Hungarian artists overwhelmingly dominated the country’s Spotify and YouTube charts in 2024, according to a new study released by the National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH). The research shows that only five foreign performers made it into Hungary’s Spotify top 20, while YouTube’s list featured no international stars at all.
The study highlights that local favourites Azahriah and DESH remained unshakable at the top, outperforming global icons such as Billie Eilish and Sabrina Carpenter, who led Spotify’s worldwide rankings. Azahriah, with over 50 million plays on Spotify and additional appearances with three different groups, was once again Hungary’s most popular artist. His collaboration with DESH and Young Fly, ‘PANNONIA’, became the most-streamed track of 2024 on both Spotify and YouTube in Hungary, exceeding 35 million plays combined.
While Hungarian listeners favoured domestic talent, some foreign names still stood out. Billie Eilish led among international artists on Spotify with more than 11.5 million plays in Hungary, while Eminem topped YouTube’s foreign acts with 38.5 million views. The most-streamed foreign song was Artemas’s ‘I Like the Way You Kiss Me’ on Spotify and Disturbed’s ‘The Sound of Silence’ on YouTube.
The NMHH also pointed out that online trends are increasingly shaping radio playlists, though gaps remain. Despite 61 million online streams, Azahriah’s music was played only 16,000 times across Hungarian radio stations, landing him 24th on the annual broadcast chart. In contrast, Follow The Flow was the only online success story to break into radio’s top 20.
According to the authority, radio stations seek to adapt to changing tastes but often omit certain tracks due to explicit lyrics or audience preferences. The full study and global as well as Hungarian top charts for 2024 are available on the NMHH website.
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