GLOBAL music streaming service Spotify has rolled out a playlist of local and foreign acts whose music was “discovered” for the first time by Filipinos aged 18-24 in order to encourage more users to listen and be hooked to the music of the new artists.

Called “The Philippines’ Most Discovered,” the playlist by Spotify Asia features 30 songs from a variety of bands and solo artists in the country including the song “214” by actor/singer Juan Miguel “JM” de Guzman, which was featured in the film Alone/Together (2019) by Antoinette Jadaone.

Another song from the same film — “Kapit” — also made it to the playlist. The song is by Armi Millare of the band Up Dharma Down.

Spotify defines “discovered” as music a user plays for the first time. Similar “discovered” playlists have been rolled out in various Asian countries, including Hong Kong and Singapore, previously.

“Spotify powers an average of 11 billion artist discoveries each month. Our listeners are beyond curious and vastly open to expanding their taste in music and on Spotify, fans can discover their next favorite in a world full of new artists, songs and genres to explore… we’ve recently uncovered that listeners in this age group have a unique and somewhat unexpected taste for discovery,” said a company press release.

Within the region, Asia’s Gen Z Spotify listeners are bopping to K-Pop and are discovering K-Pop rookie bands like ITZY and TOMORROW X TOGETHER. Both bands are included in the most discovered artist lists in Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Thailand.

While many young Filipinos listen to K-Pop, nothing beats the sound of one’s own as the streaming service noted that “85% of artists being discovered on Spotify… are OPM artists.”

In particular, the playlist features bands such as ALLMO$T, This Band, I Belong to the Zoo, and current Original Pilipino Music (OPM) darling Ben&Ben.

Music from the 1990s to the early 2000s also made it into the playlist as young listeners are actively “discovering” older bands such as Eraserheads, Parokya ni Edgar, Silent Sanctuary, Hale, and Callalily.

Here are the Top 20 “most discovered” artists in the Philippines, meaning those who were played for the first time, by 18- to 24-year-olds in the past 60 days:

• ALLMO$T

• This Band

• JM De Guzman

• Armi Millare

• I Belong to the Zoo

• December Avenue

• ITZY

• juan karlos

• Ben&Ben

• Silent Sanctuary

• CHVRCHES

• Because

• Hale

• Callalily

• TOMORROW X TOGETHER

• PDL

• IV of Spades

• Khel Pangilinan

• Eraserheads

• Parokya Ni Edgar

— Zsarlene b. Chua

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR