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Kate Bush is accustomed to strange things. After all, she once wrote a heart-melting song about a love affair between a woman and a snowman. But last week the songwriter unexpectedly topped Spotify鈥檚 charts. Her song 鈥淩unning Up That Hill (A Deal With God),鈥� first released in 1985, is topping charts worldwide, and in the U.S. has also broken into the top 10 on听Billboard. The reason? It鈥檚 featured in the latest season of 鈥淪tranger Things鈥欌�� on Netflix.

The mysterious musician, whose last public appearance was in 2014, has issued rare statements in response. She鈥檚 excited that the song is 鈥渂eing given a whole new lease of life by the young fans who love the show.鈥澨�

In her native U.K., Ms. Bush is an icon. In 2013, the Queen honored her for services to music. The creative pioneer 鈥� cited as an influence by subsequent generations of notable musicians 鈥� is widely regarded as occupying the same pantheon as Prince, David Bowie, and Joni Mitchell. Yet, prior to now, Ms. Bush had never had a U.S. Top 10 single. Fans and critics say that it鈥檚 a long overdue correction to her low profile in North America. One of music鈥檚 most unique innovators is finally getting her due thanks to the TikTok generation.听

鈥淚n the 21st century, creators often talk about world-building. And Kate Bush is a world builder,鈥� says Ann Powers, NPR Music鈥檚 critic and author of the 2020 book, 鈥淜ate Bush鈥檚 The Dreaming.鈥� 鈥淲hen you discover, through that artist, whole scenes and visions and maps and all-encompassing narratives, well, then that鈥檚 going to hook you in. We鈥檙e talking about new fans who are raised on things like Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. So Kate is the perfect project artist for those generations.鈥�

Ms. Bush鈥檚 songs 鈥� and indelible music videos 鈥� often play like fantastical movies. 鈥淐loudbusting鈥� tells the story of a man arrested by the government for inventing a machine that can produce rain. 鈥淪nowed In At Wheeler Street,鈥� a duet with Elton John, imagines two time-traveling lovers meeting at different points in history. Side B of 鈥淗ounds of Love鈥� is a conceptual suite about the thoughts of a woman adrift in the ocean after her boat sinks. (Spoiler: She gets rescued.)

Ms. Bush鈥檚 prodigious imagination blossomed during childhood. Her Bohemian family lived in a farmhouse, where dense trees secluded their Shangri-La from the busy streets of South East London. Ms. Bush and her two older brothers were enthralled by poetry, mythology, TV and film, and their mother鈥檚 beloved Irish folk music. By 13, the self-taught pianist had composed a future hit song, 鈥淭he Man With the Child in His Eyes.鈥澨�

鈥淪he was encouraged to write, encouraged to perform, encouraged to listen to things,鈥� says Graeme Thomson, author of 鈥淯nder the Ivy: The Life and Music of Kate Bush.鈥� 鈥淭here was no sarcasm in her house. People were never belittling or demeaning. It was a very positive place.鈥�

EMI records was skeptical about Ms. Bush鈥檚 insistence on releasing an Emily Bront毛-inspired composition as her debut single. 鈥淲uthering Heights,鈥� released in 1978, showcases the teenage soprano鈥檚 early vocal style. Her theatrical wail cut through the static on radios across Britain. She became the first female artist to have a self-written song top the British charts.

To her record company鈥檚 chagrin, their budding star rejected an offer to tour with Fleetwood Mac that would have raised her visibility in the United States. She had no interest in playing a straight-up rock concert. Instead, Ms. Bush mounted her own Tour of Life in the U.K. These days it鈥檚 de rigueur for pop stars to build live shows around dance routines. In 1979, Ms. Bush鈥檚 ballet choreography was revolutionary. The singer, along with her production team, invented the first wireless headset microphone 鈥� fashioned out of coat-hanger wire 鈥� so that she wasn鈥檛 tethered to a microphone stand. During her 17 costume changes, the audience was entertained by poetry readings and mime performances.

Those were Ms. Bush鈥檚 last shows until 2014 when she mounted an even more ambitious 22-show multimedia extravaganza in a London theater. She focused, instead, on producing her own albums, embracing the Fairlight 鈥撎齛 synthesizer that could play samples of recorded sounds 鈥� before it became ubiquitous in 鈥�80s music.听

鈥淵ou paint in sounds,鈥� explains Mr. Thomson. 鈥淵ou can write without having to conventionally knock out the chords. And you hear that particularly on 鈥楾he Dreaming鈥� and 鈥楬ounds of Love.鈥� Those records are very, very forward-facing. That鈥檚 about using technology. 鈥� I鈥檓 not sure she gets enough credit for that.鈥�

Those influential albums caught the ear of fast-rising young millennial songwriter and producer Anna Schwab, who goes by the moniker Sadie.

鈥淚 am inspired by her production,鈥� says Sadie, whose June 21 release, 鈥淣owhere,鈥� has been playlisted by Sirius XM and lauded by music critics at Fader and Stereogum. 鈥淥ne of my favorite songs on 鈥楬ounds of Love鈥� Is 鈥榃atching You Without Me.鈥� 鈥� I think she uses the same patch on her sampler, her synth in 鈥楻unning Up That Hill,鈥� but they鈥檙e very bouncy, like round, fluffy sounds. 鈥� I try to recreate it all the time.鈥�

Ms. Powers, from NPR, encourages new listeners to seek out Ms. Bush鈥檚 later works such as 鈥�50 Words for Snow,鈥� 鈥淎erial,鈥� and 鈥淭he Red Shoes.鈥� (Fun fact: Prince guests on the latter album.) Those records showcase her more mature, maternal voice and a startling emotional directness 鈥� on full display in 鈥淩unning Up That Hill,鈥� the song that the creative duo known as the Duffer Brothers sought out for their 1980s-set teen horror show, 鈥淪tranger Things.鈥澨�

鈥淪he was only interested in [鈥淪tranger Things鈥漖 if her music was being used in a creative and interesting way,鈥� says Se谩n Twomey, host of the 鈥淜ate Bush听Fan Podcast鈥澨齛nd founder of the fan site Kate Bush News.

Ms. Bush鈥檚 newfound popularity is ironic, he says, because she has always consciously avoided musical trends.

鈥淪he just follows her own artistic muse,鈥� says Mr. Twomey. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why her music just does have this kind of timeless quality.鈥澨