Marrakech – Spotify has officially launched POPSTARS, a bold, sparkling rebrand of its Top Maghreb Pop playlist — and it’s more than just a new name.

It’s a declaration: Moroccan pop is not a niche, not a trend, and definitely not waiting for permission to go global. It’s already there.

The campaign is giving Moroccan artists their flowers — with curated editorial content, exclusive interviews, and eye-catching visuals that scream “superstar energy.”

But POPSTARS is also doing something deeper. It’s building a stage for Moroccan identity, storytelling, and sound — without needing to fit anyone else’s mold.

According to Spotify, the world is finally listening. Between 2019 and 2024, streams of Moroccan pop surged by a staggering 750%. That’s not a rise—it’s a sonic revolution. And leading it is a lineup of six genre-bending, crowd-pleasing, boundary-breaking artists you need on your radar yesterday.

Let’s roll the red carpet:

Nouamane Belaiachi – The suave crooner whose hit “Bla Bla” has racked up over 7 million streams. He’s smooth, modern, and effortlessly Moroccan — with 300,000 monthly listeners who clearly agree.

Manal Benchlikha – If Spotify had a crown for “firsts,” it would sit comfortably on Manal’s head.

In 2022, she became the first Arab woman to perform on the cult-favorite COLORS stage. She’s fierce, stylish, and fiercely stylish — with 470,000+ monthly listeners backing her up.

Douaa Lahyaoui – Remember the name. Her breakout single “Badadi” dropped in 2024 and clocked an unbelievable 14.5 million streams.

With a voice like silk and presence like a storm, Douaa is Morocco’s next big pop export.

DYSTINCT – With 9 million monthly listeners, DYSTINCT isn’t just on the map — he is the map.

Bridging European swagger with North African soul, his music defies geography. He’s Moroccan-Belgian, but his sound is unmistakably universal.

Zouhair Bahaoui – The heartthrob who blends traditional charm with pop-star charisma. Nearly 865,000 monthly listeners tune in for the voice, the beats, and maybe… the biceps.

RYM Fikri – She’s the thoughtful one, the conscious queen, the one who sings with her whole chest and heart. As a 2022 Spotify EQUAL Arabia Ambassador, RYM reaches 300,000+ listeners with her unique blend of softness, strength, and soul.

According to Naoufal El Amrani, Spotify’s Senior Artist and Label Partnerships Manager for Maghreb, “Moroccan pop is rooted in identity, storytelling, and innovation.” And he’s right.

This isn’t just music — it’s a remix of culture, a love song to heritage, and a declaration of artistic independence.

The artists of POPSTARS are carving out space where there was none, blending autotune with ancestral rhythm, global beats with local pride.

And perhaps most excitingly — they’re doing it on their own terms.

So what does this mean for the rest of us? It means Moroccan teens dancing in their bedrooms have new idols.

It means kids growing up in Paris, Brussels, or Montreal get to hear a little Maghreb in their playlists.

And it means that the next time someone asks what Moroccan pop sounds like — you can say: bold, bilingual, and absolutely unforgettable.