Spotify

Audio and music streaming platform Spotify (Spotify) announced, based on the release last week of ‘2025 Wrapped (Wrapped) year-end roundup’, the global and domestic growth of the Korean indie·rock genres, a standout trend this year.

According to Spotify Wrapped data, in 2025 on a global basis, K-Indie streaming grew 68% year over year, and K-Rock streaming grew 16%. This indicates that international interest is expanding beyond K-pop to Korean music as a whole. In Korea this year, reflecting the notable momentum across the indie and rock genres, it was introduced as the ‘K-Indie·Rock’ category. This category recorded high engagement throughout 2025, confirming sustained, intense interest in the Korean indie-rock scene.

This trend aligns with the direction in which Spotify has been strengthening the diversity of the Korean music ecosystem and expanding into the indie·rock realm since last year.

Throughout 2025, Spotify broadened discovery for indie·rock artists through programs such as Fresh Finds (Fresh Finds) and RADAR (RADAR), along with enhanced editorial curation. In 2025, RADAR Korea (RADAR Korea) spotlighted rising indie·rock artist Hanroro (HANRORO), introducing her music to new global listeners.

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Spotify also strengthened domestic collaboration through a partnership with the CJ Cultural Foundation. Launched in August, ‘TUNE UP MEETS FRESH FINDS’ is a project that combines the global indie artist support program Fresh Finds (Fresh Finds) at Spotify and the long-term indie artist development program TUNE UP (TUNE UP) at the CJ Cultural Foundation, designed to provide practical growth opportunities in the indie music ecosystem.

At the first joint showcase, ‘jisokuryClub’, ‘can’t be blue’, and the New Zealand four-piece band ‘There’s A Tuesday’ took part, delivering distinctive live performances that led to expanded performance opportunities and creative exchange.

Furthermore, to strengthen connections between artists and fans, Spotify held two special Speakeasy Live (Speakeasy Live) performances. This event, with a secret music bar concept, invited fans selected by lottery and created a setting for closer communication with artists.

In July, Silica Gel (Silica Gel) premiered a new song at a Speakeasy Live held in Seongsu. In September, DAY6 (DAY6) marked the 10th anniversary of its debut with a special Speakeasy Live performance together with 350 fans. Items inspired by tracks on the fourth full-length album by DAY6, ‘The DECADE’, were prepared so that fans could experience the musical world of the artists with all five senses.

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The flagship event ‘Spotify House Seoul’ by Spotify, held successfully over three days in November, also continued this approach. After stages by global, K-pop, and hip-hop artists over the first two days, the final day closed with an indie·rock night featuring Jang Kiha, Car, the Garden, Hanroro, and Lee Seung-yoon, presenting a special performance that brought together the domestic indie·rock scene.

These diverse programs, partnerships, and live experiences show that Spotify continues to invest in providing meaningful activity opportunities for indie·rock artists and in further solidifying the foundations of the Korean indie·rock community.

According to the 2025 Wrapped year-end roundup, the Korean indie·rock genres are steadily expanding their influence among listeners worldwide. In particular, artists highlighted through various Spotify programs and events ranked prominently on global charts. DAY6 took No. 1, No. 4, and No. 5 on the global K-Rock chart, showing a strong presence, while Car, the Garden reached No. 1 on the global K-Indie chart. Hanroro, introduced through RADAR Korea, also placed at No. 4 and No. 5 on the global K-Indie chart, proving high visibility.

Interest in the K-Indie·Rock genres among domestic listeners also continued throughout the year. In Korea, the most-streamed K-Indie·Rock artist was DAY6, followed by The Black Skirts (No. 2), Bolbbalgan4 (No. 3), Hanroro (No. 4), and 10CM (No. 5), reflecting solid popularity for key artists in the genres.

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The most-streamed K-Indie·Rock track in Korea this year was Damons Year “yours”, which ranked No. 1. It was followed by DAY6 “HAPPY” (No. 2), Car, the Garden “As If Close Yet Far, My Dear” (No. 3), DAY6 “So That It Can Become a Page” (No. 4), and DAY6 “You Were Beautiful” (No. 5), once again demonstrating DAY6 prowess.

Spotify plans to continue supporting music by artists across diverse domestic genres so it can reach more global listeners. Meanwhile, Spotify users can check their personal 2025 listening history through the ‘2025 Wrapped (Wrapped) year-end roundup’ campaign released on the 4th.

Spotify