Spotify has curated playlists reflecting the local flavor of each stop on HuffPost’s “Listen to America” tour using location-based data to find out what people are really listening to in 20-plus cities. Check back for more from Sept. 12 through Oct. 30.
There’s an air of Anglophilia in Odessa, Texas, home to both a Stonehenge replica and a replica of Shakespeare’s Globe Theater. A small town on the rise, per Forbes, Odessa has played home to a small handful of nationally known acts over the years: the rockabilly performer Tommy Allsup, gospel singer Larry Gatlin and Blair Late, a pop singer who appeared on the first season of Bravo’s “Newlyweds: The First Year.” From El Paso to the west, ’60s crooner Vikki Carr got her start, along with the band At the Drive-In, which also begat the group Sparta.
Around here, Spotify listeners are particularly into rappers Nelly, Lil Bibby and Eminem ― interest in the latter was likely bolstered by his performance at the BET awards ceremony earlier this month. The band Thirty Seconds to Mars is also popular, along with “American Idol” winner Jordin Sparks, Filipino singer Sara Geronimo and the South African band Seether, who have what Loudwire once called an “empowering brand of hard rock.” Spotify also discovered people in Odessa like playing nursery versions of Beatles songs for (we assume) their kids ― so you’ll find some original Beatles tracks on the list below, too. A selection of top-streaming hits fills out the list, available below:
Spotify playlists for the “Listen to America” campaign were created by looking at each location’s most popular songs (streaming in the highest numbers at time of publication), distinctive songs (currently being streamed more in this city compared to all other cities in the world) and tracks from local artists. While many picks are data-driven, some songs are handpicked from data lists to assure the playlists reflect a variety of genres and decades, as well as a healthy gender balance.