I’m a hater of the idea that music taste directly correlates to personality. All hard-rock listeners are intense, all Taylor Swift lovers are cringey, rap supporters are athletes…I mean, come on. My mom listens to hard rock. Music definitely says something about one’s personality, but it doesn’t determine it.
Spotify introduced a new feature on their platform in September of 2023 called “Daylist.” According to Spotify’s website, Daylist is a playlist that changes throughout the day based on what you tend to listen to at certain times on each day of the week. The app uses artificial intelligence to form these playlists and include new song recommendations based on the kinds of music you like. It’s my go-to when I open Spotify — I love seeing what their little robot thinks I want to listen to at each moment (the little robot is usually correct).
Spotify’s scarily accurate recommendations made me wonder: are my friends’ Daylists’ the same? Do they really reflect their music tastes as precisely as it reflects mine? To begin this breakdown, let’s take a look at my Spotify Daylist on a Sunday afternoon.
Abby: 60s english rock sunday afternoon
I don’t consider myself to be a frequent listener of oldies, but recently that has definitely changed, and that change is reflected in my Daylist. My music taste is an interesting mix of R&B, rap, pop, folk rock, and oldies, (my On Repeat playlist sums it up pretty well) but it seems as though the oldies prevail on Sunday afternoons. My Daylist features “english rock, oldies, timeless, legends, mellow rock, and guitar.” There’s lots of Billy Joel, The Beatles, Elton John, U2…you get the vibe, but there’s a range of genres as well, with Radiohead, The Smiths, and Coldplay joining the mix. Daylist never fails to include some of my favorite songs, and this one included “Vienna,” “Kiss Me,” “Tiny Dancer,” and “Your Song.” To put it simply, Spotify got me good with this one. Sometimes I open up my Daylist to find Sabrina Carpenter and Conan Gray (no hate to them) but the little robot inside Spotify missed me there. This Daylist was a success for me, but some of my Daylists are not winners.
Tabi: mountain music wanderlust sunday afternoon
Tabi is my token Utah-born granola girl roommate. If you google granola girl, Tabi’s face shows up. Even having lived with her the past nine months, I truly can’t tell you what this girl’s music taste is– aside from our mutually loved band The Backseat Lovers. Tabi’s Sunday afternoon Daylist features “mountain music, cottagecore, autumn, van life, nature, and granola vibes.” I repeat, GRANOLA VIBES! Her Daylist shows her love of Noah Kahan, Hozier, The Lumineers, and Gregory Alan Isakov (I’ve never heard of that last one). Honestly, Tabi’s Daylist makes for a compelling case against my hate for the idea that music taste directs correlates to personality. Though her music preferences are foreign to me, knowing her, this Daylist makes complete sense. She even told me this Daylist has no flaws, and that every song and every artist is one she enjoys frequently. Let’s give Spotify’s little robot a round of applause for this one!
Emily: standing on business rhythmic sunday afternoon
Emily is one of my best friends and my future roommate. Her vibe doesn’t correlate to a TikTok name like Tabi’s conveniently does, but to describe her I would say she’s very fun and down to earth. She loves a good walk, reading, and listening to house music! I’m pretty knowledgeable of her music taste–she uses upbeat music to keep her awake doing homework and to keep a pep in her step. Once she told me she loves listening to house while walking around campus because she walks faster to stay on the beat. Emily’s Sunday afternoon Daylist features a very expansive range of artists–I barely see the same artist on it more than once. To name a few, there’s Bryson Tiller, Tyla, and Frank Ocean. It features “standing on business, rhythmic, summer, afrobeat, getting ready, and viral.” In my opinion, all of those words describe Emily’s music taste to a T (except for the absence of the word house). She did inform me that though she loves this Daylist, it includes one song she really dislikes: “I LUV IT” by Camila Cabello featuring Playboi Carti. It seems the little robot was mostly successful for Emily with one wrongful song choice.
Saffron: gentle ghostly sunday evening
Last but definitely not least is my roommate Saffron. I describe her as an indie girl (she doesn’t agree). She listens to a wide variety of music that I have no knowledge of because of how indie it is, but I know some of her favorite artists are Phoebe Bridgers, Taylor Swift, Ethel Cain, and Mazzy Star. She loves to go to movie festivals and keep up with all the indie films (reflected in her indie music taste). Saffron’s Sunday evening Daylist includes lots of Mazzy Star and Phoebe Bridgers, as well as Fiona Apple, Adrienne Lenker, and Weyes Blood. It includes “ghostly, intimate, upset, art pop, yearning, and bittersweet” vibes, which are all words I would use to try and capture Saffron’s essence. She denies the indie allegations, but the evidence presented isn’t working in her favor. Saffron is guilty of being indie. She released this statement following the verdict: “I consent to publication but I fight the allegations.” She agrees this Daylist is a very accurate representation of what she listens to day-to-day. Good job little robot!
I might have to eat my words, because the little robot got us all pretty good here. The songs the little robot chose for each of us (all with extremely different music tastes, might I add) were spot on. Though the music may not always exactly predict the kind of vibe a user wants, it definitely knows what users like regardless. Each Daylist is linked on the person’s name! Overall, I think Spotify’s Daylist is an amazing feature that further proves why Spotify is superior to Apple Music. Yes, I said it.
Happy listening, Huskies!
Source: Spotify’s Daylist