Spotify revealed its inaugural ranking of the most influential artists under the age of 25, a ranking of the “most influential” young musicians. But how did they do it and who made them the judge anyway?
The streaming service took into account “worldwide No. 1 hits, volume and growth of streams and shares, and viral chart success from the last year. With over 243 million listens for his single “Wake Me Up,” it should come as no surprise that EDM maestro and hitmaker Avicii topped the list. He was, after all, the first artiste under 25 reach one billion streams on Spotify and his “Wake Me Up” is the most streamed track in history.
Upon the announcement, Avicii (real name Tim Bergling) said:
This has been such an incredible year, and taking the top spot on Spotify’s 25 under 25, just a few months before my 25th birthday, is unbelievable. I truly love what I do and I’m so grateful to my fans and to Spotify for being such enthusiastic supporters of my music.
Lorde, Miley Cyrus, One Direction, and Taylor Swift round up the top five. They are followed by the likes of Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato, Sam Smith, and Earl Sweatshirt, who rank in at No. 21. Who else made the list, you ask? Spotify’s “25 Under 25” as follows:
1. Avicii
2. Lorde
3. Miley Cyrus
4. One Direction
5. Taylor Swift
6. Jason Derulo
7. Ariana Grande
8. Hunter Hayes
9. Rita Ora
10. Iggy Azalea
11. Justin Bieber
12. Sam Smith
13. Birdy
14. YG
15. Zedd
16. Demi Lovato
17. The Neighbourhood
18. Phillip Phillips
19. John Newman
20. Disclosure
21. Earl Sweatshirt
22. Jake Bugg
23. Hozier
24. Joey Bada$$
25. Sky Ferreira
Do you agree with the top 25? Here, have a listen to the songs that were responsible for bumping them up the list and then decide:
For more information, visit Spotify’s official website.
