Tag: Lykke Li

How to Watch Music Videos First on Spotify

Swedish House Mafia and Lykke Li against a black background

Earlier this year, Swedish House Mafia and Lykke Li teamed up to release their new single, “Happiness Is So Sad.” Now they’re back with an official music video—and fans can watch it first on Spotify for 48 hours. The launch is part of a broader effort from Spotify to give users early access to videos from their favorite artists.

Swedish House Mafia and Lykke Li soundtrack one big house party

Tracking the before, during, and after of a house party in Guadalajara, Mexico, the video for “Happiness Is So Sad” is compiled from footage shot by around 25 devices throughout one big night. The fleeting, multi-perspective experience emphasizes the idea at the heart of the song: that our happiest moments can become the hardest to leave behind precisely because they were never meant to last.

From “Before You” to “After You”

Since the release of the teaser film for Stray Kids‘ “After You,” fans have been eagerly awaiting the full music video. Now it’s here—and available to watch first on Spotify. The video follows an anthology of stories set across everyday spaces, tracing an emotional arc as the members move from being stuck in a “Before You”—an emotional standstill—to an “After You” state characterized by human connection and inner resolve. The scenes unfold alongside the warm afterglow and summer emotions of the track itself.

Fans interested in learning more about how the K-Pop group’s hits come together can check out 3RACHA Session, a new six-part podcast series hosted by 3RACHA, the production group behind many of Stray Kids’ biggest hits.

Redemption in San Quentin

On the other side of the globe, and more than half a century ago, Johnny Cash stood in front of a group of inmates at California’s San Quentin State Prison and delivered one of a career’s worth of legendary prison performances. This year, Jelly Roll performed his song “Hands Up” at the same location—the latest milestone in a career defined by hardship, redemption, and the willingness to speak openly about difficult issues. The black-and-white clip for “Hands Up,” directed by Anthony Mandler, follows Jelly Roll on his visit to California’s oldest prison, as he leads a group of inmates in a prayer reflecting on the word “freedom” before taking the stage with his band for an intimate, rollicking performance.

BTS get vulnerable

BTS’s video for “NORMAL,” meanwhile, reveals the group’s raw and vulnerable side, showing each member in personal and intimate moments. Set in the aftermath of a celebration, it moves between scenes from the previous night’s festivities and the stillness of the following morning, capturing the quiet moments of stardom outside the spotlight. One of the video’s most memorable scenes recreates the now-viral image of all seven members standing before a row of toilets, bringing their album-teaser campaign full circle.

How to watch

For the first 48 hours after release, Premium subscribers in our beta markets can open Spotify on their TV, desktop, iOS, and Android devices, search for the song, and get a first look by tapping “Switch to video.” The music video will start playing right where the song left off. To return to background listening, simply press “Switch to audio.” For a full-screen experience on mobile, viewers can simply turn their devices to landscape mode.

Keep a close eye on Spotify for more music videos dropping soon.

Stream Swedish House Mafia and Lykke Li’s “Happiness Is So Sad” below, and head over to Spotify for a first look at the accompanying music video.

First-Ever Stockholm Music Week Celebrates the Industry’s Present and Future

A performer on stage

Between April 22-29, the first inaugural Stockholm Music Week brought together thought leaders and partners across industries including music, tech, government, and academia, with the shared goal of continuing to shine light on Sweden’s music scene and the impact it has around the world.

The international initiative served as a hub for expert-led panels, fan events, artist talks, and more, all celebrating Sweden’s creative legacy while looking ahead toward its future.  

Adding to the excitement, Spotify released the Swedish Loud & Clear report, timed to coincide with the week’s agenda. The annual report showed that in 2025, artists in Sweden generated nearly 2 billion kronor (over USD $214 million) in royalties, nearly double the amount earned in 2018. 

Learn more about our findings on our Loud & Clear website and read on for our recap of Stockholm Music Week.

