Whether you’re just warming up or at the peak of your fitness routine, the right song can change your entire workout—as can the right instructor. This is something both Spotify and Peloton know well: Working out is one of the top listening moments on Spotify, and music is vital to the Peloton experience.
We saw this last year when Peloton Instructors Olivia Amato and Kendall Toole introduced two new guided musical fitness experiences on Peloton that were paired to the sounds of Spotify’s Power Hour playlist. We also introduced the Track Love feature, which allows fitness buffs to save their favorite Spotify tunes as they sweat. Now Spotify and Peloton are taking their partnership to the next level, combining their strengths to bring fans the very best of fitness and audio.
Starting today, Peloton is taking center stage on Spotify’s Workout Hub. The fitness brand now has a dedicated Curated by Peloton shelf within the hub that showcases seven playlists from their world-class Instructors and popular fitness disciplines. They include Running by Peloton, Tunde Oyeneyin’s Playlist, Strength by Peloton, and more. These curated playlists offer an inside look into the songs featured in class, as well as the Instructors who teach with music that’s perfect for any workout. In addition to Tunde, this month we showcase the playlists of a diverse group of superstar Peloton Instructors, including Peloton’s VP of Fitness Programming, Robin Arzón, Tread and Strength Instructor Adrian Wiliams, Yoga Instructor Mariana Fernández, and Cycling and Strength Instructor Ally Love.
To celebrate, we curated co-branded workout classes with Peloton featuring songs from some of our most popular playlists, like Today’s Top Hits, Door Knockers, Lofi Beats, Indigo, and Baila Reggaeton, to play across their programming. Whether you’re gearing up for Cycling, Tread, Strength, or Yoga, you can work out to the top tunes through these new classes on Peloton.
Not sure where to start? Try signing into your Spotify account and then taking the new “Find Your Instructor” quiz. Based on a few quick questions and listening behavior, listeners can find out which Peloton Instructor’s music tastes best matches their own. The personalized pairings make a harmonious connection based on a listener’s workout goals and favorite beats.
And speaking of Instructors, For the Record had a conversation that will get your heart racing. We spoke with one of Peloton’s most challenging and motivating Cycling and Bike Bootcamp Instructors, Tunde Oyeneyin, about the music that keeps her energized.
For newcomers to Peloton, how would you describe your class and the experience?
I like to say, “I will always push you, but I will never let you fall.” I love teaching challenging classes because I love being the vessel that provides people with access to an even greater version of themselves. When people unclip after a class with me, they feel like they just achieved more than they thought they were capable of.
How does music fit into your classes and your approach to teaching?
What makes a class is the structure, the sound, the music. Saying the right thing at the right moment. All of it is what builds the show.
Who I am musically—my taste, my choice, my love for music—I think that is part of what I’m known for at Peloton. People come to me for a couple of different reasons: If they want somebody to motivate the hell out of them, if they’re looking to be challenged, and if they want a really great playlist. The music on my playlist is definitely a factor that draws people in. And I think sometimes people may not necessarily want the challenge, but they’re so addicted to the playlist that that usually pulls them in. I’m very intentional. In order to do what I am requiring of you, what I’m asking of you, you have to have a soundtrack that propels you.
Music is the drive. My hope is always that I pulled songs and arranged them in an order that allows you to untap and reach for that day’s best.
Can you walk us through how you pick the music for your classes?
I spend a lot of time on the music front. I’m definitely an Instructor that leads with music. I think the music creates the tone. The best classes are like a really great book—there’s a beginning, a middle, and an end. There are ebbs and flows. Every moment can’t be the highest moment, the hardest moment. There needs to be balance. So I use the music to not only balance, but also to tell a story.
And then the BPM, or beats per minute, of a track really helps to create the program, whether we’re on a flat road or the biggest hill of our lives. Life isn’t flat, meaning there are highs and lows, there are peaks and valleys. I try to use music to illustrate that as I program the class.
Do you have a go-to artist or song to bring an energy boost at the end of class?
Beyoncé, Drake, and Ariana Grande are among my list of go-to artists. People who ride with me know that if I play “Lose My Breath” by Destiny’s Child and then anything by Outkast, Missy Elliot, or DMX—if you see that as a finisher—it’s probably a crazy class.
What are you listening to outside of the Peloton studio?
I think people would be shocked to know how much house music I love outside of my Peloton playlist. I’m also a big fan of alternative music, like I love The Killers. I love Coldplay. I’ve got a wildly eclectic taste in music. I think it does come across on the bike. I play a pretty vast amount of artists. Everything from hip-hop and pop to rock, Latin, and dance. But in my personal world, it becomes even more eclectic. House is my go-to a lot—and good ’90s R&B, like Ms. Lauryn Hill and Brandy.
When did you begin to love music?
I’ve always loved sound. I’ve always loved dancing. I think that movement is a celebration of life. And if movement is the celebration of life, then music is the vessel that brings that celebration. I grew up in a Nigerian household. My parents are Nigerian, so the drum is like my spirit.
Source: Spotify Newsroom