoner.
Antalet premiumanvändare ökade med 12 % jämfört med föregående år och uppgick till 246 miljoner.
De totala intäkterna ökade med 20 % jämfört med föregående år och uppgick till 3,8 miljarder euro.
Bruttomarginalen uppgick till 29,2 %.
Rörelseresultatet uppgick till 266 miljoner euro.

– Det är en spännande tid på Spotify. Vi fortsätter att vara innovativa och visar att vi inte bara är en fantastisk produkt, utan också driver en allt mer fantastisk affär. Vi gör detta under en tid som överträffar våra egna förväntningar. Det bådar mycket gott för framtiden, kommenterar Daniel Ek, grundare och VD på Spotify.

Alexander Skarsgård Spotlights Innovative Solutions to Our Planet’s Biggest Challenges on the New Podcast ‘How We Fix This’

June 12, 2024

Our planet is facing some serious issues. And How We Fix This—a new podcast hosted and narrated by Emmy and Golden Globe awarded actor Alexander Skarsgård—offers some serious solutions. Co-produced by non-profit impact ecosystem Norrsken and Spotify, the series will spotlight eight pioneering startups that are building tools to combat some of the world’s most pressing social and environmental challenges.

Over 8 episodes, How We Fix This will explore a significant global dilemma and highlight the innovative approaches startups are taking to address them. The series not only features the founder’s journeys, but also includes insights from leading researchers and experts, including the World Wide Fund for Nature and Stockholm Resilience Centre.

“From Nigerian solar panel rentals and German chocolate made without cocoa to burping cows in Sweden, this project highlights the people out there who are building innovative and awe-inspiring solutions to the world’s greatest challenges,” said Alexander. “I am very excited to introduce these heroes to a global audience.”

By highlighting these role models selected from the Norrsken Impact/100 list—an annual ranking of the world’s most promising impact startups—How We Fix This hopes to inspire recent graduates, aspiring entrepreneurs, and business professionals who are passionate about affecting change through technology, innovation, and environmental sustainability.

“We can no longer celebrate companies simply for their growth and valuation, no matter if they destroy the planet. Instead, we need role-models like the founders on How We Fix This,” says Niklas Adalberth, founder of Norrsken Foundation. “They are part of a growing, global movement of purpose-driven entrepreneurs leveraging innovation and technology to tackle problems like climate change, sustainability and poverty. We need thousands more like them, and I hope their stories can inspire others to pursue their own ideas for how to positively impact the world.”

The startups featured on How We Fix This include:

Brimstone (USA): Developing deeply decarbonized cement.
Planet A Foods (Germany): Producing chocolate without cocoa.
Volta Greentech (Sweden): Seaweed-based feed supplements reducing cows’ greenhouse gas emissions.
Neoplants (France): Bioengineered plant systems designed to eliminate indoor pollutants.
SunFi (Nigeria): Helping consumers transition to solar power.
Commons (USA): A platform for individuals to track and reduce their carbon footprint.
Nilus (Argentina): Rescuing and redistributing food to combat food insecurity.
Plan A (Germany): Tools for corporations to measure and act on their carbon footprint.

“How We Fix This follows companies that provide tangible solutions to some of the world’s most pressing matters, and as a global audio platform we have a crucial role to play to amplify these,” says Hanna Grahn, Sustainability Lead at Spotify. “I’m thrilled to be able to collaborate with Norrsken, leading scientists, and Alexander to inspire more people around the world to get involved on these topics.”

Dive into the first episode of How We Fix This below, and look out for a new episode every Wednesday that explores a pressing new challenge our planet faces.

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.

De viktigaste insikterna från Spotifys årliga Loud & Clear-rapport

May 15, 2024

Med sin årliga royaltyrapport Loud & Clear ökar Spotify transparensen i musikindustrin, så att artister, låtskrivare, fans och hela musikbranschen får en större förståelse för hur streamingekonomin fungerar. Spotify betalar ungefär två tredjedelar av sina musikrelaterade intäkter till rättighetsinnehavare och publishers, och nyligen redovisades att Spotifys globala utbetalningar under 2023 uppgick till över nio miljarder dollar. Men hur såg det ut i Sverige?

Under förra året genererade svenska artister utbetalningar på nästan 1,8 miljarder kronor enbart från Spotify – en ökning med drygt tolv procent jämfört med 2022 och en dubblering jämfört med 2017.

