A Quick Chat with Leah Harris
Leah Harris - Artist & Label Partnerships Lead at Spotify AUNZ.
Itβs awesome to see Spotify backing emerging local acts. What made now the right moment to bring Lewis and Becca into the RADAR program?
We believe that both of them are at a really exciting point. Becca's building towards her Black Flower EP early next year, and the singles so far have been so honest, about feminine strength and figuring out who you are. Lewis has singles rolling out every month ahead of his album in 2027; heβs played support for the likes of Zac Brown Band, Cameron Whitcomb, Gigi Perez, and Waylon Wyatt, and the buzz around him keeps growing. What stood out with both is that they know exactly who they are as artists, and that gives us so much to work with.
Last weekβs ARIA nominations saw seven current and former RADAR alumni recognised. How validating is that for Spotifyβs approach to local artist development?
It's super validating for the team, and it shows how much incredible talent we have across Australia and New Zealand. We listen to so much Australian music, and RADAR has never been about promoting an artist on a playlist for a week and calling it a day. Instead it has always been about supporting Australian artists and growing their audiences on Spotify. Seeing alumni like Genesis Owusu, Baker Boy, Royel Otis, and Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers earn major ARIA nods proves that when we back artists at the right moment, it leads to big career milestones. One of our biggest goals is that listeners will find their new favourite local artist through RADAR.
In 2025 RADAR hit a global milestone of supporting over 1,000 artists. How does the local AU&NZ program fit into that bigger picture?
Radar is one of Spotify's global music programs. It runs in almost every market around the world, and in Australia we tailor it to our market needs with a strong focus on export. Local streaming of Aussie talent jumped by 223 million streams in 2025. We love supporting artists at the beginning stage of their career, sharing their vision and helping them find new fans on Spotify. RADAR allows us to do this while at the same time plugging into our global Spotify networks, the music team and editors.
How does Spotify work with RADAR artists like Becca and Lewis on release day, and then over the full six months of the program?
A RADAR partnership is a collaboration between Spotifyβs Music Team, label, management and most importantly, the artist. Itβs also a long-term commitment that continues far beyond release week. Over six months, we sit down with the artist's team and map everything directly to their rollout plan. That means mixing big headline promotional moments, like Mobile Home Banners on Spotify, playlist covers, OOH billboards on Bourke Street in Melbourne, with constant ecosystem support across editorial and social. It keeps the energy going throughout their whole campaign, not just on launch day.
Ultimately, RADAR is an export program, so we are always chatting to the music teams in other markets to help grow audiences around the world.
Past alumni Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers grew their audience by over 200% through RADAR before winning an ARIA and touring internationally. What makes the program work so well for artists at that stage?
Locally, we worked closely with Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers' label and management to build a bespoke RADAR campaign that amplified key moments around everything else happening for the band, both at home and globally. Our north star with every RADAR campaign is artist growth, so it's amazing when we can point to how the program has helped an artist find new fans on Spotify.
For emerging artists hoping to catch Spotifyβs eye, what are you looking for when choosing acts for RADAR?
We look for a clear creative vision, great music, and early momentum. But first and foremost, the music has to be the most exciting thing. The team has to be really excited about that. It always has to come down to the music. I would say other things are a bubbling fan base, one that we're starting to pay attention to and that the data is showing consistent movement and solid growth.