Since launching in India in 2019, Spotify has opened up alternatives for artists and creators throughout the nation and established new methods for listeners to find and devour audio. Five years later, we’re now the most-loved audio-streaming platform in India, particularly amongst Gen Z and millennials.

We kicked off our anniversary celebrations earlier this month by looking on the impression we’ve had over the past 5 years, from Indian music and podcast consumption habits to the most-exported Indian artists. For the nation’s artist neighborhood, the outcomes communicate for themselves.

Spotify’s presence in India has linked proficient native artists with international audiences, serving to share their music far and large. Today, extra listeners than ever are discovering Indian artists all over the world—in 2023, the worldwide consumption of music from India grew by 85% year-over-year. And actually, Indian musician Arijit Singh is the third-most-followed artist on Spotify worldwide.

Spotify has additionally deeply invested in educating Indian artists about Spotify for Artists, a platform that empowers artists by displaying them how their music is being consumed and serving to them higher join with followers. Today, greater than 28,000 artists from India use Spotify for Artists, which is greater than double what it was a 12 months in the past.

For the Record sat down with 5 artists—Anuv Jain, King, Jasleen Royal, Armaan Malik, and Jonita Gandhi—who’ve been with Spotify from the start of our journey in India to listen to how they’ve discovered new audiences and created deeper connections.

Anuv Jain

Anuv Jain is one among India’s hottest unbiased music artists. His 2018 single “Baarishein” put him on the map. The singer-songwriter from Punjab depends nearly solely on acoustics and soulful lyrics, drawing inspiration from his personal life experiences.

How do you suppose Spotify has helped advance your profession?

I’m not certain whether or not folks know this, however my music has been up on Spotify since earlier than the platform even launched in India. So, we’ve had a protracted relationship. I believe Spotify listeners wish to discover much more music, in addition to totally different genres, and that has positively helped me out. All issues thought of, I believe Spotify has helped me attain so many individuals, and I’m really grateful for that.

Share a narrative that highlights how Spotify has modified the best way you join with followers.

Spotify has given me a platform to gauge how my viewers is perceiving my music, the age group my viewers belongs to, the cities I’ve probably the most listenership from, the international locations I’ve managed to faucet into, and a lot extra. This informs the best way I join with my viewers. Since my viewers principally contains millennial and Gen Z listeners, this influences the best way I talk with them on my social platforms, the content material I put out, and the cities I wish to go to and carry out at. I simply concluded my tour within the U.Okay. and Ireland, which occurred as a result of we came upon that I’ve nice listenership within the area. We bought out each exhibits in London, in addition to the Dublin and Manchester exhibits!

King

After his 2019 breakthrough on the Indian actuality present MTV Hustle, rapper and pop star King has delivered a slew of hits. His Hindi-language observe “Maan Meri Jaan” was the most-streamed tune of 2023 in India on Spotify, and he additionally teamed up with Nick Jonas on a bilingual remix, “Maan Meri Jaan (Afterlife).”

How do you suppose Spotify has helped advance your profession?

Spotify has been an important a part of my story ever since its algorithms and playlists took my tune “Tu Aake Dekhle” and shared it with listeners across the nation and the world. It has helped me not solely join with my Kingsclan, but in addition entice new followers who’ve supported me and my music unconditionally.

Share a narrative that highlights how Spotify has modified the best way you join with followers.

The indisputable fact that numerous folks have reached out to me over time mentioning how they’ve discovered a protected house inside my music all the time finally ends up reminding me of the true energy of music and the way it reaches folks like I might’ve by no means imagined. I’m grateful for with the ability to share my music by this platform and with the ability to contact the lives of individuals in even the smallest method potential.

Jasleen Royal

Jasleen Royal is a self-taught singer-songwriter-composer who broke onto the scene in 2009 as a semifinalist on India’s Got Talent. She’s since constructed a powerful music profession, together with composing a lot of hit Bollywood tracks.

How do you suppose Spotify has helped advance your profession?

Spotify linked me to my followers, permitting me to share my music with them straight. It has given me distinctive attain internationally. Also, Spotify for Artists provides insights into how your songs are performing—and the place—permitting you to make use of that info to plan even higher.

Share a narrative that highlights how Spotify has modified the best way you join with followers.

I bear in mind when my observe “Kho Gaye Hum Kahan” out of the blue picked up years after its launch. With Spotify for Artists, I used to be in a position to see the spike in streams—which in any other case would have gone unnoticed—and examine the place it was coming from. These sorts of statistics are very insightful for an artist.

Armaan Malik

Armaan Malik acquired his begin as a baby singer in Bollywood. After cementing his place within the Indian music business, the singer-songwriter forayed into the worldwide circuit together with his 2020 debut English single, “Control.” In 2022, he even teamed up with Ed Sheeran on a remix of “2step.”

How do you suppose Spotify has helped advance your profession?

Spotify has revolutionized my profession. Its huge attain and the exceptional surge in listenership it permits has unlocked alternatives in international locations I by no means even imagined reaching. Beyond the numbers, it’s the genuine connections with listeners from all walks of life that has been really transformative. Spotify has been instrumental in shaping my pop profession, catapulting it to thrilling new heights.

Share a narrative that highlights how Spotify has modified the best way you join with followers.

A unbelievable methodology of partaking with followers and increasing my viewers is thru curated playlists, notably these crafted by artists themselves. One instance is my very own playlist, Hooked. It not solely showcases my private music preferences but in addition serves as a platform for teasing upcoming releases by intelligent hints and hidden surprises. It’s been an modern option to join with followers and maintain them enthusiastic about what’s subsequent in my musical journey. Another nice function is Clips, which might improve the storytelling, including extra layers to the tune inside the ecosystem.

Jonita Gandhi

Born in New Delhi and raised in Toronto, Jonita Gandhi’s Canadian and Indian heritage helped form her various musical palette. Today, the artist is an acclaimed multilingual singer who has recorded songs for a few of India’s greatest motion pictures. Earlier this 12 months, she launched her debut EP, Love Like That.

How do you suppose Spotify has helped advance your profession?

Spotify has actually helped me perceive who’s listening to my music and what they’re resonating with. As a flexible artist, it’s generally arduous to know who’s invested in my music, however Spotify has helped me faucet into my true followers.

Share a narrative that highlights how Spotify has modified the best way you join with followers.

The first billboard I used to be featured on in my hometown of Toronto and in New York City’s Times Square was a part of a Spotify marketing campaign. I actually consider that modified the best way I linked with my viewers, particularly internationally. It made me really feel seen and it was a full-circle expertise.

Dive into our I-Pop Superhits playlist to find a number of the hottest pop music from Indian artists.