Statistiken visar även att musikbranschen fortsätter att blomstra – på alla nivåer. Under 2023 genererade fler än 500 svenska artister minst 500 000 kronor i royalties bara från Spotify. Antalet artister som når denna nivå har ökat med 70 procent sedan 2017. Dessutom genererade över 280 svenska artister mer än en miljon kronor från plattformen, vilket innebär en ökning med nästan två tredjedelar sedan 2018.

För första gången redovisar Spotify också att oberoende skivbolag och artister genererar nästan hälften av utbetalningarna, i Sverige såväl som globalt.

Sverige är en erkänd musikexportnation, men svenska artister dominerar även på hemmaplan, vilket kraftigt bidrar till ökade intäkter till den svenska musikindustrin. Under 2023 stod inhemska artister bakom 70 procent av alla låtar som tog sig in på den dagliga Topp 50-listan.

Spotifys rekordutbetalningar

Svenska artister genererade under 2023 större utbetalningar än någonsin tidigare, vilket bidrar till att den svenska musikbranschen växer.

Ett rekordår för indiebolag och indieartister

Fler artister väljer att publicera sin egen musik på Spotify vilket ledde till att de oberoende skivbolagens andel av utbetalningarna förra året uppgick till nästan 50 procent.

Fler artister genererar stora utbetalningar

Spotifys utbetalningar hjälper såväl etablerade som aspirerande artister att utveckla sina karriärer och nå sina fans.

Så fungerar Spotifys royaltyutbetalningar:

Spotify betalar ut ungefär två tredjedelar av sina musikrelaterade intäkter till rättighetsinnehavare och publishers, som i sin tur betalar artister och låtskrivare baserat på deras enskilda kontrakt.
Utbetalningar från Spotify utgör endast en del av intäkterna för skivbolag, låtskrivare och artister; övriga källor inkluderar bland annat utbetalningar från andra streamingtjänster, skivförsäljning, försäljning av merchandise och biljetter till konserter.

Eurovision 2024: Swiss Singer Nemo Took the Crown, but There’s More Talent To Celebrate

May 13, 2024

From Céline Dion to ABBA, the Eurovision Song Contest has served as a launchpad for a number of global stars over the years. Reaching a worldwide audience in the hundreds of millions, the annual competition is Europe’s biggest music event—and on Spotify, the hype and attention are reflected in our streaming data every year.

During the May 11 final in Malmö, Sweden, Switzerland’s Nemo was crowned the 2024 winner with “The Code.” The singer is the first non-binary artist to win Eurovision and wrote the genre-bending track to explain how they came to terms with their identity. In the 24 hours following the event, it was the most-streamed song of the competition on Spotify.

But the emerging talent that Eurovision introduces to the world goes far beyond the winning act. Between May 7 and May 12, discovery of Eurovision artists and music was in full swing on Spotify. Let’s take a look at some of this year’s top performers.

Reaching new legions of fans

Ireland’s entry, “Doomsday Blue,” from self-styled “Ouija pop” artist Bambie Thug emerged as a surprise hit during the final stage of the competition. On Spotify, the electro-goth song saw a whopping 950% increase in streams during the final week compared to the period leading up to the final. “Rim Tim Tagi Dim,” the 2024 runner-up from Croatia’s Baby Lasagna, experienced a similar boost, with streams up almost 730% during the final week.

As for the most-streamed song globally during the final week on Spotify, the Netherlands came out on top with “Europapa” by Joost, which received the highest listenership among users aged 18-24. Nemo’s “The Code” and Baby Lasagna’s “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” came in second and third, respectively, followed by Italy’s entry, “La Noia,” from Angelina Mango and Ukraine’s entry, “Teresa & Maria,” from Jerry Heil and alyona alyona.

Stories of continued success

On Spotify, Eurovision is clearly a cultural moment that unites fans across the globe through a shared love of music. Our platform is where fans go to dive deeper into an artist’s catalog, and for the contestants, there’s more to gain than just the Eurovision crown.

Take Swedish pop phenomenon and two-time Eurovision winner Loreen: Since she clinched her second win in 2023, streams of her entire discography have jumped over 600% on Spotify. On May 14, 2023, her entry “Tattoo” broke the then record for the most-streamed track in a day globally by a female Swedish artist. To date, the electropop anthem has been streamed nearly half a billion times on our platform.

Måneskin is another epic success story: Since their 2021 Eurovision victory, the Italian rock band has experienced a whopping 2,000% increase in global Spotify streams. The group has smashed a number of global records, and two of their songs—“I WANNA BE YOUR SLAVE” and “Beggin’”—have notched over 1 billion streams.

