Spotify reveals increase in listening of Islamic devotional songs during Ramadan

Muslims around the world are currently observing Ramadan – a month of spiritual rejuvenation, humility and togetherness, and the holiest month of the Muslim year. Whilst the fundamentals will remain the same for many of those observing Ramadan, each country has its own cultural nuances, as shown by new data from Spotify.

Audio and spirituality are intricately connected to provide inspiration, an outlet for expression or to create the right atmosphere for prayer and contemplation.

Last Ramadan, Spotify saw a 68% increase worldwide in streams in nasheeds (Islamic devotional songs or spiritual hymns) during April than the previous month. This trend is expected to continue this year and based on streams in March 2022, the UK was the third top country globally for streaming nasheeds behind Indonesia and Malaysia.

There are clear listening trends on Spotify that reflect how the Muslim community around the world embraces Ramadan. Last year UK hit artist Harris J saw listening increases during Ramadan with his hits ‘Rasool’ Allah’ and ‘Salam Alaikum’ both having more than 250% increases.

Lebanese-Swedish R&B singer Maher Zain was one of the most streamed artists with Ramadan-related songs last April. His song Ramadan – English version saw more than a 1000% increase in listens in the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Jordan during Ramadan last year. Streams of the song also saw more than a 500% increase in Australia, Canada, Germany, the UK and the US.

Interestingly, Zain’s songs in different languages also appealed to different Muslim communities globally, such as Assalamu Alayka – Arabic Version and Neredesin – Turkish – Türkçe in Turkey and mutiple Arabic speaking countries. Whilst spiritual British singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Sami Yusuf’s track You Came to Me – English trended in the US with a 260% increase in the same time frame.

Each year, Spotify refreshes its dedicated Ramadan Destination offering content for every Ramadan moment throughout the day whether it’s Sufi music, Oud soundscapes, or health and fitness podcasts.

Muslim communities are also turning to podcasts for an audio journey of self-reflection during Ramadan. One of the most popular podcasts during the Holy Month is Freshly Grounded. Hosted by two British Muslim entrepreneurs, they discuss anything and everything from business, lifestyle and current world events. Guests often feature sharing their own stories and experiences.