GTA 6 Gives Cliff Richard's 'Devil Woman' a Major Streaming Revival

Grand Theft Auto 6 is already demonstrating the unusual cultural reach that surrounds a blockbuster Rockstar Games release. The game's Extended Look has given a substantial new boost to "Devil Woman," Cliff Richard's 1976 single, with daily streams of the song rising by 325% after it featured in the presentation.

For Richard, now 86, the renewed attention has arrived with one notable complication: he does not appear to have much familiarity with Grand Theft Auto itself. In a recent interview, the veteran British singer acknowledged that he had been told about the response but initially described the phenomenon as though it were a television game show.

That disconnect makes the story especially striking. One of the most anticipated games in the world has brought a nearly 50-year-old song to an enormous new audience, including younger listeners who may know the track first through Vice City rather than through its original chart run. Richard's own family has already seen that generational gap firsthand.

"My nephew, who has two boys, said they came screaming to him, 'Dad, it's Uncle Cliff!'" Richard said, adding that they had not realised he could sing in that style.

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It is the kind of reaction that has long been central to the appeal of Grand Theft Auto radio stations. Rockstar's games do not merely use music as background noise. Songs become part of the texture of a city, the memory of a mission, or the soundtrack to a long drive with no destination beyond seeing what is around the next corner. A placement can introduce an old favourite to players who were not alive when it was released, and it can make a familiar song feel different when paired with a new fictional world.

A 1976 Track Meets Vice City

"Devil Woman" originally appeared on Richard's album I'm Nearly Famous and was released as a single in 1976. Its presence in the GTA 6 Extended Look follows an earlier resurgence tied to the 2017 film I, Tonya. That exposure gave the song an additional audience, but the latest increase in streaming is on a considerably larger scale.

The 325% daily-stream increase underlines how quickly attention can shift when a song becomes attached to a major entertainment event. GTA 6 is expected to be one of the largest launches in entertainment history, and even material released before many players' parents were born can be swept up in the anticipation.

There is a particular fit between "Devil Woman" and the broader musical identity associated with Grand Theft Auto. The series has consistently mixed eras, genres, and moods across its in-game stations. Players can move between classic tracks and newer releases as they explore, race, evade police, or simply cruise through the game's open world. The effect is less like a conventional game soundtrack and more like an ecosystem of stations designed to make the setting feel lived in.

GTA 6 returns players to Vice City, a location with an identity deeply connected to music, style, nightlife, and Florida-inspired excess. A song from 1976 carries its own atmosphere into that space. It is not only a nostalgic selection; it is another piece of the sonic palette Rockstar is building for its newest version of Vice City.

Richard Is Happy to Be Part of the Moment

Although he has not fully followed the gaming side of the story, Richard has welcomed the idea that his work can remain meaningful in 2026. He reflected that people may no longer view him solely as an artist from the past, while also recognising that the past has helped shape the present.

That sentiment gets to the heart of why a GTA placement can matter so much to catalog music. The song is not being presented as a museum piece. It is being positioned alongside a huge new release and placed in front of an audience that will experience it in a contemporary context. For some players, "Devil Woman" may become associated with their first glimpse of GTA 6. For others, it will be a welcome rediscovery of a song they already know.

Richard's comments also show how unpredictable these cross-generational moments can be. A singer whose career spans decades can suddenly become a point of excitement for young family members because a track has surfaced in a game reveal. The artist may not know the specific conventions of Grand Theft Auto, but the audience reaction is easy to understand: an older recording has found new relevance.

His initial description of GTA as a "game show" may not be accurate, but it is an endearing reminder that the scale of gaming's cultural footprint does not mean every musician involved is necessarily immersed in the medium. For players, Grand Theft Auto is a defining interactive series with a history stretching back decades. For Richard, it is a new and unexpectedly powerful route through which listeners are finding one of his songs.

Music Is Becoming a Major Part of the GTA 6 Conversation

Rockstar has recently begun revealing tracks set to appear across GTA 6's radio stations and wider song list. "Devil Woman" sits among older selections, while the lineup also includes music connected to contemporary artists such as Yung Lean and Travis Scott.

That range is important. Grand Theft Auto's stations have always worked best when they feel broad enough to support different player tastes and different corners of the world. A classic pop-rock recording, modern hip-hop, and newer genre-spanning material can all coexist because the game treats radio as a characterful part of the setting rather than as a single, narrowly curated playlist.

The result is a soundtrack conversation that begins well before players have access to the full game. Fans are listening closely to trailers, presentations, and promotional clips, trying to identify songs and imagining where they might fit among the game's stations. For artists, that attention can turn a brief appearance into a significant discovery event.

In Richard's case, the early data already suggests the effect is substantial. A 325% jump in daily streams is more than a small nostalgia bump. It indicates that viewers sought out "Devil Woman" after seeing or hearing it in the GTA 6 material, translating promotional interest into measurable listening activity.

• "Devil Woman" was released in 1976.
• The song comes from Cliff Richard's I'm Nearly Famous.
• It previously received renewed attention after its use in 2017's I, Tonya.
• Daily streams rose 325% following its GTA 6 Extended Look appearance.
• GTA 6's revealed music includes older tracks as well as artists including Yung Lean and Travis Scott.

Why the Radio Matters in Grand Theft Auto

Music licensing has been an unusually visible part of Grand Theft Auto's identity for years. In many open-world games, players may remember a score, a dramatic theme, or a combat cue. In Grand Theft Auto, they also remember changing stations, hearing an unexpected favourite, and linking songs to specific drives across a fictional city.

That makes radio selections a meaningful part of the game's world-building. A track can imply a station's personality, a time period, or a social setting. It can offer humour through contrast, heighten the feeling of freedom during exploration, or simply make an ordinary journey across the map memorable. The songs are not separate from the experience; they are part of the way players inhabit the world.

For GTA 6, the stakes are especially high because anticipation has been extraordinary. Every confirmed detail attracts attention, and music is no exception. The arrival of an artist like Cliff Richard in that discussion is unexpected, but that is exactly what makes it memorable. A 1970s single gaining momentum alongside one of gaming's most anticipated modern releases is a concise example of the series' broad cultural reach.

GTA 6 Is Approaching Its Console Release

Grand Theft Auto 6 is scheduled to launch on November 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles. As the release approaches, additional music reveals and promotional material will likely keep expanding the discussion around Vice City's soundtrack.

For now, "Devil Woman" is enjoying an unlikely second wave of attention, one driven by players and viewers eager to absorb every detail connected to GTA 6. Richard may not yet be able to explain precisely what Grand Theft Auto is, but he clearly understands the important part: a new audience is hearing his music, and they are responding enthusiastically.

That is a powerful outcome for a song first released in 1976. In 2026, it has become part of the build-up to a new era for one of gaming's biggest franchises.