Tag: gen z

Meet Flo Milli, the Alabama Rapper Speaking to Gen Z—and Spotify’s Fourth U.S. RADAR Artist

January 15, 2021

Stream rapper Flo Milli’s mixtape and you’ll hear simultaneously bubbly and assertive tracks covering the 21-year-old’s take on money, men, self-empowerment, and jealousy. The Atlanta-based Alabama native, who grew up singing in her church choir, has been using her voice for some time. “It was mandatory for me to be in the choir,” Flo told For the Record. “My mom used to sing all the time, so did my sister. I guess I was the only one who wanted to rap, though.”

Today Flo was named Spotify’s newest U.S. RADAR artist. Spotify created RADAR to help artists across all stages of their careers use the strength of our platform to deepen connections to their audiences. Now listeners can stream the 175 RADAR-affiliated emerging artists around the world in one palace on the RADAR Global Hub. 

As the latest RADAR artist, Flo will be featured in the RADAR playlist and create a Spotify Singles recording. She’ll also receive promotional support for her upcoming releases, a full suite of marketing, and social promotion. Flo Milli’s campaign will furthermore include a forthcoming mini-documentary to premiere later this year. Also out today is Flo’s glamorous new single “Roaring 20s,” which shows off the star power of the RADAR artist.

Flo’s long-standing musical aspirations were fueled by R&B TV show 106 & Park and the work of Nicki Minaj. These propelled Flo to record her own tracks as a high schooler. Her first two, “Beef FloMix” and “In the Party,” went viral among Gen Zers on social media and enabled Flo to release her first mixtape, Ho, why is you here? in 2020. It has now seen over 192 million streams on Spotify.

“Since the release of ‘Beef FloMix’ on Spotify in 2019, we’ve watched Flo Milli’s exponential growth with excitement,” says Ned Monahan, Spotify’s Head of Global Hits. “Her magnetism is indisputable, and she’s one of the most exciting new rappers in the game right now. We are beyond thrilled to partner with Flo as our next RADAR artist and can’t wait to see what’s next.”

For the Record chatted with Flo about her inspirations, accomplishments, and recommendations to young women looking to do what they love. 

Both your music and fashion have been compared to that of ’90s rappers. What about that decade excites or inspires you?

I think it’s interesting. As I’ve been going in my career, I’ve started to discover how times were back then. I didn’t, of course, grow up around that time. But I see clips all the time of the ’90s and how the music industry was just different. And I do admire it because I think it’s cool to see how everything has changed and how social media plays a big part into today’s music industry. But I wouldn’t have minded coming up in that era either. 

In the past two years, female artists have sung shamelessly about money or wealth in their songs, examples including Cardi B, Arianna Grande, and you. Why do you think it’s important to bring this topic into conversation?

I believe that whatever you put out into the universe, that’s what you’re going to get. So if you’re speaking about these things, you’re conjuring them up. Who doesn’t want to live a lavish lifestyle, especially when you come from nothing? 

Those things are power, and I think it’s important to make it a habit to speak the things that we want and let everybody know, especially young girls, that they can have those things. You can reach your goals and you can be great. You can get anything you want if you put your mind to it. 

Tell us a little bit about your creative process. 

It took me a long time to really learn my best process for making music. It was hard trying to find my niche. So I like to have fun. I just need to be in a space where I’m alone and I’ve got a variety of beats. I like to be myself and free and have my own space. That’s how I create. 

Your single “Beef FloMix” had success on social media before hitting the number two spot on Spotify’s Viral 50 in April 2019. What changes did you observe after being featured on the playlist?

I think my streams went up even more, of course. I got more fans and just a lot of added traction towards my music and videos, everything. So I think it helped a lot. It’s dope to be put on those playlists, because a lot of like youth of course have Spotify and they listen on the app, and those playlists influence them. 

What would you say to aspiring young female rappers who aren’t sure where to begin?

