As Filipino music gains traction and evolves, artists aren’t just keeping up — they’re pushing boundaries and leading the charge. From bold anthems to soulful tearjerkers, Filipino artists of all genres are shaping the future of music with the help of dedicated listeners and a powerful platform that has become integral to our daily listening habits: Spotify.
The past year saw Filipino music achieve remarkable growth, with some artists defying fleeting trends like viral online challenges to achieve lasting chart success. It’s not just about gaining streams from the get-go, it’s about creating songs that resonate with listeners. Now, local artists are taking up nearly 75% of Spotify’s Top 50 Philippines chart, and Philippine music streams on the platform have quadrupled globally in the past five years.
We looked into Spotify data, aggregated by Kworb.net, from January 1 to November 30, 2024, to get a better picture of Filipinos’ music tastes and streaming habits.
Hip-hop that keeps hopping
Filipino hip-hop is traditionally known for its gritty and street-oriented roots, often encapsulating real-life experiences and struggles through beats. While the genre was largely borrowed from the US, Filipino hip-hop has since evolved to form its own distinct sound, expression, and identity by incorporating local languages, cultural themes, and traditional influences. (READ: From the streets to your streams: What makes Filipino hip-hop truly Filipino?)
Recently, the genre has evolved to embrace more melodic and emotional elements, occasionally blending uniquely Filipino traits such as harana-inspired tones with modern rap. These innovative fusions have helped the genre appeal to both core hip-hop fans and mainstream listeners, cementing its place as a powerful form of expression and identity for Filipinos. Artists like Hev Abi proved this, as Spotify data showed he lasted a total of 31 weeks on the Top 10 Philippines chart in the past year.
In terms of the songs that spent the most time in the country’s Top 10 charts, alternative pop artist Maki’s “Dilaw” topped the list alongside Hev Abi’s “Walang Alam.” Both songs lasted 27 weeks on the charts.
Hev Abi also had three other songs, including two collaborations, that spent a high number of weeks on the country’s Spotify Top 10 charts.
In fact, collaboration was a key factor in the success of many top hip-hop tracks, with artists frequently teaming up with other musicians both within and outside the genre.
Among songs that made it to Spotify’s Top 50 Philippines chart, Hev Abi had a total of nine collaborations that spanned a variety of genres. Notable collaborations include “Makasarili Malambing” with Kristina Dawn and “Babaero” with gins&melodies, which both enjoyed a 20-week run in Spotify’s Top 50 Philippine charts. These team-ups not only showcased Hev Abi’s versatility but also introduced him to new audiences.
‘Cherry on Top,’ literally
The past year was also good for P-pop, with BINI leading the charge. Their songs resonated with a wide audience — “Salamin, Salamin” captured the excitement of a new crush with playful lyrics and an upbeat tempo, while “Pantropiko” offered a breezy, summer vibe and fun choreography. These qualities contributed to their impressive chart runs, with “Salamin, Salamin” and “Pantropiko” charting for 21 and 20 weeks, respectively.
“Pantropiko” went viral on social media platforms, driven by dance challenges that later drew in K-pop artists like Red Velvet’s Irene and ITZY. This fueled a significant surge in streams and made BINI internet famous — in fact, they even topped YouTube searches in the country and gained significant Spotify streams by the end of June.
Indie, R&B, and global hits also make waves
While hip-hop and P-pop dominated much of the past year, other genres and artists also had their moments, showcasing the diverse tastes of Filipino listeners.
Juan Caoile’s “Marikit sa Dilim” took center stage in February shortly after its release. His distinctive R&B style connected with audiences, especially with the viral line “Tinitigan ko, nilapitan ko” — which sparked a TikTok challenge that even caught the attention of K-pop star Taeyong of NCT.
Indie music gained significant popularity among Filipino listeners starting in May, with Maki’s “Dilaw.” Released on May 24, the song rapidly garnered over 2 million streams, quickly climbing into the Top 10 of Spotify’s Philippine charts by the first week of June.
In early June, R&B artist Dionela released “Sining,” which also started off strong, entering the top charts within days. The track’s success also contributed to a surge in streams for Dionela’s collaborator, Jay R.
Both tracks gained further traction through their use in social media short-form videos, particularly on TikTok. The music videos for both songs were also successful, and had both featured different BINI members: Maloi was featured in “Dilaw,” and Stacey in “Sining.”
International artists such as Sabrina Carpenter and Billie Eilish also made waves in the middle of the year, and the last few months of 2024 saw viral hits such as “Die with a Smile” and “APT.”
Thanks to TikTok trends and chronically online Gen Z audiences, Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” achieved significant chart success in the Philippines, particularly in April and June, respectively.
Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” followed a similar trajectory, gaining popularity among Filipino listeners in mid-2024. “Birds of a Feather” was even named the year’s top-streamed song on Spotify worldwide. This sustained popularity led to impressive chart runs for both artists in the Philippines’ Top 10 on Spotify, with Carpenter and Eilish charting for 28 and 25 weeks, respectively.
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ collaboration, “Die with a Smile,” was released on August 16, and saw moderate success with 1.6 million streams in its first two weeks. Streams doubled in the following month, and it entered the Top 10 a week after. “Die with a Smile”’s virality brought several Filipino listeners to cover the song, boosting its popularity through social media.
In another Bruno Mars collaboration, “APT.” with Rosé landed in the Top 5 of Spotify’s Philippine charts in an impressive debut. Billboard Philippines reported that “APT.” achieved unprecedented rapid success due to its widespread presence across streaming platforms, social media engagements, viral dance trends, and frequent use in content creation.
What could the coming year hold for Filipino music? — with reports from Gilian Uy/Rappler.com
Bea Patricia Mercado, Mikaila Bacolod, and Dean Avior Peñamora are Rappler interns.
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