Katherine’s article was written in December of 2021.
It’s the end of the year, and you know what that means? Spotify Wrapped is here!
Those of you who don’t know what Spotify Wrapped is, basically, it’s the everyday person’s version of the Met Gala. Everyone posts and talks about it, even if they are not part of the experience. Just like the Met Gala, everyone has something unique to contribute. In this case, we bring our individual music tastes to the table for others to judge or hype.
So, what is Spotify Wrapped?
Spotify Wrapped is a marketing campaign created by Spotify that turned out to be an annual phenomenon. Initiated in 2016, Spotify users can view a compilation of data about their activity on the platform over the course of the year in a fun, interactive way. Since creating this recap feature, people anxiously await the first week of December for its release.
The annual recap feature includes your:
- Top Artists
- Top Genres
- Top Songs
- Top Podcasts
- Minutes Listened
- Audio Aura (new!)
The data collected is incorporated into graphics generated by Spotify that are easily shareable on social media. The anticipation of the release of Spotify Wrapped is mainly because users are anxious to share their results on social media. It is a real sensation on Twitter. #SpotifyWrapped always makes its yearly grand comeback into the top trending topics of the app. If you share your recap, you can either get roasted or hyped based on your results.
Even if you are not a Spotify user, you are welcome to be part of the phenomenon. This applies to Apple Music users who do not have a recap feature in their platform experience but look forward to this time of year. They go on Twitter and make funny remarks or tweets about #SpotifyWrapped posts. It really is something to be part of! It also gives you a good laugh. Just like the Met Gala, even if you are not in it, you still get to appreciate the beauty of it all.
What’s a Movie Without A Soundtrack?
This year, Spotify Wrapped introduced a movie soundtrack feature to the user’s 2021 in-app experience. Of course, the main character of the movie is you. Seeing my music preferences as a soundtrack was pretty cool. My movie soundtrack consists of the following:
- Opening credits song: “Meet Me Halfway” by Black Eyed Peas.
- The song playing as I proclaim my love in the rain: “Sweater Weather” by The Neighborhood. Ironic, isn’t it!
- The song playing as I score the game-winning point at the buzzer: “Formation” by Beyoncé.
- The song playing as I face-off against my rival dance crew: “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker) by ZAYN and Taylor Swift. Total Bring It On (2000) and White Chicks (2004) moment.
- The song playing as a single tear drops into my reflection in the pond: “Fix You” by Coldplay.
The soundtrack to my movie definitely takes you through an emotional rollercoaster.
A Mixtape of Your Own
Another feature included in Spotify Wrapped is a playlist called Your Top Songs 2021. Basically, it’s your very own mixtape of all your top listened-to songs of the year. Of course, mine mainly consisted of songs from The Weeknd, Queen, Harry Styles, and Beyoncé.
In fact, as I write this, I am listening to my own “Your Top Songs 2021” playlist. When listening to this playlist, you will occasionally hear a special message from certain artists thanking you for listening to their music and having it in your Spotify Wrapped. You can think of this playlist as the outfit you would wear to the Met Gala. It is the center of attention in the event.
A Recap of My Spotify Wrapped
Here are some details for those interested in what my Spotify Wrapped consists of.
- I spent 51,489 minutes listening.
- I listened to 110 different genres this year.
- My top song of the year was “Sweater Weather” by The Neighborhood. I played it 52 times. As I should.
- My top music moods are happy and hopeful.
I listened to 1,361 different artists, but things got pretty serious with one….The Weeknd. He was my top artist last year and, with no surprise, this year too. Apparently, I can’t get enough of the Starboy, but can you blame me?
I would like to say that I am not surprised with my results. Also, I was unaware that I listened to music that often, but numbers don’t lie.
So, what do you think of my Spotify Wrapped?
This recap feature is meant to be a fun interaction amongst people. There really is no such thing as good or bad music taste. You like what you like, end of story! Any judgment from your Spotify Wrapped peers is just playful banter. At the end of the day, we just want to see what everyone else got in their recap.
If you haven’t already, go look at your Spotify Wrapped and join Spotify’s annual version of the Met Gala! Or, if you’re not a Spotify user, will you be tuning in to judge others’ Spotify recaps?