Celebrating 20 years with fans and artists

Spotify was founded in Stockholm 20 years ago, and as part of our anniversary celebrations, the 1,700 top listeners of Swedish artists Boko Yout, Agnes, Lykke Li, and Sebastian Ingrosso were invited for an unforgettable night of live music and fandom. The event was hosted at Fållan in Stockholm, and made possible in partnership with L’Oréal brands Redken and Maybelline.

This World Mental Health Day, Take a Beat With Spotify

World Mental Health Day, observed today, offers people everywhere a chance to reflect, discuss, and destigmatize conversations around mental health and well-being.

Mental health has been a priority here at Spotify since 2018, when we launched our Heart & Soul initiative. For us, mental health is a state of well-being where we are able to cope with the daily stresses of life, function productively, and make meaningful contributions. Heart & Soul’s focus is to create an open and caring environment around mental health issues, an environment where we can do our best work and belong. Heart & Soul aims to raise awareness, enable support, and normalize the conversation to reduce mental health stigma at work. 

We also know our platform can provide a place for listeners to find moments of inspiration and healing through music, podcasts, and audiobooks. We are always seeking new methods to leverage the power of Spotify to break down stigma and raise awareness around mental health and well-being. This World Mental Health Day, we’re encouraging people around the world to take a beat. 

Go ahead and ‘Take a Beat’

On Spotify, listeners can find our Take a Beat global content hub, which includes a collection of podcasts and playlists that promote mental health and wellness. Whether you’re looking to find audio around relaxing, resting, or releasing good vibes, the curations give listeners a refuge from the intensity of our noisy world and provide a chance for them to tune into themselves.

Don’t forget that ‘Our Minds Matter’

Earlier this year, we announced the launch of a new partnership with UNICEF to support the mental health of young people. Focusing on those affected by the ongoing war in Ukraine, we plan to scale this initiative over the next two years to aid in other emergency and nonemergency scenarios. 

As a part of this partnership, we created the Our Minds Matter content hub on Spotify. This destination is designed to support those in Ukraine and Poland, in particular, and also features music and talk playlists to support sleep, study, and relaxation. We also cocreated On My Mind with UNICEF, a podcast available in multiple languages, including Ukrainian, Polish, and English, that provides practical, evidence-based mental health resources.

Making moves with Nike

In the U.K., we’ve taken on a different challenge: partnering with Nike to inspire girls to get more active using the power of music—and in turn, improve their mental well-being—through the Make Moves Fund. Together, we’ll invest in community initiatives that inspire girls to get moving while leveraging the power of music to improve their well-being. With British girl group FLO serving as the fund’s ambassador, we’re hoping to create lasting change by awarding multiple £20K grants to U.K.-based community organizations that propose pioneering and girl-first programs that use music and movement to inspire girls to get active.

Mental health starts with ‘Heart and Soul’ 

This World Mental Health Day at Spotify, we’re acknowledging the occasion a little differently. We’re inviting teams to come together to participate in a mental health–centered workshop led by their managers.

This will bring our teams together in new ways—all with the goal of reducing stigma and encouraging conversations about mental health.

We want to ensure teammates are genuinely looking out for one another, and to do that, it’s important for us to build emotionally aware teams. Creating healthy and thriving workplaces starts with our leadership. When leaders prioritize employee well-being and lead with compassion, the well-being of the collective is elevated.

At Spotify, it’s important for us to come together to cultivate collective care.

Whether within our company or on our global platform, we are finding new ways to highlight the importance of mental health and well-being. If you’re looking to kickstart your mental wellness journey with podcasts, mindful meditation suggestions, or relaxation playlists, check out our Take A Beat destination for everything you need.

Looking to hear more about experiences of mental health within the artist community? Catch this special episode of Best Advice to hear from Hayley Kiyoko, Troye Sivan, Big Freedia, Laura Jane Grace, Princess Nokia, Lykke Li, Rina Sawayama and more.