BAZAAR Wrapped 2022: Spotify Tells BAZAAR All About Singapore's Most Streamed Artists This Year

From Jackson Wang to Taylor Swift, Singapore listened to a wide range of artists this year, and an even wider array of musical genres. But certain songs stood out above the rest, and BAZAAR is here to break down this year's top music trends one by one with the help of Spotify's Head of Music in Asia, Kossy Ng.

Who were the top ten streamed artists in Singapore this year and why do you think that’s the case? 

• Taylor Swift
• BTS
• Jay Chou
• Justin Bieber
• Ed Sheeran
• The Weeknd
• JJ Lin
• Eric Chou
• BLACKPINK
• Ariana Grande

From K-pop to R&B, we see a wide range of genres on this year’s Wrapped Top List, which is reflective of Singapore’s rich diversity in listening tastes. While pop proves to be a mainstay, with global artists like Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber appearing on our top lists time and time again, we are seeing Asian artists climb the ranks in the recent year. Mando-pop and K-pop continue on their rise to become the top genres from Asia, rallying love amongst local listeners. 

This year, we witnessed half of Singapore’s Top 10 Artists list be dominated by Asian talents, with BTS and Jay Chou claiming two of the top three spots, and artists like JJ Lin and Eric Chou maintaining their positions on the list, proving to be forever favourites amongst listeners. BLACKPINK broke through to the Top Ten Artists list for the first time ever. 

Related article: Eric Chou Talks Personal Style, Songwriting And His Rise To Success

Who were the top ten streamed local artists this year?

• JJ Lin
• Stefanie Sun
• Gentle Bones
• Tanya Chua
• lullaboy
• Sezairi
• brb.
• Benjamin Kheng
• Boon Hui Lu
• By2

Mando-pop continues to flourish in Singapore with JJ Lin, Stefanie Sun and Tanya Chua dominating the charts and maintaining their spots on the Top Local Artist list for the third consecutive year. In fact, JJ Lin claimed the four Top Local Tracks in 2022. 

This year, we’re also seeing homegrown artists take off. Pop singer lullaboy broke into the Top Five Local Artists list after launching his debut album just at the start of the year, bringing his unique style of soothing melodies and relatable lyrics to fans. We also witnessed a monumental milestone as Sezairi hit 100 million streams on Spotify with his hit “It’s You”, making this the first single by a Singaporean artist to achieve such a feat. 

Related article: Musician Benjamin Kheng Opens Up About Life In The New Normal And Turning 30

What were Singapore’s top genres this year? 

Pop, Hip-hop, Indie, Rock, EDM, K-pop and R&B. 

What excites you about the local music scene in Singapore? 

It’s exciting to see more collaborations happening between artists across the regions. In addition to local collaborations such as Gentle Bones' "Better With You" release with Benjamin Kheng, we also see music crossing borders. JJ Lin collaborated with K-pop GOT7 member Jackson Wang in "過 Should've Let Go." Sezairi’s latest ‘Blue’ single featured South Korean singer msftz, and brb. had a recent collaboration with Thai artist HYBS. These crossovers provide artists with opportunities to not only create new music, but also expose their work to new audiences. 

Emerging artists like lullaboy, brb. and Shye are already making great headwinds in growing their audience outside of Singapore. For example, brb.’s top 5 streaming markets are the U.S., Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia and Japan, lullaboy’s top fans hail from Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesia, and Shye’s top listeners are in Indonesia and Philippines. This year, Sezairi's hit went viral in Indonesia, soaring to the top of the charts there. 

We’re excited to see local artists connect with an increasingly borderless audience on Spotify! Lyrics are another powerful way for artists to connect with their listeners. It’s no surprise, as lyrics is also one of the most requested features on Spotify across the globe, and we know Singaporeans are belting along to their favourite tracks and sharing them on social media. 

Related article: Exclusive: Wordplay With GOT7’s Jackson Wang

Which local artists should listeners keep an eye on in 2023? 

It’s been exciting to see a kaleidoscope of new Singaporean artists breaking onto the music scene! Lullaboy, brb., and Umar Sirhan show amazing potential with their unique brand of local pop and R&B love songs, respectively, amplified through relatable lyrics that resonate with all listeners. 

I’m also really thrilled to see new music from young female artists emerging onto the global stage, like Jean Seizure’s "i-" release and Shye’s idk it's complicated album. Having been featured in our EQUAL campaign, which puts the spotlight on rising female talent globally, both Jean Seizure and Shye graced billboards in New York’s Times Square earlier this year. 

As these talents continue to grow and new artists emerge, we’re always on the lookout for opportunities to amplify their voices, whether through our emerging artist program like RADAR or playlists like Fresh Finds and Rising 65, and new features to improve the listening experience and connect artists with their fans.