Celebrating International Women’s Day, Spotify has partnered with leading Filipina creators to amplify their voices and stories. The music, lyrics and voices coming from these Filipinas are complex and vibrant, and Spotify champions women in audio through its programs and playlists all through the year.

Through Spotify’s      , a year-round initiative dedicated to women in music, female artists have collectively received nearly half a billion streams within their first month of joining the program. EQUAL Philippines amplifies artists like chart-topping singer-songwriter mrld and the Cebuana hip-hop hitmaker Karencitta, while Pinay Voices spotlights podcasts from creators including Paano Kung…, Let’s Pretend It’s 2AM, and Free Yourself Podcast,

With this year’s IWD theme ““DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality”, Spotify shares an exclusive glimpse into the perspectives of these trailblazing Filipina audio creators.

Breaking Boundaries through Audio

Filipinas have diversified the creative ecosystem through courage and determination. For some, pursuing a dream means inspiring others to become better versions of themselves. RADAR ambassador, Meriel de Jesus, more popularly known as mrld and the voice behind hit songs including “Ligaya” and “Ikaw Pa Rin,” recounted how her journey as a budding artist took perseverance: “I remember staying up late, researching how I can share my craft to the world.”

For Ria Ramirez of Let’s Pretend It’s 2AM, becoming a creator meant breaking through her sense of self-doubt. “Starting a podcast was something that I considered doing, but was afraid to pursue. But people around me made me realize that I had a voice that was worth being heard.”

Other voices in the field are driven by passion and purpose to inspire others. “It’s a powerful feeling because you can make a huge imprint onto someone’s life instantly,” said EQUAL ambassador Karen Ann “Karencitta” Rodriguez Cabrera, who famously made waves with the release of her debut song “Cebuana” which proudly champions her Bisaya roots.

Gayle de Chavez of Free Yourself Podcast creates content with the hope of inspiring others. “I enjoy being a creator, pursuing the things that I love, and at the same time helping people love themselves.”

Technology Powering Gender Equity

Beyond the drive to thrive, these inspiring Filipinas leveraged technology as a partner in their creative journey.

Spotify EQUAL artist Karencitta, who started recording her own music at the age of 13 and now has over 220,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, shared that she learned through exploring tech with many trials and errors. Radio DJ and Creator of Paano Kung… podcast Joelle shared, “I am grateful that technology and a platform as special as Spotify enables us to share our stories more openly and find other people who inspire us!”

mrld highlighted how Spotify helped her flourish on the local and global stage. “Through Spotify, a lot of people were able to discover my craft, and it paved the way for me as a female artist. EQUAL is very uplifting as it gives the spotlight to female artists.”

Although platforms and initiatives have unlocked a wealth of opportunities, the journey for female creators is not without its challenges.

Joelle opens up. “I feel the challenge when I have to double or triple check what I say just to make sure it’s right. I’ve been afraid to speak up because people would talk over me, or make me feel like my feelings and thoughts weren’t valid.” mrld also noted how there is room to give more visibility for women in the creative field.

At the same time, creators express their optimism and appreciation for the positive changes in the industry. “Nowadays, I think there is a space for both men and women to create freely,” Ria points out.

Unlocking the Creator in Everyone

Spotify Creators, Joelle, Ria, and Gayle, mrld and Karencitta, share their advice with the hopes of inspiring young Filipinos out there.

1. Celebrate Individuality and Authenticity

• EQUAL ambassador mrld: “Always believe in yourself. No one is going to be there for you till the end except yourself. So don’t be too hard on yourself and continue to trust the process.”
• EQUAL ambassador Karencitta: “Kung bisag asa pa ta e butang sa kalibutan, di gyud natu malimtan ang Filipino traditions and values. Ayaw kalimot kung asa ka gikan. E taas gyud na ang bandila.”

1. Embrace Vulnerability

• Ria of Let’s Pretend It’s 2AM: “There’s no need to hide the broken parts of yourself because it is in this brokenness that you have grown to be who you are. Let that process not only inspire you but others too.”- Ria, Creator of
• Joelle of Paano Kung…: “It can be scary for anyone to be vulnerable, but the exciting possibilities in opening up and connecting with others outweigh the fear. I get to do this now, because the younger me took a chance, opened her heart, continued to hope and try, despite the uncertainty, fear, and worries.”

1. Invest in Oneself

• Gayle of Free Yourself Podcast: “Continue investing in yourself and being curious about everything. Don’t seek validation in the form of other people’s opinions, and don’t be afraid to speak your mind and your truth.”
• EQUAL ambassador Karencitta: “Embrace learning”

Keen to discover and support female creators? Tune in to Spotify’s EQUAL hub and Pinay Voices.

