Barack Obama is Music’s Quintessential Tastemaker

This piece originally appeared on July 27, 2023 in Sound Signal, our biweekly newsletter that identifies emerging artists, scenes, and trending tracks, crafted by the world's best writers and curators. Sign up here to never miss our take on what's next in music.

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Former President Barack Obama's love for music is no secret. From staging star-studded concerts at the White House to spontaneously singing soul legend Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” at a 2012 Apollo Theater fundraiser, Obama has often cited himself as a true music connoisseur. Since his presidency, his most enduring display of fandom remains sharing his favorite jams with the world through personally-curated playlists.

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On July 20, Obama unveiled this year's 40-plus summer playlist, a tradition he's kept since joining Spotify in 2015. Along with featuring classics from revered legends, the who’s-who cornucopia spotlights new and rising stars. Obama’s seasonal playlists are more than peeks into his wide-ranging musical tastes—a spot on his compilation is the ultimate co-sign.

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Among the newcomers is international rapper-singer J’Calm, whose R&B-tinged viral hit “Tempted” has grown into a TikTok staple, amassing 46.7K views on the platform. Other major viral hits from rising Christian rapper nobigdyl. and Latin hip-hop polymath La Doña have gotten similar reception in the first 24 hours of being featured on Obama's playlist. The former’s nostalgic “PARABOLIC!” (7.4M Spotify streams) experienced a 15% increase in Chartmetric rank, while the latter’s Chartmetric rank rose 55%. La Doña's reggaeton-meets-Latin offering “Penas con Pan” is building steady momentum on Instagram and Spotify with 23K views and 17.4K streams, respectively. Both J’Calm and La Doña have seen an increase in Spotify monthly listeners, with La Doña experiencing a 34% increase and J’Calm seeing a whopping 92% uptick.

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Boasting a diverse mix of classics, spanning across pop, rock, soul, jazz, and reggae, Obama honors the likes of Janet Jackson, who recently wrapped her record-breaking Together Again tour, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Toots & the Maytals, Marvin Gaye, Ella Fitzgerald, John Coltrane, 2Pac, and rock queen Tina Turner, who died in May.

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These highly diverse selections and gains reflect Obama’s role as a music explorer with worldly tastes and a multi-generational tastemaker.

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If you’re aiming to uncover emerging artists, grasp key cultural shifts, or gain actionable insights from data-driven research, Third Bridge Creative delivers the expertise you need. Connect with our Music Intelligence team today to learn how we can help your organization navigate the cultural zeitgeist with precision and impact.