Apple Music adds 10 new playlists for Gen Z listeners
Including a playlist of trending TikTok songs – Viral Hits – Apple Music release ten new playlists to get lost away from the chaos of the world.
Last Friday Apple Music released a bunch of new playlists specially curated for Gen Z user.
One of the playlists, likely to get the most followers, is Viral Hits. Although it doesn’t mention the app specifically, Viral Hits is full of popular tracks among short video apps such as TikTok. TikTok has a huge impact on the music young users are listening to and thus what features at the top of the streaming and even Billboard charts. The platform has even given a career to some influencers and musicians. Viral Hits features music that has made the leap from the app to the mainstream. Of course there’s no set schedule on when the playlist will be updated. Tracks will be added as they emerge on social platforms throughout the week. The playlist currently features 98 songs, for almost five hours of listening. The playlist is not a chart and is instead ordered by editors.
Social media hasn’t just changed how we communicate, but also what we listen to and how we hear it. With that, here’s our up-to-the-minute playlist of tracks making the leap from your social channels into the broader cultural stream. Because there’s no schedule for going viral, our editors update these selections throughout the week as needed, so if you hear something you want to hang on to, add it to your library. If it’s trending there, you’ll hear it here.
Apple Music
According to TechCrunch, Apple said the playlists were created especially for Gen Z, describing the demographic as “tech savvy, social media mavens” and “rabid music lovers.” The other playlists aimed at Gen Z include:
- Superbloom – Superbloom is Apple Music’s new home for young, risk-taking visionaries who think about music differently.
- Lifted – Ranging from the poppy end of the spectrum to hip-hop, R&B, and indie rock, the tracks here don’t just reflect the melting pot of a contemporary culture, but signal a shift for where things are heading.
- Wildflower – Style-wise, it’s a mix: hip-hop, R&B, dance, indie pop and rock—a little of this, a little of that.
- Glow – Whatever the case, here’s a feel-good, mood-boosting playlist to help keep your energy up and the vibe bright.
- The Nerve – Some artists evolved toward the mainstream; others—like the ones featured here—pushed back toward the underground, seeking out beautiful, downcast hybrids of hip-hop, pop punk, emo, and grunge a little too raw for broader audiences.
- The Sounds – Here’s a playlist of the best new rock that hasn’t yet made the leap above ground.
- Verified Hits – Here’s a place where you’ll find a little bit of everything, from the periphery of pop to the more mainstream side of indie, from arty R&B to big-tent electronic music—a mix of sounds, styles, and voices that reflect the melting pot of the 2010s and beyond.
- catching feelings – A little slow, a little moody, but most of all, mellow and low-key.
- Do Not Disturb – Here’s a playlist of tracks with lyrics that deal explicitly with mental health issues: the ups, the downs, the crashes, the coping
Alongside the new Gen Z playlists, Apple Music introduced 24 other playlists. These have been designed to help listeners centre and find moments of calm.
Last month, Apple Music added a hub for Disney playlists, albums and stations.