Tag: lorde

A New Way for Fans To Get Hyped for New Albums Is Here—Meet the Upcoming Releases Hub

May 21, 2025

Marking a first, Spotify has launched the Upcoming Releases hub—a destination solely dedicated to highlighting soon-to-be-released albums powered by Countdown Pages, a feature introduced last year.

This hub provides users with a one-stop shop to explore personalized recommendations based on their listening history. Located under the Search tab on mobile, fans can easily find the “Upcoming Releases” tile to browse these personalized suggestions and the top 10 global Countdowns based on the number of pre-saves.

Fans can easily pre-save multiple upcoming releases directly from the hub and quickly jump into Countdown Pages to preview the tracklists, stream released singles, watch Clips, find merch, and follow the countdown right up until release. Then, on release day, we’ll send a push notification to all the fans who’ve pre-saved, automatically adding the music to their library.

We’ve already seen the success and momentum Countdown Pages can build. Since launching in summer 2024, 60% of major artists—including Charli xcx, Billie Eilish, and Bad Bunny—have used Countdown Pages to drive pre-release hype with fans.

Countdown Charts come to Spotify socials

In addition to the Upcoming Releases hub, we’re rolling out Countdown Charts on our Spotify and Spotify for Artists social channels, giving fans more ways to stay in the know. Every Wednesday, we’ll post an updated list of the top 10 Countdown Pages with the most total pre-saves globally. 

“The Upcoming Releases hub is about celebrating what’s next in music, and Countdown Charts bring a whole new level of visibility to releases that fans are most excited about,” said Madeleine Bennett, Senior Director, Head of Global Music Go-to-Market. “By ranking the top pre-saved releases globally, we’re giving artists a powerful new way to build anticipation and connect with their biggest fans in the lead-up to release day.”

For eligible artists (i.e., artists with at least 5,000 active listeners in the last 28 days), be sure to create a Countdown Page for your upcoming album or EP to be eligible for the hub and charts.

Taylor Swift sets a new pre-save record

Update as of September 29, 2025: Since launching the Upcoming Releases hub, we’ve seen incredible momentum from artists and fans alike. Now, to show fans just how much their support matters, Spotify will begin sharing pre-save counts for the top 10 Countdown Pages worldwide directly within the hub.

Leading the pack is Taylor Swift’s upcoming album The Life of a Showgirl, which just became the first Countdown Page to surpass 5 million pre-saves, making it the most pre-saved album Countdown in Spotify history.

In the weeks leading up to the release, Taylor built anticipation with a series of strategies: unveiling the tracklist, dropping exclusive Fans First merch, and adding special Spotify Clips for fans. 

If you’re an artist looking to maximize your own Countdown Page, here’s what works best: Share it widely on social, upload engaging Clips like teasers or behind-the-scenes footage, and set up your page as early as possible. On average, Countdown Pages published at least seven days before release see nearly twice as many pre-saves than those published later. 

And the impact lasts: Nearly one in seven listeners who pre-save through a Countdown Page become super listeners by release week. It’s proof that Countdown Pages don’t just drive first-week streams—they help build lasting fandom.

Want to see which artists are building the most excitement? Check out the Upcoming Releases hub to explore the top 10 Countdown Pages—updated daily—and watch the numbers climb. And don’t forget to follow @spotify and @spotifyforartists for weekly Countdown Charts.

Olivia Rodrigo Shares the Story Behind Her Original Song for the New ‘Hunger Games’ Movie

November 17, 2023

Since the novel Hunger Games first landed on bookshelves in 2008, Suzanne Collins’ dystopian series has sold more than 100 million copies and ignited the imaginations of readers worldwide. Her most recent novel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes serves as a prequel—64 years before Katniss Everdeen volunteered as tribute, and decades before Coriolanus Snow became the tyrannical President of Panem. (Feel like you may have missed a chapter along the way? Our Hunger Games Audiobooks Shelf has listeners in the U.S., U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand covered).

The books spawned the creation of four Hunger Games films from Lionsgate, which, in addition to bringing the action and drama of the series from page to screen, have featured soundtracks with original music from the likes of Taylor Swift and Lorde. 

On November 17, Lionsgate’s highly anticipated movie adaption of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, comes to the big screen. And its soundtrack spotlights a creator who’s also a longtime Hunger Games fan: Olivia Rodrigo. 

For the Record had the opportunity to ask Olivia about her original song, “Can’t Catch Me Now,” which provides the stirring and memorable ballad heard during the closing credits ion the movie.

When did you first become drawn to the Hunger Games series? 

I read the Hunger Games novels when I was 13 or so. I’m a huge fan of the series, so it was so much fun to write a song for a franchise I grew up so closely with.

What was your reaction to being asked to write and record an original song for the new film?

This is the first time I have written for a feature film. It was such an honor and a little daunting because I am so used to writing from my own experience. It was a fun challenge to watch the film and try to write something that tells someone else’s story.

Does your creative process change when creating a song for a film rather than a personal album?

Writing a song for a film definitely enabled me to stretch new songwriting muscles. The songs I wrote for SOUR and GUTS tend to be more diaristic and confessional. After watching the movie I felt really inspired by the character of Lucy Gray, and it was a fun challenge to channel her into the song.

Can you tell us about your song? How did the story play a role in the development of it?

After watching the film, I was fascinated with the mystery of what happened to Lucy Gray. I wanted to write a song that gave voice to her strength and power while also addressing the unanswered questions surrounding her life after the games.

What aspect of the new movie are you most excited for viewers to see?

I think it will be exciting for fans to learn about the origin of the characters that we’re all familiar with. There are so many nods to the previous films.

Catch Olivia’s new song on The Hunger Games Official Playlist below, or head to our Sounds From Panem destination filled with music inspired by the new film.