This summer, much was said about the absence of a global hit. In Scandinavia, however, the story was different. Think of this as Spotify Wrapped: Summer Edition – a sneak peek at the songs and artists that defined the Nordic summer
Spotify Wrapped is something usually savoured at the year's end. Love it or hate it, come December, we are met by an onslaught of Instagram stories informing us of who our acquaintances' most-listened-to artists were, the songs they played on repeat until they were sick of them, and how many minutes of Post Malone they accumulated this year.
Well, at Vogue Scandinavia, we are a touch too impatient to wait for winter. Summer is a time dominated by music: festivals are in full swing, Taylor Swift's 'August' is being streamed nonstop through its titular month, and artists are releasing what they hope to be the quote-on-quote song of the summer. As such, we want to know now what songs have defined Scandinavia this season.
"There’s been a lot of talk this year about the absence of a ‘global summer hit,’ but if you look at the Nordics, the story is different," says Emma Vikström, Spotify's Editorial Lead in the Nordics. "Summer here was full of hits – just local ones. Charts were dominated by domestic artists and songs in local languages, showing how strongly fans connect to their own music scenes."
Whilst summer of 2024 was dominated by international hits such as Sabrina Carpenter's 'Espresso,' this season was a smörgåsbord of homegrown anthems – many of which came from emerging voices. Below, we explore further what songs accompanied the antics of Scandinavia this summer.
Ed Sheeran and Alex Warren were the international standouts
Photo: @teddysphotos
Just eight months ago, we were reporting that Scandinavia’s charts were dominated by international names – with Taylor Swift reigning in Norway and Shaboozey taking Sweden’s top spot. This summer, the picture looks very different. Only a handful of international artists broke through: Ed Sheeran, whose track 'Azizam' reached number eight in Sweden, and Alex Warren, who charted across Sweden, Denmark and Norway.
Ida-Lova stole the show
Photo: @ida.lova
Despite being only 21, Swedish singer-songwriter Ida-Lova made this summer her season. Her heartfelt single 'Svagare än jag' became one of Sweden's defining songs, charting at the number 2 spot. The song was also a hit in Norway, where it landed as the second-most listened to song for the country.
Finland had a rap summer
Photo: @arestiaris
An unsurprising result for Finland, as rap, once again, reigns supreme. A country unmoving in its genre tastes, listening did branch out, as breakthrough artists such as Ares and Averagekidluke featured multiple times on the top 10 list for the region.
Denmark had a love affair with Annika
Photo: @annikawedderkopp
This summer, Denmark was all about Annika. Danish-born and bred, the young actress-turned-singer made the charts her own as she took four spots on her country's charts. Most impressive, however, is her song 'Stolt' (feat. Lamin) taking the number one spot - pretty awe-inspiring for someone so early in their 20s.
Norway showed its love for local country music
Photo: @tobias_sten
One genre stood out amidst the Norwegian chart: Country. More specifically, the Norwegian Country. While Denmark and Finland were neck deep in rap and hip-hop, Norway chose a gentler tune, opting for a more local flavour. Tobias Sten commanded the charts with two of his country-inspired tracks appearing in the top 10.