Spotify has announced a major milestone for 2025 – 10 years of Fresh Finds, the initiative designed to help independent artists get discovered at the earliest
stages of their careers. Since its launch in 2015, Fresh Finds has
supported nearly 70,000 artists, becoming a global pipeline for new
talent and a key discovery engine across genres.
In 2024, over 18,000 artists from 127 countries were featured on Fresh
Finds playlists and more than 65 million artist discoveries were driven
by Fresh Finds last year alone. The Fresh Finds ecosystem includes both
global and local playlists, and a wide range of genre-based collections.
Curated by over 30 Spotify editors worldwide, these playlists are built
using data, artist submissions, research, and editorial instinct. On
average, artists see their new listeners and international streams more
than double in the month after being added to Fresh Finds ecosystem.
Launched in late 2021,Fresh Finds Pakistan playlist features
upcoming artists from the country. Spotify revealed that the top
breakout artists featured on the Pakistan Fresh Finds Playlist in
the last three years include, AUR, Afusic, Ali Soomro, Ali
Raza, Ali & Shjr and Zeeshan Ali, all of whom have captured
mainly young audiences with their distinct voices and innovative sounds.
With nearly 80% of its listeners under the age of 35 and over 40% under
24, the Fresh Finds Pakistan playlist clearly strikes a chord with young
listeners, highlighting its strong appeal among Gen-Z and young
millennial fans. Listenership from Gen Z has grown by 172% year over
year, proving their hunger for fresh sounds and boundary-pushing talent.
“One of the latest exciting stories of Fresh Finds from Pakistan is
Afusic. When we featured him on the playlist cover of Fresh Finds
just two months ago, it was clear that his music had something special.
To date, over half the artists first featured on Fresh Finds are later
added to other Spotify editorial playlists – just like Afusic, whose
songs now appear on Hot Hits Pakistan, Paka Hit Hai, and Desi Hits. His
track Pal Pal with Ali Soomro has resonated with listeners around
the world, climbing to the number one spot in several countries”, said
Rutaba Yaqub, Artist & Label Partnerships Manager at Spotify for
Pakistan and UAE.
Hip-hop has seen a significant rise in popularity among Pakistan’s
youth, with rap and hip-hop streams in Fresh Finds Pakistan increasing
by 55% and 50% respectively over the past three years. Desi hip-hop also
experienced strong growth, with a 41% increase in streams. The
playlist’s global traction continues to grow, with top streaming
countries including the US, Singapore, Australia, France, and Denmark
— highlighting the international appeal of these emerging Pakistani
artists.
At a time when discovery and audience-building are more fragmented and
competitive than ever, the Fresh Finds program continues to prove the
power of curated editorial support in elevating emerging artists. To
celebrate a decade of impact, Spotify has launched a special 10-year
anniversary playlist, available here. For more insights and
details, visit the Spotify Newsroom here.