Keep the Eurovision party going with our 2024 playlist, featuring an exclusive editorial watchfeed.

Spotify rapporterar intäkter för tredje kvartalet 2023

October 24, 2023

Idag tillkännagav vi vårt finansiella resultat för tredje kvartalet 2023. Verksamheten levererade starka resultat under tredje kvartalet. Samtliga nyckeltal överträffade vår guidning och vi återgick till lönsamhet.

Månatliga aktiva användare ökade med 26 % till 574 miljoner, två miljoner över vår guidning. Detta motsvarar vårt näst största nettotillskott under tredje kvartalet någonsin.
Antalet premiumanvändare växte 16 % Y/Y och uppgick till 226 miljoner. Nettotillskottet om sex miljoner prenumeranter var två miljoner över vår guidning.
De totala intäkterna överträffade vår guidning och uppgick till 3,4 miljarder EUR, en ökning med 11 % jämfört med föregående år.
Bruttomarginalen överträffade guidning och slutade på 26,4 %.
Spotify återgick till lönsamhet med ett rörelseresultat om 32 miljoner EUR under kvartalet.

Därtill introducerade vi nya personifierade upplevelser för användarna och nya verktyg för kreatörer:

Vill du veta mer? Klicka här för att ta del av hela den finansiella pressreleasen, och lyssna gärna på vår Q&A-webcast på IR-sajten här.

Spotify Europe General Manager Michael Krause Reflects on 15+ Years in Europe

October 10, 2023

When Spotify launched in Europe in 2008, the music industry—and the world at large—changed forevermore. At the time, few could have predicted that a start-up originating in Stockholm only a few years prior would grow beyond Europe to become the largest audio-streaming subscription service in the world with over 550 million users worldwide.

Since then, Spotify has innovated and expanded to incorporate podcasts, audiobooks, and the latest technology into our product. And as a result, we’ve also transformed the artist-listener relationship and impacted listening worldwide. Michael Krause has had a front-row seat to Spotify’s expansion—and the trends it’s both inspired and amplified—for quite some time, first in his role as the Managing Director for Central and Eastern Europe, and now as General Manager for Europe.

For the Record recently caught up with Michael to learn about some of the most notable changes in his markets over the last 15+ years.

Can you give us a short musical overview of the UK, Spain, France, and Sweden?

It was amazing to look back at the streaming trends over 15 years and pick up on the similarities and differences between the four countries. It’s also great to reflect on how listening habits have evolved more broadly over time and how we’ve contributed to the growth of local music.

In the U.K., 1990s nostalgia is still going strong. Britpop is high on the listening figures, with Oasis and the Arctic Monkeys as firm favorites. Unsurprisingly though, Ed Sheeran takes the crown for most-streamed British artist, second only to Drake in all-time streams. It is also great to see early British Spotify adopters including Adele, Sam Smith, and Stormzy going on to achieve massive streaming success in the U.K. market and around the world.

Meanwhile, Spain has seen a significant shift in musical taste, replacing pop music with urban Latino, a genre which has topped the charts for the past six years. The likes of Manuel Turizo and Rauw Alejandro in the top five artists reflects the South and Central American influence on Spanish music trends.

France has also experienced a shift in listening habits over the years, from international rock and pop in the earlier years to a dominance of French hip-hop and rap today. This is reflected by the market’s top five artists of all time, led by local sensation Jul. When we look at 2008, when Spotify was launched, to more recent years, we see an embracement of local musical genres, which has overtaken international music.

Sweden—the birthplace of Spotify—on the other hand, has been steadfast in its love of pop music, which has been the most-streamed genre every year since 2011. Fittingly in 2023, given the triumph at Eurovision, Swedish pop leads the way.

Are Spotify fans in these markets more interested in global top musicians, local artists, or a mix of both?

This is something that has changed over time. When Spotify launched in 2008, streaming across all markets was largely focused on international artists and those in the mainstream globally. But as time has passed, streaming for local artists has increased significantly.

Taking France as an example, the figures show that in 2008, French artists made up a very small proportion of listener streams. Jump forward ten years and the majority of France’s top 100 artists were local, something that has continued up to today.

