How to Find Cool Music From Around the World on Spotify

No matter where the music comes from, it makes you feel, make you think, and make you dance. If you use Spotify, expanding your musical horizons is easy.

Start with charts

Spotify has a built-in music exploration app, but you don’t have to spend hours searching for music if you know where to start. Spotify’s “Top 50” and “Viral 50” charts are a great starting point for tons of songs. When using the Spotify desktop app:

1. Go to “Browse” on the Spotify home page.
2. Then go to “Charts”.
3. Scroll down and you will see Top 50 by Country and Top 50 Viral by Country. Pick one.
4. Select the Top 50 list for your country.
5. Click or tap songs and listen to see what you like. Or better yet, listen to the entire table as a playlist and select the ones you like and insert your own playlist.

Depending on the country, one chart is likely to be more useful than another. For example, the Top 50 charts for many countries will have many of the same pop hits as the US charts. I have had better luck with the Viral 50 charts as most of these songs tend to be localized.

Follow the trail

Once you find a song on the charts you like, do what I call “following the trail.” If you’ve ever fallen into the Wikipedia rabbit hole, it’s a lot like this. Here’s a quick rundown:

1. Go to the artist page by clicking or tapping on the artist’s name.
2. On the artist’s page, listen to their five most popular tracks listed above. This will allow you to better understand their musical style. While you are listening, take a look at their About Us tab and learn about them. If you like what you hear, scroll down and consider listening to all of their albums.
3. When you’re ready to move on, find the Related Artists tab and select a new artist.
4. Repeat this process, creating a playlist along the way, until you are satisfied.

I got lost listening to music from everywhere with this process. It’s fun, it refreshes your outdated playlists and you can find real gems.

If not for the trail, I would never have found the incredible MIDDLE CAMPANELLA from Japan:

Or the fantastic Maná from Mexico:

Or the outlandish Swedish electronic band Naked Ape :

If you’re willing to spend some time exploring, you’re almost guaranteed to find something to love.

Find an artist you like and listen to their radio station

For a more passive search for cool music, take one foreign artist who invaded your ears and start a Spotify radio station based on it. Here’s how:

1. Go to the artist page.
2. Click or tap the “…” symbol.
3. Select Go to Artist Radio.

Spotify will play some of that artist’s songs, as well as songs from other artists. It’s a decent approach if you’re trying to create some playlists while working on other things.

Search the playlist

Last but not least, let other Spotify users do the work for you. People from all over the world are constantly creating public playlists built around specific artists, and those playlists are usually filled with other treasures. That’s what I’m doing:

1. Find an artist you like and enter their name in the main Spotify search bar. Make sure you enter their full name, but do not press enter.
2. Instead, click or tap on the Show All Results link.
3. You will see an Artists section, an Albums section, a list of songs below, and a Playlists section. These playlists are what you need.
4. Pick one and start browsing.

Sometimes there will only be one artist in a playlist, but at least half of the time, these playlists are a mixture. And these are mixes made by people who know much more about this particular music scene, so they are ready to choose. Enjoy listening.

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