I would encourage them to always follow what they feel strongly about. Don’t let anybody come in between your opinions about your craft and what you create and build. Stick to what you think is cool, because only you know what’s good. Surround yourself with people who have your best interests and never give up.

It’s a unique time for everyone. How have you stayed positive in spite of everything the year has thrown at us?

I just started to learn how food can affect you and your mood. I’ve also been going to sleep saying positive affirmations. There’s hella videos where you could just play them while you’re going to sleep. And like all those affirmations go into your subconscious mind. And before you know it, you’re going to have all these affirmations in your head. I would just encourage everybody to do that with everything going on in the world. 

What are you looking forward to as Spotify’s current U.S. RADAR artist?

I’m looking forward to just my hard work being highlighted. My goal is to get the messages of the songs across in the best way and to keep the ball rolling the entire year. 

Stream Flo Milli’s mixtape, Ho, why is you here? below. 

Meet beabadoobee, Thomas Headon, and Biig Piig, the New Wave of Artists Taking Over Spotify’s Community-First ‘Our Generation’ Playlist

November 19, 2020

Press “play” on Spotify’s Our Generation playlist and you’ll find your headphones or speakers filled with the sounds of rising artists from a variety of different backgrounds, identities, and musical styles. Since 2019, Our Generation has surfaced the new wave of artists emerging across the British and Irish musical landscape to young, engaged music fans whose tastes aren’t restricted by genre. Now, the curated playlist is getting a makeover, getting rebranded with a new look and guest takeovers from the most exciting acts of the next-gen music scene.

Last week, 21-year-old indie singer-songwriter Thomas Headon selected the tracks he loves alongside his friends in the music community. Starting today, November 19, tune in with Irish breakout singer and rapper Biig Piig. Finally, on November 26 hear from alternative rock musician and RADAR artist beabadoobee. Each will create a truly unique listening experience complete with playlist videos and track selections from multiple artists within the scene.

“We’re excited to have these three amazing artists collaborate with Our Generation as we continue to expand Spotify’s support for emerging talent,” says Sulinna Ong, Head of Music for UK and Ireland at Spotify. “We launched Our Generation in 2019 after we identified a gap for a unique offering of genre-fluid, new music for a digitally native audience. With our latest campaign, we are taking it one step further by expanding and enriching the Our Generation brand and offering fans the chance to further explore diverse and culturally influential artists to uncover their new undiscovered favorites via recommendations from some of the playlist’s most popular artists. Our ambition is to build a truly engaged community for Our Generation, making it the go-to hub for Gen Z music lovers to discover their new favorite artists.”

To mark the campaign, Spotify has teamed up with DIY, the leading independent music publication in the UK, to give music lovers the chance to take a deep dive into the inspiration behind each artist’s takeover. Through in-depth interviews, Thomas, Biig Piig, and beabadoobee each reveal the tracks and creators that make them tick. 

The revamped playlist will continue to serve as a destination for listeners to find an artist with a unique sound in a new visual world, including unique playlist cover art created by Australian illustrator and creative Eliza Williams (@doolittleillustrations). The colorful hand-drawn illustrations encapsulate the escapism that the audience can achieve through the music.


Ready to dive in? Stream the newly revamped Our Generation playlist below.

Gen Z Is Taking the Reins to Rebuild Society

September 23, 2020

Every year, Spotify conducts a study called Culture Next to better get to know the world’s most influential generations. This year, we found that Gen Zs (those between the ages of 15 and 25) are rewriting the playbook older generations left behind and taking the reins to rebuild society.

We, alongside partner research agencies Culture Co-op, b3 Intelligence, and Lucid, talked to respondents at the top of the year and again in late summer, taking into account this year’s global pandemic and social movements. Take a look at what we found:

The music Gen Zs stream on Spotify also reflects a can-do, independent mindset. The top three playlists among Gen Zs globally are Today’s Top Hits, followed by RapCaviar and our Sleep playlist. They’re staying on top of culture (and sometimes reflecting it, thanks to Gen Z talent) as well as taking care of themselves.  

The top five podcasts among Gen Zs globally are Call Her Daddy, TED Talks Daily, From the Wizarding World: Journeys to Hogwarts and Harry Potter At Home: Readings, The Daily, and Indonesia’s Rintik Sedu, which tells personal stories with larger meaning. 

Dive into the full trends report here. 

Everything You Wanted to Know About Gen Z (But Were Afraid to Ask)

June 3, 2019

Think you know Generation Z? We wanted to set aside trite stereotypes about the streaming generation—yes, plenty of them have in fact seen or even own a record player—and truly get to know them on a global scale. So we commissioned our Culture Next Trends report, in partnership with research agency Culture Co-Op. We found an empowered, multinational, cross-cultural, socially aware, and informed group of 15- to 24-year-olds who speak their minds.

“We’re bold, fearless, careless, creative, and intriguing,” says Addy, a study participant from North Carolina. Powering this sentiment is technology, which “brings different cultures from faraway places closer together than we can ever imagine,” says Jared, from the Philippines.

Below are five defining traits of Gen Z uncovered in the study (which encompassed the U.S., U.K., Australia, Germany, the Philippines, Brazil, and beyond), as well as the streaming-related trends they inspire. These provide clear on-ramps for understanding and connecting with the world’s first generation of truly global citizens—whether or not they’ve used a record player.

Trait 1: All the Feels

Members of Gen Z are in touch with their feelings, and they understand the importance of expressing and addressing them.

Every young generation has claimed some measure of melancholy. (Just watch a John Hughes film.) Gen Zers, however, actively address their feelings—often through music, and specifically via their “bag playlists” (yes, bag) of sad songs. Not only is listening to these playlists up 45% year over year, but 49% of participants in the study said they find camaraderie in sharing their feelings of sadness and loneliness. No wonder Drake’s “In My Feelings” was such a hit.

Trait 2: Band of Others

Gen Z believes that music allows people to connect with one another and with different cultures. They listen to more international music than any other demographic.

More than half the participants in the study said they’re friends with someone from another country online. So it’s no surprise that Gen Z is fueling the K-Pop craze. K-Pop quickly became one of the 10 most-streamed genres worldwide, forging international bonds among listeners likely because of its upbeat, heartstring-tugging style and lyrical blend of Korean and English.

Trait 3: Subliminal Attraction

Gen Z craves discovery. Finding new things, ideas, music, podcasts, hobbies, and experiences makes them feel good.

Gen Z believes anyone anywhere has the power to break though the social media clutter and become influencers. The more relatable a person (say, a podcast host), the more trust and influence he or she engenders—driving discovery and, therefore, happiness. Our past research backs this up. 72% of people we surveyed in 2018 said discovery boosts happiness—so give them something new and authentic.

Trait 4: PolyFly

Gen Z wants to be part of the political conversation—and their seamless access to technology and all types of content empowers them engage in a way no generation previously has.

Podcasts that mix lifestyle and politics top the charts. See The Daily and Pod Save America. A solid 66% of respondents said they expect brands to be part of the debate, to promote progressive values, and to play a more meaningful role in society. “Our eyes have been opened to the lack of leadership by those in positions of power,” says Canadian pop star Alessia Cara, “and in turn, so many of us have had to step up in their place.”

Trait 5: Surround Sound

Gen Z may appear to be obsessed with their screens, but they value audio as an escape from visual stimulation overload.

Audio isn’t just background noise, said 50% of the study respondents; it plays a huge role in their everyday lives. So silence can be golden too. To raise awareness of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Marie Claire ran a campaign of 30-second silent spots on Spotify. Listeners assumed there was a glitch and looked at their phones, only to see a message explaining the danger of staying silent about violence. Powerful, impactful communications such as this leave a lasting impression with Gen Z.

Scroll down to the infographic below to see more of the Culture Next Trends study’s most interesting insights. And millennials, keep your FOMO in check: we took a look at your generation, too.

You can also read the full report on Spotify for Brands.