As of November 29, the most anticipated time of the year has come around: the release of Spotify Wrapped. Wrapped has become a satisfying annual tradition for Spotify, starting in 2013 as “Year In Review.” For those of you who are unaware of Spotify Wrapped (probably very few of you), Wrapped is a marketing campaign by the popular music streaming app Spotify; Spotify accumulates a plethora of streaming data, and at the end of the year, it allows listeners to view a personalized compilation of their listening activity. This year, Wrapped is 22 parts long and includes top songs and artists of the year, number of minutes listened during the year, and more interesting stats.
The most widely recognized aspect of Spotify Wrapped is the top listening stats. By using data to identify users’ top tracks, Spotify can bring listeners back to important parts of their year through music. “I love Spotify Wrapped because a lot of the time we listen to music, based on the way we feel in certain parts of our life,” Sara Hau (’25) said. “Getting to reflect on which songs were played on repeat is something I really enjoy getting to look back on.” This sentiment holds true for many Spotify users, who look forward to the yearly ritual of reminiscing with their Wrapped.
Spotify Wrapped has several new features this year. Its “Sound Town” feature matches you to a city based on your listening tastes and favorite artists. In addition, “Me in 2023” tells you your listening habits throughout the year, featuring 12 different characters that are specific to your tastes and habits on the app. For example, the “Fanatic” character refers to someone who mostly listens to their favorite artists, while the “Master Mind” character is someone who likes to listen to a wide variety of music genres. Artists on Spotify can also include personal thank-you videos and discounts on merch for top fans.
While Wrapped holds novelty in the way it allows listeners to revisit familiar favorites, it also does a great job of enlightening its users on new music. The Wrapped playlist brings attention to hidden gems and underrated tracks, introducing listeners to artists and genres they may have previously overlooked. These add a layer of surprise to the recap and encourage users to explore more areas of music. In addition, for Spotify Users, Wrapped is also a great way for people to share their favorite artists and listening preferences with their friends and followers.
This year, Taylor Swift was Spotify’s top artist, amassing over 26 billion streams globally since January 1. The next most popular artists were Bad Bunny, The Weeknd, Drake, and Peso Pluma. On the other hand, the top song for 2023 was Miley Cyrus’s “Flowers,” with over 1.6 billion streams. Next up are “Kill Bill” by SZA, “As It Was” by Harry Styles, and “Seven (feat. Latto)” by Jung Kook. The most popular albums this year were “Un Verano Sin Ti” by Bad Bunny, followed by Taylor Swift’s album “Midnights,” “SOS” by SZA, and “Starboy” by The Weeknd.
Spotify Wrapped has swept the nation with its newfound popularity and has also sparked ideas in other platforms. For example, Duolingo’s “Year in Review,” Apple Music’s “Apple Music Replay,” and Reddit’s “Reddit Recap” are all annual events where platforms synthesize users’ activity. This trend, originally intended for just Spotify, has stretched across various social media apps, but Spotify isn’t the first to have the idea of revisiting a year. For example, YouTube Rewind is an annual celebration of videos and creators who submit their content to the platform. Starting in 2010, YouTube Rewind featured the top ten most popular videos of the year; it was later discontinued in 2021.
Overall, Spotify Wrapped is an exciting part of Spotify users’ experience, bringing listeners closer through shared stories and posts about their listening history. Putting equal emphasis on community and individuality, it is no surprise that Spotify Wrapped is one of the most popular yearly recaps. Spotify Wrapped also helps artists spread their music to larger audiences and foster connections with their top fans. Whether you have listened to 10,000 or 100,000 minutes of music Spotify gives all of its users an equally personal experience that is highly anticipated and memorable.
