Lena Rivers

I’m Lena Rivers, a London-born journalist and digital music consultant who has spent the last decade exploring the ever-changing landscape of how we listen.

From Seoul’s algorithm-driven playlists to Nairobi’s fast-rising local platforms, I’ve always been fascinated by one question: how does the world choose what to play next?

Play My Song World was born from that curiosity — and from a sense of frustration, too. I realized that while everyone talks about artists, very few talk about the invisible stage that makes their music reach us: the streaming platforms, their algorithms, their business models, their cultures.

Here, I dive into the heart of those platforms. I explore how they shape our listening habits, how they adapt to local markets, and how technology, culture, and creativity constantly remix each other.

This blog is both a map and a diary — a place where I document the sounds, stories, and systems that move the world. You’ll find deep dives, interviews, data analyses, and cultural insights — but always with one rule: to listen carefully, before speaking.

Because in the end, music isn’t just what we hear.

It’s how we connect, globally.