Emotion and Popularity in Latin Rhythms (Spotify)
Introduction to the topic
This visualization analyzes the distribution of musical emotions across Latin subgenres on Spotify.
It uses the valence score to represent the emotional tone of each song (from sad to joyful),
allowing us to explore how different musical styles within the Latin genre express emotion.
Dataset Description
Dataset: Spotify – High Popularity Tracks
- Period: Songs released in recent years (specific date available per track)
- Variables: Subgenre, Valence, Popularity, Artist, Track name, Release date
- Units: Each point represents a highly popular song
- Resolution: Individual track level
Objective of the visualization
To explore how emotional tone (valence) varies among popular Latin subgenres, and how it relates to
the popularity of each song. The visualization aims to answer questions such as:
Which subgenres tend to be more emotionally positive? Is there a link between valence and commercial success?
Methodology
- Dataset filtering: Songs categorized under Latin genres were selected from the Spotify dataset.
- Key variables: Used valence (Y-axis), subgenre (X-axis), and track popularity (represented by disk size and transparency).
- Visualization: A combined boxplot and scatter disk chart was used. Each disk represents a song, with size and alpha indicating popularity.
- Tooltip: On hover, the chart displays the track name, artist, and release date for each song.
Key insights by subgenre
- Reggaeton: High valence variability, with songs ranging from melancholic to very festive tones.
- Latin Pop: Tends toward higher valence values, reflecting a consistently positive emotional tone.
- Bachata and Salsa: With mid-range valence values, these genres present a balanced emotional expression.
- Popularity: Not all highly popular songs are emotionally positive; some hits show neutral or even sad tones.
Source
- Spotify – High popularity songs dataset extracted from the Spotify Audio Features API