According to data shared by Spotify, arabesk streams in Turkey have increased by 435 percent since 2020. The interview and streaming data published by the platform on October 16 showed that arabesk stands out not only as a powerful musical legacy of the past but also as a genre that younger generations are rediscovering and associating with contemporary music.
According to the data, arabesk streams have followed a steady growth trend in recent years rather than a one-time spike. While the genre's streaming rate has increased by over 31 percent each year, 77 percent of arabesk listeners in Turkey consist of users under the age of 30. The largest share was observed in the 18-24 age group.
THE YOUNG LISTENER EFFECT
Rhea Chedid, Spotify's editorial lead for the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey, explained in an interview with Spotify Selects that the bond arabesk has formed with young listeners is due to the genre's ability to express emotions directly. According to Chedid, themes such as heartbreak, love, longing, disappointment, and rebellion against life's challenges do not belong to a specific generation; therefore, arabesk can find resonance in different eras.
The connection arabesk has established with pop and hip-hop also draws attention in the genre's resurgence. The reinterpretation of classic arabesk tracks, the use of samples from old recordings in new songs, and collaborations between different genres allow arabesk to reach a wider audience in the digital music world.
Semicenk took the top spot in Spotify's all-time arabesk streaming data in Turkey. Semicenk was followed by Müslüm Gürses and Ahmet Kaya. This picture revealed that new-generation artists and classic names are being listened to together within the same music category.
Interest in arabesk was not limited to Turkey. According to Spotify data, after Turkey, the country where arabesk is listened to the most is Germany. Germany was followed by the Netherlands and France. The fact that 61 percent of arabesk streams outside of Turkey also come from users under the age of 30 showed that the genre is also connecting with young listeners abroad.
The data also included details regarding daily listening habits. In Turkey, arabesk streams reach their peak at 18:00. While Chedid recommends this time for listeners who will discover arabesk for the first time, she stated that the genre could meet with different fields such as electronic and dance music more frequently in the coming period.
News Source: 12punto
