Drivers in the U.S. spend an average of 60 minutes per day behind the wheel. So whether you're slogging through the daily commute, ripping through errands, or gearing up for a road trip with friends, you're going to want the best music, podcasts, and audiobooks to make that time count.
With 100+ million songs, 5+ million podcasts, and over 150,000 audiobooks, Spotify is the ultimate listening companion when you're on the go. Plus, you can listen to Spotify in the car and effortlessly bring the world's music along for the ride with our new features like DJ, Jam, and daylist.
Picking precisely what to listen to is a special role, one that often falls to the person in the passenger seat. And our listeners know it: This past year, users have taken to social media to proudly announce their status as a passenger princess -the person who, while being chauffeured, also ensures fellow passengers are fed, hydrated, and musically satiated.
They also claimed this title on Spotify. This year, we saw a 300% rise in the number of user-generated passenger princess playlists created each month. Snooze by SZA and Paint The Town Red by Doja Cat were two of the tracks that popped up most frequently.
For the Record talked to Antoni Bumba, creator and self-identified passenger princess, on what it takes to be the best copilot for any road trip.
Why's it so important to have good music playing in the car? It does two things. One, it helps us curate the vibe for the location that we're on the way to or for what type of day we want to have. But it also fills up the empty space. Unless you just want to be listening to your tires run against the road, which is really boring.
Tell us about the role of the passenger princess. Okay so, I know it's called the passenger princess, but once the role umbrellas itself into being the DJ, it becomes really hardcore. This is one where the pressure is on you at all times. You have to have what's gonna play next figured out, because if everyone in the car gets mad at you and wants to take the aux from you, they're never gonna trust you again.
If the person driving the car is getting us from point A to point B, then the passenger princess is making sure we're all having a good time. That we're not all hating this car ride. It seems simple, but you really have to read anyone's energy. They're not going to say what they're in the mood for. You just have to read it on their face, read it in their vibe, and play something that's gonna be fire.
But the role can also be really chic and cute and fun if you make it that way.
You're the passenger princess on an epic road trip. What's on your playlist? The first thing I'm gonna play is something right in the middle. Something that feels good, maybe some Motown. Then you want to transition quickly into something that's going to sustain people, someone people are going to want to sing along to. Rihanna is great to put in this category, Megan Thee Stallion, or Doja Cat. We need to get feelings riled up with songs with really enjoyable beats and voices and lyrics that aren't too demanding.
And then after you've done a few songs, screaming lyrics, videotaping your road trip, then you're going to start talking. And someone is gonna be hungry. Someone is going to want to stop to pee. So you need to have a good filler. This is when all the randoms can be played. If you have a weird demo in your library and it starts playing at this time, good. After you eat your food, you're driving, you have four hours left. And this space is less about getting excited, and this is where you can start playing lyrical stuff. Not anything necessarily too emotional, but with lyrics that are fun and kitschy.
Then I also have music without lyrics. So good. This is the time when everybody wants to dissociate, wants to forget that we're all in the car together, look out the window, scroll on their phones. I have a bunch of cool, psychedelic rock, funky music playing. People get sick of that and then we move to things that are a bit more Fantasia.
Then finally, we're gonna want music that's going to hype you up for pulling into whatever place you're about to pull up to.
Do you ever choose a theme? Location matters. When you're driving from LA to San Francisco or something-like when I was driving with my friend Victoria and we were going skydiving-you drive past all this scenery. So we had all this chill music playlist that was very reminiscent of California rock 'n' roll. But then once we got closer to where our location was, it was Nicki Minaj. Full. Blast.
Now on our way back, there is a different vibe. You don't want to go too hard on the melodies, because you don't want people to fall asleep, but once you get closer to home, play that new Lana Del Rey. Play Crystal by Fleetwood Mac. Songs that make you feel good about pulling in.
What song are you always belting out from the passenger seat? We were driving through Vancouver and we were singing C line Dion and Whitney Houston. The first song we were singing by Celine Dion was It's All Coming Back to Me Now and then Whitney's The Greatest Love of All. Just big '80s ballads. Also, Heart. Very '80s, love, power-hour ballad.
On your channel, you talk about beauty from the passenger seat. Do you have any recs for staying hydrated and comfortable on long trips? I definitely think that you want to wear something that's going to be super comfy. Shoes, very comfy. Hair, done up in a way where you don't have to worry about it. I usually go for a headband to tie my hair back, because if I put my hair in a pony or in a bun and I want to go to sleep, it's just going to be knocking into the seat. And I always keep a moisturizer with me,
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
08/05/2026
Nine Alumni Nominated for Tony Awards More than 20 alumni contributed to this year's Tony-nominated productions.
May 7, 2026
By
Tori Donahue
Boston Co...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Liberty University on why broadcast technology isn't just a technical invest...
08/05/2026
COW Jobs: UGC, On-Camera Video Content
Brie Clayton May 7, 2026
0 Comments
UGC, On-Camera Video Content
April 17, 2026Documentary Editor - US,......