This trend sums up why we are so proud of Spotify and what we’ve achieved over the past 15 years in Europe. The platform empowers creators to grow their audience base and allows listeners to discover a wider variety of artists, and it is fantastic to see that they are gravitating towards local talent. What’s even more interesting is seeing that these local artists can now travel beyond their own geographical or linguistic barriers—as an example, every one of two streams for a French-produced artist comes [from] outside of France. It’s quite an extraordinary achievement, one that was literally unthinkable 15 years ago. Swedish artists are also riding the wave as they are streamed more than twice as much outside of their own country.

What other notable behaviors are you seeing across the region?

There has been a notable rise in the popularity of hip-hop across all markets, and this year the genre is consistently among the top five across the U.K., Sweden, and France. Back in 2008, on the other hand, rock was the top genre across all four countries.

Another trend that stands out is the breadth and variety of genres featured in the top 10. While pop, rock, and other classics remain prominent, the likes of reggaeton, trap Latino, and permanent wave have found their way into the mix.

What about podcasting across Europe?

Podcasts continue to grow in popularity, with listening figures rising across Europe. While they have been well established in the U.K. and Germany for some time, some of the sharpest rises have come from countries newer to podcasting. In Spain, for example, podcast listens grew by 298% in 2022, and France saw a staggering 379% increase. More big influencers are successfully launching podcasts, including Hobbyloss in Germany and Canapé Six Places in France.

Can you share some of the continuing opportunities in the region?

Spotify began as a music-streaming company, and over the past 15 years we’ve evolved into a global platform for audio content. We’re always looking to create new opportunities for artists to connect with audiences across the world and shape the future of creativity.

Audiobooks is a focus area which offers significant innovation and growth potential and has large and engaged audiences in Europe. We launched audiobooks last year and recently expanded our offering to make 150,000 audiobooks available in the U.K. and Australia as part of users’ existing Spotify Premium subscriptions. The U.K. is one of the largest markets for audiobooks globally, and we know there’s similar appetite in countries like Germany. As we help connect creators with new audiences, we’ll be applying the learnings as we plan for launches in further European markets.

Meanwhile, AI has huge potential to help artists and listeners form deeper connections while expanding their reach. We’re piloting new OpenAI technology that translates podcasts into new languages in the original creator’s voice, making them accessible to listeners worldwide.

Do you have a favorite musical moment from the past 15 years? Any you’re anticipating?

One artist who has accompanied me through that time is The Streets with Mike Skinner. Especially in the pandemic—they were my most-listened-to artist according to my Wrapped. The biggest transformation over the last 15 years, which I’ve found fascinating, is that the Arctic Monkeys have gained a whole new audience through social media and now have several songs with over 1 billion plays.

One thing that I’m looking forward to the most is the comeback of Blink-182 with their new album. The pre-save version of it is already available on Spotify.

What’s the importance of Europe for Spotify as you celebrate this milestone?

We’re really proud that we’ve been a pioneer in so many aspects and that we’ve built this in Europe and have remained in Europe. The journey has been amazing, and we’re growing fast in Europe. Music and audio is such a universal use case. Every person from a newborn to members of the older population finds joy in music. And our platform has room for everyone.

With the phenomenal level of engagement that we have on our platform in Europe, we see lots of opportunities for sustainable and profitable growth. We’re going to continue to expand and build upon the Advertising business, our Free and Premium music product, and in Podcasts. Europe is our single biggest source of revenue, and with the opportunities ahead we think it can remain so.

Spotify’s 100 Live Showcase at Way Out West Celebrates the Impact of Hip-Hop in Sweden

August 16, 2023

Since 2007, the Way Out West music festival has been a cultural melting pot in Sweden. Located in a large, lush park in Gothenburg, the three-day-long festival celebrates music discovery, sustainability, and diversity, and attracts approximately 50,000 fans each year. At the festival, you can find Höjden by Spotify, our live stage nestled among the trees, where you can dance, eat good food, discover new music, or simply sit down and relax.

On August 11, which marked hip-hop’s 50th birthday, we decided to celebrate in a big way with our 100 Live showcase. New and upcoming talents—along with some of the most prominent names in Swedish hip-hop history—met at one of the festival’s largest stages to perform an epic show that paid tribute to the genre and its cultural impact in Sweden over the past 50 years.

Eurovision 2023 Wrap-Up: Loreen Wins Big in Liverpool and on Spotify

May 15, 2023

Each spring, millions of music fans are glued to their TVs, mesmerized by the fabulous spectacle of song, dance, and theatrics that is the Eurovision Song Contest. Eurovision is Europe’s biggest music event, most notably beloved for its over-the-top brand of pop pageantry. And this year, Sweden’s Loreen made Eurovision history when she took the stage in host city Liverpool and captured a second victory.

