The Philharmonik, NPR's 2024 Tiny Desk Contest winner (2M views), sees Spotify monthly listeners jump 50% in 30 days through organic algorithm growth. His single "Which Side You're On" hit highest streaming day to date. New EP Transcendentalism drops March 27 — music built on Nina Simone's philosophy: "An artist's duty is to reflect the times."
Sacramento multi-instrumentalist's organic momentum shows what happens when craft meets strategy
SACRAMENTO, Calif., March 28, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Philharmonik is building a career the right way, and the numbers are starting to prove it.
The NPR Tiny Desk Contest winner just saw his Spotify monthly listeners jump 50% in 30 days — entirely organic, entirely algorithm-driven. No shortcuts. No viral gimmicks. Just consistently great music finding the audience that's been waiting for it.
This is what intentional artist development looks like in 2026. Since his 2023 album Kironic, The Philharmonik has doubled his total catalog streams. Instagram following up 9% in six months. YouTube subscribers up 25% since the Transcendentalism campaign launched in February. Every release compounds on the last one. Every performance expands the base. This isn't hope-and-pray — this is a plan working.
Last Friday, "Which Side You're On" hit its highest single-day streaming total to date. The track dropped February 27 with zero paid support and has generated 58,000+ YouTube views purely through discovery. Lead single "Home" is approaching 150,000 views and keeps pulling in new listeners. Pre-saves for Transcendentalism EP 1 just crossed 1,000.
The Philharmonik is signed to GoodTalk in partnership with industry veteran Jeff Burroughs (Paper Music), distributed through Create Music Group. It's the kind of team you build when you're in it for the long haul — experienced distribution, strategic A&R, and an artist who knows exactly what he's trying to say.
"I'm just trying to make music that reflects what's happening in the world right now," said The Philharmonik. "Seeing people connect with it organically, without any gimmicks or shortcuts, that means everything. It tells me we're building something real."
The Sacramento-based multi-instrumentalist has been playing classical piano since age 6. He writes, produces, engineers, and mixes everything himself. He performs with an 8-member live band. His sound sits somewhere between Anderson .Paak's groove, Robert Glasper's jazz sensibility, and Kendrick's lyrical weight. He's already sold out Blue Note Jazz Clubs in NYC, LA, and Tokyo, as well as Ronnie Scott's in London during last year's world tour that also included prominent festivals like Montreux Jazz in Switzerland and North Sea Jazz in The Netherlands.
The thesis behind Transcendentalism: "An artist's duty is to reflect the times. This album is not meant for those who use music to escape reality, but for those willing to confront it with courage." It's a two-EP project that quotes Nina Simone and refuses to make music for people looking to check out. It's built for the ones willing to engage.
In a game where artists are supposed to go viral first and figure out the music later, The Philharmonik did it backwards. He won NPR's Tiny Desk Contest out of 7,000 entries. Won the 2023 American Songwriter Contest. Hit 2 million views on his NPR performance. And now he's building something that lasts — through craft, through strategy, through partnership with people who've done this before.
Transcendentalism EP 1 drops March 27. Focus track: "Writing On The Wall." Transcendentalism II follows in June.
Top Streaming Markets:
Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Denver, Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, Dallas, London, Toronto
Press Assets:
Streaming link: https://untitled.stream/library/project/eAiafTFkKf81zAlpHvRwO
NPR Tiny Desk performance: NPR Tiny desk perfomance philharmonik
"Home" official video: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/b3feHTGDf6E
"Which Side You're On" visualizer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cys4sJjDB38
Contact:
Jeff Burroughs
Paper Music
[email protected]
Artist Contact:
Media Contact
Jeff Burroughs, Paper Music, 1 9179691100, [email protected]
SOURCE Paper Music
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