This year, Spotify Wrapped is injecting more fun into its annual year-end traditions with its creators. With never-before-heard conversations with leading Filipino podcasters, these special spin-offs will give you the ultimate download to 2022’s highlights, challenges, and learnings from various vantage points.

From life’s hugots to digital marites-ing and self-care 101s, Spotify Wrapped 2022 also revealed that podcasts spanning Love & Relationships, Pop Culture, and Self-Help genres resonated the most with Pinoy listeners.

“With Wrapped this year, we are proud to say that podcast has been diving into the hearts of Spotify listeners. Evidently, we’re seeing that the most-streamed podcasts are from local creators and across various genres. Moving forward, we believe that the podcast industry in the Philippines has huge potential and we’re excited to be here for our listeners and creators to drive that growth,” said Carl Zuzarte, Head of Studios for Spotify, Southeast Asia.

Ang Ganda Academy Awards (Wake Up with Jim & Saab): Oscars is *shaking* because the Ang Ganda Academy Awards are back! Join Jim & Saab as they recognize the worst and the best pop culture content and moments of 2022 — from TV shows to home budols, and WATDASPRAK moments. Episode 1 will look into the dance trends of the year — from Tu Tu to Na Na Na — with gorgeous girl Nana Silayro as one of the first guests!

The Rewind (Adulting with Joyce Pring): Join Joyce Pring and her slate of incredible guests to ring in the new year by looking back at 2022’s highlights. In the first episode, Joyce is joined by actor-slash-beauty queen tandem Mikael Diaz and Megan Young as they discuss a timeless topic: What does true love really mean? From haranas to kundimans and video calls to dating amidst “social distancing” — the three navigate Pinoys’ ever-changing pursuit for love and soulmates.

Happy Ending (Punchline with Alex Calleja): End 2022 with a bang and a good laugh with Alex Calleja’s Happy Ending podcast. Self-proclaimed “Internet Action Star” Ramon Bautista joins Alex for the first episode as they find answers to “Ano ang nagpapasaya sayo, ngayong patapos na ang 2022?” On the theme of his year-end special, Alex Calleja shares, “Through the stories shared by my guests in the Happy Ending podcast, I hope to give inspiration and convey a message of hope that regardless of the hardships they’ve experienced this 2022, there’s always a reason to be happy and end the year on a good note.”

Don’t Go There (KoolPals): Stand-up comedians from Comedy Manila GB Labrador, Nonong Ballinan, Muman Reyes, Ryan Rems and James Caraan come together for a KoolPals special that turns absolutely any topic into extra comedic banters — from controversies, plot twists, and  unexpected revelations. Episode 1 reveals memorable jokes for the five that ~almost~ stripped them of their ‘comedian’ badges.

C’Mon Guys, it’s 2022 (Ang Walang Kwentang Podcast): JP Habac and Antoinette Jadaone count down the best and the worst of 2022 with their correspondents Milo Elmido, Jr, Yani Villarosa, Hyro Aguinaldo, and Inah Evans. Tune in to the first episode as they talk through 2022’s breaking breaking news!

skydive (skypodcast): The end of the year is a special time to reflect, celebrate and look forward to better days ahead. Reflect with the internet’s favorite couple, Slater and Kryz, as they deep dive into their top 2022 topics — from marriage to parenthood, and memorable misadventures in between. Their first episode is dedicated to budding families as they share lessons they picked up throughout their journey from being girlfriend and boyfriend to being married and having kids — and ultimately becoming better partners.

The Year-End Originals are now available for streaming for free on Spotify. For more information about this special podcast series and other exciting content from Spotify, visit www.spotify.com or follow Spotify on Facebook, Twitter  and Instagram.

Spotify has been a huge supporter of K-Pop since the launch of the first K-Pop flagship playlist “K-Pop Daebak” in 2014. Today Spotify, the most popular global audio streaming subscription service, reveals a series of statistics and trends which show how the world fell in love with K-Pop.

From 2014 to Jan 2020, K-Pop’s share of listening (and lovers) on Spotify increased by more than 1,800% and that same “K-Pop Daebak” playlist now has more than 2.4 million followers. Since 2014,  K-Pop music has been streamed for more than 134 billion minutes on Spotify.

So how else is K-Pop Dominating?

Spotify’s most-streamed K-Pop group, BTS, released their album MAP OF THE SOUL : 7 on Friday, February 21st, and on Spotify the group’s journey has been marked by a series of milestones:

• In 2019, BTS was the first group from Asia to surpass 5 billion streams on Spotify

• As of February 2020, BTS has clocked more than 8 billion streams. In 2019 alone, the group’s music streamed more than 3 billion times.