07/05/2026
Journalists reporting on Sudan are working in one of the most complex and fast-m...
07/05/2026
Multi-year partnership positions Victory+ as a free home for Dallas Cowboys orig...
07/05/2026
From sideline reporting to directing and producing, the talented sophomore is building a well-rounded foundation for a career in live sports production
In the ...
07/05/2026
Cobalt Digital has received two Future Best of Show awards at NAB Show 2026. The COBALT blueCORE platform was recognized by TV Tech, and the COBALT PACIFIC ULL-...
07/05/2026
ESPN analyst Mina Kimes will host the televised semifinals and finals of the 202...
07/05/2026
Bitmovin has announced that MUBI, the global film streaming platform, has selected Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner. Bitmovin's encoding infrastru...
07/05/2026
NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and the U.S. Soccer Federation have announced...
07/05/2026
Angel City Football Club (ACFC) and Victory have announced a regional broadcast partnership bringing live match coverage to fans across the greater Los Angeles...
07/05/2026
Spiideo has announced the launch of AI Highlights inside Spiideo Play, its automated sports production platform. AI Highlights combines video, event data, audio...
07/05/2026
Leostream Corporation has announced a unified remote access ecosystem for high-p...
07/05/2026
The Atlanta Dream has partnered with Victory to stream all locally broadcast Dream games for free, expanding the team's digital distribution strategy and g...
07/05/2026
Riedel Communications has announced the appointment of Marc Engroff as Chief Fin...
07/05/2026
SES and ARD, Germany's largest public broadcasting network, have announced a long-term extension of their satellite distribution partnership through 2039. U...
07/05/2026
UpLight Technologies delivers a flexible video and lighting system for a new televised sportLaunching the Pro Cheer League required more than creating a compell...
07/05/2026
Full Day Productions and GSE Worldwide have announced Spikes Under the Lights, a...
07/05/2026
Seit dem Start im Jahr 2023 hat DJ (Beta) das personalisierte H rerlebnis von 94...
07/05/2026
Da quando stata presentata nel 2023, DJ (beta) ha aiutato a definire un'esperienza d'ascolto pi personalizzata per 94 milioni di utenti Spotify Premi...
07/05/2026
Since launching in 2023, DJ (beta) has helped shape a more personalized listenin...
07/05/2026
Desde o lan amento em 2023, o DJ (beta) j ajudou a deixar a experi ncia de ouvi...
07/05/2026
From our earliest days, Spotify has been built on a simple principle: Great audio should be easy to reach. It's what's driven us to expand from music to...
07/05/2026
Asian and Pacific Islander artists continue to shape the global soundscape, pushing creative boundaries and connecting with fans worldwide. This Asian & Pacific...
07/05/2026
Company announce long-requested choir instrument
In the latest expansion of their Symphonic Elements series, UJAM have introduced an all-new vocal instrumen...
07/05/2026
Modular-inspired sound generation with digital control
Buchla have introduced Ziggy, a new compact synthesizer built around the company's complex oscill...
07/05/2026
Combines analogue voices with digital synthesis and sequencing
Polyend have announced Drums, a new hybrid analogue and digital drum machine that combines sy...
07/05/2026
Control surface now officially supports four DAWs
When Nektar launched the Panorama CS12 control surface, it worked exclusively with Apple's Logic Pro, ...
07/05/2026
In the first quarter 2026, SGL Carbon generated consolidated sales of 184.5 million, which was 49.8 million, or 21.3%, lower than in the prior year (Q1 2025: ...
07/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and Greenerwave achieve precise and fast ESA antenna characteriz...
07/05/2026
Two multi-role L3Harris products - the Red Wolf launched effects vehicle and SK...
07/05/2026
L3Harris will be developing key features of a secure and resilient digital infra...
07/05/2026
Alysa Liu and Shohei Ohtani Help Drive Viewership as 91 of the Top 100 Broadcast...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
Cobalt Digital Wins Two Future Best of Show Awards at 2026 NAB Show
Manufacturer Recognized by TV Tech and TVBEurope for Innovation in signal processing
Cobal...
07/05/2026
Software and hardware platforms, AI power and user-friendliness on show...
07/05/2026
Intinor will demonstrate its latest technical enhancements for the Direkt series at BroadcastAsia 2026. With a continued focus on reliable contribution and remo...
07/05/2026
Bitmovin has announced that MUBI has chosen Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner, replacing MUBI's legacy on premises encoding setup to improve scalab...
07/05/2026
Meet Graduates from Berklees Class of 2026 Members of this years graduating class reflect on their proudest moments at Berklee and look ahead to whats next.
...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
At BroadcastAsia 2026, Interra Systems will demonstrate its latest innovations in automated quality control (QC), real-time monitoring, and captioning. The comp...
Drivers in the U.S. spend an average of 60 minutes per day behind the wheel. So whether you're slogging through the daily commute, ripping through errands, or gearing up for a road trip with friends, you're going to want the best music, podcasts, and audiobooks to make that time count. 
