Renegades, Issue 9: Priscilla Chan (Spotify)

Blending music and consumer tech to create everyone's favorite playlists

Priscilla Chan

Associate Director, Business Development
Spotify

Welcome to Renegades, a series spotlighting Asian Pacific leaders and creatives who are carving their own paths and defying stereotypes along the way.

This week, we're featuring Priscilla Chan, Associate Director of BD and Co-Lead of SPACE (API ERG) at Spotify. Priscilla shares insights from her multi-hyphenate background in music & consumer tech, how she’s been able to build & scale some of Spotify’s most important partnerships (including with Gold House!), and the vital work SPACE is doing to amplify Asian musicians & storytellers globally. Check out Spotify’s Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month campaign HERE!

What did you want to be when you were growing up, and how does that compare to what you do today? 

I grew up in a musical family. My grandparents were musicians in Seoul, and my siblings and I were exposed to incredible music at a young age. Since the age of three, I’ve had a love for singing and would often scream my lungs out to Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. I had dreams of being on stage. 

Although I’ve had some incredible experiences as a musician — building a sizable presence on YouTube with my brother, working with top producers in LA, and being a contestant on “The Voice”— my career at Spotify allows me to combine my love of music with a more recent passion for consumer tech in a fulfilling way. My product partnership work enables me to extend my love of music to tens of millions of music fans globally. 

You studied human biology at Stanford, but your career has focused on business development and operations within consumer tech. What are the factors behind your pivot from the sciences to tech/business?

At one point, I considered pursuing a career in the healthcare industry, and Human Biology is one of the most popular majors at Stanford. However, after meeting the early team at Dropbox, I was deeply inspired and made a career pivot into tech. It was truly the best way to begin my career. I’ve always been a generalist and lover of multiple disciplines, so I was open to change! 

You’ve worked at some highly recognizable tech ‘unicorns’ such as Uber, Dropbox, and now Spotify. What are some insights you’ve learned from working in constantly evolving and innovating environments?

A few nuggets of wisdom from working at hyper-growth tech companies: 

1) People and culture are everything. Surround yourself with brilliant and humble people who are doing good work. Embrace diverse backgrounds and perspectives. 

2) Be flexible. The only constant is change, so don’t ever get too comfortable.

3) Think a few steps ahead. On a micro-level, anticipate questions or asks. On a macro-level, think about where the business is headed and position yourself to drive meaningful impact there.  

4) Optimize for scale and efficiency. Ruthless prioritization is key, and you should prioritize work that has impact at scale.

5) Foster a growth mindset. Be malleable, teachable, and humble. There’s always room to improve!

Spotify is one of the leading streaming music platforms in the world. What is one feature you love about Spotify that others may not know about?’

It’s hard to pick just one feature! I love creating ‘Blends’ with my friends, which are playlists that combine our music tastes. Another great feature is the ability to share lyrics by scrolling down on any song on Spotify as you’re listening to it. And our newest addition, AI DJ is a game-changer (shoutout to my homie X!)

How does your role as the co-leader of SPACE (Spotify’s API Employee Resource Group) influence your approach to your career and shape the world of music for Asian Pacific artists?

SPACE stands for Spotify Asian Community Engagement. Our name holds a deeper meaning in light of the Stop API Hate movement and recent awakening within the Asian American community. It represents our commitment to taking up space and making room for less visible voices. 

As a first-generation US immigrant with Chinese-Korean heritage, I have profound respect for my cultural roots. At SPACE, our team is dedicated to amplifying the stories and music across the Asian diaspora. We aim to challenge the notion of what it means to be an ERG by making waves internally and externally. 

Our partnership with Gold House is an essential part of our mission. Our Music Futures initiative was actually borne out of a fireside chat and close friendship with Bing. Both of us knew that we could create something impactful and truly industry-leading. For the second year in a row, we are thrilled to introduce a new class of Music Futures—Alex Porat, Mad Tsai, and Rhea Raj — empowering the next generation of API talent. 

You’ve led some of Spotify’s most important & impactful partnerships with companies including Instagram, TikTok, Peloton, Google, and Samsung. What are some keys to a fruitful partnership in business and in life?

Compromise. Anyone in BD will tell you the key to a great partnership is a strong value exchange. It’s the premise that what you can build together is more powerful than what you could do on your own. But in order to achieve this joint vision, you’ll need to compromise. 

Launching a successful product partnership is about finding product-market fit through a healthy amount of iteration and risk-taking. Any integration has a small army behind it. We can’t do what we do without strong collaboration. Lastly, personal relationships can make or break opportunities. Investing the time to build genuine relationships with the people sitting across the negotiation table goes a long way. 

Before you entered the world of business, you were a contestant on ‘The Voice’. What was the most memorable moment from that experience?

There were several memorable moments: the chair turn, rehearsals with Blake Shelton & Cher, all the friends I made from Season 5 (including some pretty epic jam sessions), representing Singapore, and being one of the first Asian Americans on the show. It was an unforgettable experience that I’ll take with me for the rest of my life. 

What are you currently working on that you’re most looking forward to?

It’s always an honor to bring Spotify’s Asian Heritage Month campaign to life. I’m excited to expand our efforts to elevate API creators beyond musicians through exploring opportunities across podcasts & audiobooks. 

Partnerships-wise, we’re already beginning work on our famous end-of-year ‘Wrapped’ campaign, which we’re always trying to take to the next level. There are also some exciting partner integrations in the works. Keep your eyes peeled. 

Lightning Round

Daily Habit
My mornings are filled with cuddles with my goldendoodle Cobie and lots of black coffee. In the evenings, you’ll find me sipping hot tea with a face mask on. 

Most Productive Time of Day
I’m an early bird! I’m usually “in the zone” between 7-10AM. 

Go-to Karaoke Song
“Bohemian Rhapsody” or any 90’s R&B. 

Favorite Judge on the Voice
Blake, obviously!

Favorite Spotify Playlists
Are & Be, Jasmine, and my “Wrapped” playlists.