Grimes successfully petitions Spotify to recognise the ‘ethereal’ genre

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Spotify has recognised ‘ethereal’ as a music genre after a 2019 campaign by Grimes. To mark its launch, the musician has co-curated a playlist for the streaming service, featuring the likes of Caroline Polachek, FKA twigs, Arca, SOPHIE, and more.

The seven-hour playlist is accompanied by a description of the ethereal genre by Grimes, who says it’s “dedicated to experimentalism with strong elements of pop and universal beauty”.

The artist announced the playlist on Twitter, writing: “@Spotify has recognised ethereal music as a genre! (I forgot I petitioned for this haha).”

Grimes launched her campaign in 2019, after creating her own ethereal playlist. She said on Twitter at the time: “We petition that ethereal should be an official genre on streaming platforms! We are constantly told that Grimes doesn’t fit into any existing format or genre and therefore cannot be on playlists or radio.”

“We argue that there is a long lineage of auteur artists, often producing their own music and/or directing their own music videos,” she continued. “Often with a heavy visual component and fantasy, sci fi, or literary elements… often very ethereal, otherworldly, and futuristic in nature. (It fits nicely into subgenres: ethereal-techno, ethereal-rap, ethereal-metal etc?). Maybe it isn’t a genre but it might be! What do you think???? It would be cool if there was a home for ethereal music.”

Other artists featured on the new playlist include Kate Bush, Kelsey Lu, Björk, Eartheather, Yves Tumor, Yaeji, Princess Nokia, Massive Attack, SASSY 009, Soccer Mommy, A.G. Cook, Sega Bodega, serpentwithfeet, and many more.