But she also made Spotify history: To date, Loreen’s Eurovision entry “Tattoo” has generated more than 60 million Spotify streams globally, and it cracked Spotify’s Global Top 50 following her win. Thanks to the certified earworm, on May 14, the pop star also broke the record for the most-streamed track in a day globally by a female Swedish artist.

When we began the countdown to Eurovision earlier this year, data collected from Spotify listeners between March 25 and April 25 suggested that Loreen would follow up her 2012 Eurovision victory with a second win. And once the final Eurovision results rolled in, they confirmed that our listeners were spot on.

Loreen’s “Tattoo” was far and away the fan favorite on Spotify, generating twice as many streams as “Due Vite,” the Eurovision song from Italy’s Marco Mengoni, which generated the second-most streams in the month leading up to the finals.

Once Eurovision was in full swing, Loreen found herself in a closely fought battle with Finland’s Käärijä, which was also reflected on Spotify during the week of Eurovision. Streams of Käärijä’s entry “Cha Cha Cha” increased 640% during the week of the contest, topped only by Croatia’s Let 3, whose entry “Mama ŠČ” saw an increase of almost 670%, despite finishing 13th in the contest.

In fact, Spotify streams of every artist’s entry increased substantially during the week of Eurovision. Switzerland’s Remo Forrer enjoyed a remarkable 620% increase for his song “Watergun.” He finished in 20th place, but these streaming insights highlight the global success of Eurovision entries on Spotify regardless of the final results.

Other songs that spiked on Spotify during Eurovision include 1993 runner-up Sonia’s “Better the Devil You Know,” which saw over a 1,000% increase in streams—and Cornelia Jakobs’ performance of Melanie C’s “I Turn To You” resulted in Melanie C’s track seeing over a 130% increase in streams.

Understanding Eurovision’s cultural impact

When the Eurovision hype was reaching its crescendo, the Spotify: Discover This podcast caught up with some of the most passionate fans and buzzworthy contestants during the show’s semifinals in Liverpool.

But to help fans outside Europe fully grasp the significance of Eurovision, we tapped pop culture expert and Esquire Editor-at-Large Dave Holmes to put the contest into perspective.

“It’s really difficult to explain how massive the Eurovision Song Contest is, but the best way that I can put it for an American audience is that it’s like a huge beauty pageant and American Idol and the big game wrapped up into one,” he explained. “But sort of gay and with a little bit of glitter on top.”

“Eurovision is an amazing celebration of music, but it’s really so much more than that,” remarked Mateusz Smółka, Spotify’s Music Team Lead for Southern and Eastern Europe. “It’s a fun, goofy contest that delivers a mix of diversity, energy, and color. It’s a unique moment that brings Europe together to share in its different musical cultures.”

Counting Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra, Italy’s Måneskin, and Spotify EQUAL ambassador Jamala among past winners, Eurovision has never been short on excitement.

“It was a huge privilege to step in for Ukraine host Eurovision here in the UK this year,” says Nikos Antoniou, Lead, Artist and Label partnerships at Spotify. “Being on the ground and seeing it all in action, it’s clear that the organisers didn’t take the responsibility lightly – the atmosphere was incredible. Our teams here loved every minute of supporting the artists on platform, but also with things like billboards in Liverpool and around the country. It was really fun to see some of the artists sharing those on their socials.”

Part of the excitement of Eurovision is revisiting the music of past and present contestants. In addition to our flagship Eurovision 2023 playlist—which features dozens of entries from across Europe—our dedicated Eurovision hub lets fans rediscover classics from past competitions, as well as listen to playlists curated by past contestants that capture the local sounds of their home countries.

“On Spotify, Eurovision is truly a cultural moment, not unlike Mariah Carey during Christmas. We see the craziness, the hype, and the attention reflected in our streaming data every year,” Mateusz added. “Every May, our Eurovision 2023 flagship playlist is one of our top playlists, and for a few days each year, it reaches the high-tier level of a playlist like Today’s Top Hits. With all the new artists Eurovision introduces to the world, the contest is one of the most fascinating moments for music discovery.”

While another chapter in the Eurovision Song Contest has reached its thrilling conclusion, the party doesn’t have to end. Fans can keep the excitement going and relive their favorite moments by visiting our dedicated Eurovision hub.

Stream your favorite Eurovision hits and discover tomorrow’s future stars on our Eurovision 2023 flagship playlist.