Spotify considers the streaming era to have started in 2015, and now it has identified a list of 30 “Classic Pop Albums of the Streaming Era,” based on a survey of Spotify music editors.
The albums aren’t ranked, but they include some of the biggest albums of the past 10 years: Adele’s 25; Ariana Grande’s thank u, next; Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic; The Weeknd’s Starboy; Charli XCX’s Brat; Ed Sheeran’s Divide; Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia; Harry Styles’ Harry’s House; Olivia Rodrigo’s SOUR; Justin Bieber’s Purpose; Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet; and Carly Rae Jepsen’s Emotion.
The only artists with more than one album on the list are Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift. Billie’s WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? is included, as is HIT ME HARD AND SOFT. Taylor’s albums are Reputation and Lover.
And a couple of albums that you might not expect are also on the list: Jessie Ware’s What’s Your Pleasure?, Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour, Revival by Selena Gomez and Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides by the late artist SOPHIE.
Albums were chosen by “overall quality, execution, and cultural resonance,” as opposed to stream counts or “popularity,” the press release states.
“Together, these albums showcase a generation of artists using pop as a vehicle for experimentation and unfiltered emotion,” a statement notes. “They capture what pop can become when given space to mature: ambitious, expressive, and enduring.”
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