The Come Up is Spotify’s flagship editorial series spotlighting the next wave of music talent through the lens of data and storytelling. What began as a social-first franchise has evolved into a cross-platform brand that bridges Spotify’s unique insights with culture-shaping narratives now reaching hundreds of thousands of fans per post across Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.
In 2025, The Come Up expanded into video series, The Come Up: Center Stage, debuting with an episode featuring Sombr, which earned coverage in Variety, The Fader, and more, cementing the franchise as a trusted voice in artist development. Each installment pairs streaming milestones with cultural context, showing how artists grow from rising names to household acts with Spotify as a launchpad.
Through visually dynamic storytelling and sharp editorial framing, The Come Up celebrates the data behind fandom giving fans receipts to champion their favorites, and giving the industry a real-time pulse on who’s breaking next.
The Come Up was created to spotlight artists experiencing key moments in their rise, pairing Spotify data with career milestones to tell stories that only Spotify News can tell. What began as an experiment in data-driven storytelling has now become a consistent editorial franchise that audiences anticipate each month.
The strategy has remained simple and focused: connect streaming surges with cultural moments to show how Spotify supports emerging artists at every step of their journey. By maintaining a consistent visual identity and cadence across platforms, The Come Up has grown into one of Spotify News’ most recognizable and reliable storytelling formats.
PLAN OF ACTION
Each installment follows a structured, repeatable process designed to balance editorial storytelling with data insight:
In 2025, the franchise expanded its format for the first time with a video edition featuring Sombr, which was covered by Variety, The Fader, and more, marking a new chapter in The Come Up’s evolution. While the series continues in its established visual format, this launch demonstrated the potential for new forms of storytelling within the franchise.
HIGHLIGHTS
Consistency was the key driver of growth this year. By aligning each post with timely cultural moments—including GRAMMY Best New Artist nominees and viral breakout artists—The Come Up stayed at the center of conversation and positioned Spotify News as a credible, data-backed source of music discovery.
The 2025 lineup included: RAYE, Teddy Swims, GRAMMY Best New Artist Nominees, Lola Young, The Marías, Sombr, Alex Warren, Leon Thomas, Ravyn Lenae, BigXthaPlug, Olivia Dean and more.
CHALLENGES & SOLUTIONS
Average Instagram performance across 2025 The Come Up posts:
