Spotify Launches 'Haryanvi 101' As Banjaare And Dhanda Nyoliwala Drive The Language's Rise
The new flagship playlist joins a Haryanvi hub opened in January. Listening to the language on the platform grew almost seven times in three years.
Spotify has added Haryanvi 101, a flagship playlist for the language, to the Haryanvi music hub it opened in January. The launch in September came with a fresh set of numbers that show how far the scene has travelled on the platform.
Haryanvi listenership on Spotify grew almost sevenfold between February 2023 and February 2026, the company says. Over the past year, listening to Hot Hits Haryanvi rose by more than 29 per cent, Trending Now Haryanvi by more than 58 per cent and Rap 91 Haryanvi by more than 18 per cent.
"The audience for Haryanvi music was always there, but the emergence of fresh, modern sounds coupled with rooted storytelling is driving the growth of the language to a whole new level," said Unni Nambudripad, head of editorial at Spotify India.
Two names behind the surge
Spotify singled out two acts.
The first is Banjaare, the duo who have had two No. 1 songs on Spotify's Top Songs chart for India, "Bairan" and "Barsaat". Two national chart-toppers in Haryanvi says a lot about where listening is heading.
The second is rapper Dhanda Nyoliwala, who had eight tracks on the 200-position India chart in the week before the announcement. The list shows how widely he is spread across the market right now:
- "Boom Shaka", his collaboration with Hindi hip-hop star Kr$na
- "Do Numbari", his song on the Mirzapur: The Movie soundtrack
- His feature on Punjabi singer Navaan Sandhu's "Kath Lagda"
- "Russian Bandana", the song that broke him
- Four tracks from his top 10 album Kohram
From regional to everywhere
What stands out in that list is the range. Nyoliwala is on a Hindi film soundtrack, a Hindi rap collaboration and a Punjabi pop single at the same time as his own album is charting. Haryanvi rap is no longer a separate lane. Its biggest name is being booked by the film industry and by stars from neighbouring scenes.
Spotify's approach is to give the language a dedicated home first and then add a flagship list on top. Haryanvi 101 works as an entry point for listeners who did not grow up with the music, and the growth figures suggest there are plenty of them.
(Source: Spotify India statement)
