Sean Paul is the fastest-growing dancehall artist among Gen Z listeners in the UK on Spotify, while Vybz Kartel is the country’s most-played dancehall artist on the platform this year.
The figures were shared as Spotify launched its inaugural Carnival Sounds Live series in collaboration with Notting Hill Carnival, which is celebrating 60 years as a major showcase of Caribbean culture in the UK.
The data also points to the continued presence of Caribbean music in UK listening beyond the annual Carnival period.
In reggae, Bob Marley & The Wailers are the most-played reggae act in the UK on Spotify this year. The group currently has 27.5 million monthly listeners worldwide on the platform.
Soca, meanwhile, is the fastest-growing Caribbean genre in the UK, with listening up 136% since 2020. Kevin Lyttle is the most-listened-to soca artist in the UK this year, driven by the continued popularity of his 2003 hit “Turn Me On,” followed by Machel Montano and Kes.
Spotify’s new Carnival Sounds Live series brings some of those Caribbean genres together through performances by Shenseea, Original Koffee and Grenadian soca artist V’ghn.
Shenseea performs Diana King’s 1990s hit “Shy Guy,” alongside her latest single “Bruk Sweat,” while Original Koffee delivers a rendition of Bob Marley & The Wailers’ “Three Little Birds.” The reggae classic was first recorded in 1977 at Island Studios in Notting Hill.
V’ghn rounds out the series with a performance of Kes’ Carnival staple “Hello” and his latest track, “Jab Decisions.” The performances are available through Spotify’s Carnival Sounds playlist.
Safiya Lambie Knight, Spotify’s Head of Music Partnerships in the UK, said the project was developed to commemorate Notting Hill Carnival’s 60th anniversary while showcasing Caribbean artists and music associated with the event.
“Notting Hill Carnival is one of the most important cultural moments in the UK calendar – a celebration of Caribbean identity and creativity that resonates with people from all around the world,” Lambie Knight said.
“To celebrate 60 years, we produced Carnival Sounds Live, showcasing some of the most popular artists from the Caribbean right now to cover songs that have soundtracked Carnival over the years.”
Lambie Knight, who shares V’ghn’s Grenadian and Trinidadian heritage, said Spotify also wanted to draw attention to the year-round consumption of Caribbean music in the UK.
“We also wanted to highlight that Caribbean music is listened to all year round, demonstrated by soca’s rise in popularity, to Bob Marley and the Wailers still reaching new listeners, and dancehall connecting with a younger generation,” she said. “This all speaks to the lasting cultural power of Carnival and the communities behind it.”