• In September 2017, BTS became the first K-Pop artist to enter Spotify’s Global 50 chart, with the track “DNA.”

• BTS has the most-streamed K-Pop track on Spotify: “Boy With Luv” featuring Halsey, with more than 380 million streams. The track was released in April 2019, so it took less than a year to become Spotify’s most-streamed K-Pop track.

“There’s no denying the massive global explosion of K-Pop over the last few years, and we’ve witnessed it first hand on Spotify,” says Kossy Ng, Head of Artist and Label Marketing in Asia. “This is truly the first Asian music genre to resonate so well with a global audience. K-Pop fans are among the most passionate and active, and K-Pop fandom – the way fans function, communicate and connect with one another – is like no other. There’s no doubt that K-Pop’s immense popularity will only continue to grow, and we’re excited to continue driving discovery and connecting K-Pop artists to fans all over the world.”

In 2015, Spotify launched an entire genre hub dedicated to K-Pop. It features playlists catering to the many facets of this exciting genre, from rising artists, to collaborations, and to original soundtrack recordings from Korean film and TV dramas, known as OSTs. Fans can also check out BTS’ MAP OF THE SOUL : 7 The Enhanced Album, an exclusive to Spotify and featuring original content directly from BTS.

Notable K-Pop Data Highlights on Spotify

• To date, there have been more than 41 billion K-Pop streams on Spotify

• 53% of K-Pop listeners are aged 18-24 and 73% of K-Pop listeners are female

• Spotify users around the world have added K-Pop songs to more than 96 million playlists

• The top 10 countries for streaming K-Pop at the moment (in the past 90 days) are, in order: USA, Indonesia, Philippines, Japan, Brazil and Mexico (see complete top ten below)

• K-Pop music streams in all 79 of the markets Spotify is in, and these countries are seeing notable growth (percentages represent increases in the rate of K-Pop streaming from Jan 2019- Jan 2020):

  • Egypt – 33%

  • Vietnam – 30%

  • France – 13%

  • Colombia – 8%

• The top-streamed K-Pop artists on Spotify are: BTS, BLACKPINK, EXO, TWICE and Red Velvet (see complete top ten below). BTS’s music has streamed more than 8 billion times on Spotify.

• The top-streamed K-Pop track on Spotify is the east-meets-west collaboration “Boy With Luv” from BTS and US singer-songwriter Halsey. The track has been streamed more than 380 million times (see complete top ten below).

The top ten countries for streaming K-Pop at the moment (based on streams from the last 90 days):

1. USA

2. Indonesia

3. Philippines

4. Japan

5. Brazil

6. Mexico

7. Thailand

8. Malaysia

9. Canada

10. Singapore

Most-streamed K-Pop artists globally on Spotify (from Jan 2014 – Jan 2020):

1. BTS

2. BLACKPINK

3. EXO

4. TWICE

5. Red Velvet

6. BIGBANG

7. SEVENTEEN

8. Monsta X

9. iKON

10. NCT 127

The top ten K-Pop tracks on Spotify (from Jan 2014 – Jan 2020):

1. “Boy With Luv” – BTS, Halsey

2. “Kiss and Make Up” – BLACKPINK, Dua Lipa

3. “FAKE LOVE” – BTS

4. “Kill This Love” – BLACKPINK

5. “DNA” – BTS

6. “DDU-DU DDU-DU” – BLACKPINK

7. “Blood Sweat & Tears” – BTS

8. “Gangnam Style (강남스타일)” – PSY

9. “SOLO” – JENNIE

10. “As If It’s Your Last” – BLACKPINK

Most-streamed K-Pop artists on Spotify in the Philippines (from Jan 2014 – Jan 2020):

1. BTS

2. BLACKPINK

3. TWICE

4. EXO

5. Red Velvet

6. SEVENTEEN

7. MOMOLAND

8. BIGBANG

9. iKON

10. IU

The top ten K-Pop tracks on Spotify in the Philippines (from Jan 2014 – Jan 2020):

1. “Kill This Love” – BLACKPINK

2. “DDU-DU DDU-DU” – BLACKPINK

3. “BBoom BBoom” – MOMOLAND

4. “Boy With Luv (feat. Halsey)” – BTS, Halsey

5. “As If It’s Your Last” – BLACKPINK

6. “Kiss and Make Up” – BLACKPINK, Dua Lipa

7. “BOOMBAYAH – KR Ver.” – BLACKPINK

8. “SOLO”– JENNIE

9. “FAKE LOVE” – BTS

10. “BAAM” – MOMOLAND

Check out our blog post on For the Record for a downloadable infographic highlighting some of our K-Pop stats.