Let me set the scene: it was a stormy Saturday night during my freshman year of college. Rainy, cold, and dreary, I decided to host an impromptu game night. Friends, acquaintances, and random people filled my tiny dorm room in search of something to do while trapped inside.
I won’t lie — game night was a flop. Conversations were awkward, UNO was oddly frustrating, and we ran out of snacks 20 minutes in. I disappointedly watched as people made lame excuses and slowly shuffled out of the dorm, defeated by the utter failure that occurred in Anacapa. Or at least I was, until one girl approached me and said, “I really like your playlist.”
I had been unconsciously shuffling a random Spotify playlist of mine during the game night, an eclectic assortment of everything, from boygenius to Baby Keem. Music was the last thing on my mind when planning this gathering, as I was more concerned with curating a vibe. Little did I know that despite the uncomfortable atmosphere, someone had been paying attention to the soundtrack of the evening.
We got to talking and learned that we both have similar music tastes. Lorde, Phoebe Bridgers, Gorillaz, the Les Miserables soundtrack. Favorite artist? Taylor Swift. Thoughts on Midnights? Good, but not Taylor’s best. Guilty pleasure song? Too heinous to reveal. She then suggested that we do something I had never heard of up until that point: “Let’s make a Spotify Blend!”
According to Spotify, Blend playlists are “a new way for two users to merge their musical tastes into one shared playlist made just for them,” with the goal of fostering connections and allowing people to bond over shared taste, with the added bonus of discovering new music as well. Blend combines the streaming data of both listeners to curate unique, personalized playlists
Our Spotify Blend playlist did just that. With an incredibly high 98% compatibility score, our Blend playlist became our go-to playlist for any situation, whether it be studying in the library or going on a morning run. It cohesively blended (pun intended) each individual preference with our shared interests, introducing each other to new music and reaffirming old favorites.
Before I knew it, the random girl from game night became my best friend. While other factors contributed to our tight bond, the catalyst of our friendship can be traced back to the Blend playlist between Spotify users @larenanana and @emily everywhere all at once.
It’s no secret that music is a powerful force. With countless genres and artists, music possesses myriad qualities, making it a concept that is almost impossible to describe. It provides a soundtrack to our lives, whether it be a peppy theme song or a sad tune for looking longingly out of the car window while driving. Yet the most interesting aspect of music is the concept of music as a social tool, a way to communicate and connect with one another based on similar or dissimilar tastes.
I like to think about this in terms of another close relationship in my life: my siblings. None of us like the same music. My sister is a fan of Japanese City Pop. My brother can recite all of Baby Keem’s “Family Ties.” I have been quoted saying “I want to mosh to ‘Bags’ by Clairo at my wedding.”
In case you were wondering, the Chiou sibling Spotify Blend compatibility score is embarrassingly low. Yet the three of us have a shared love for the Beatles, Stevie Wonder, and, oddly enough, Charli XCX. Regardless of our contradictory genres, music still acts as a bonding factor that continues to strengthen our sibling relationship, something exemplified when we would blast “Boom Clap” on the way home from school.
Music taste has a revelatory power, unlocking personality traits and uncovering lore hidden to the public eye. It can say a lot about a person. In the midst of a Spotify stalking session, I discovered that a guy of interest was a raving Maroon 5 fan, with playlists of songs like “Sugar” and “Girls Like U.” As a girl who hates Maroon 5, talk about an ick! Safe to say, he was not a person of interest for much longer.
The adverse has happened as well. After finding the Spotify of a high school crush, I discovered multiple playlists dedicated to The Weeknd, Drake and Travis Scott. I’m ashamed to admit this, but The Weeknd was in my top five artists of 2022. Drake was #8. Travis Scott was #10. I think you can figure out why.
I find it funny and almost beautiful how strongly music influences our perception of others. We use it as an outward reflection of ourselves, a badge of honor we bear proudly. It’s a collective expression of shared individualism, a unique connector that ties us to one another.
And it’s a connector that we value so highly. Why do you think everyone posts their Spotify Wrapped on their Instagram story at the end of every year? Or why herds of Isla Vista party goers crowd small backyards to listen to a Grateful Dead tribute band, despite it being 30 years since the original band performed?
Going back to my Blend playlist with the girl from game night — we recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of that fateful stormy night when our friendship first began, and decided to check our Blend score to see if it changed. Despite our drastically different tastes from our freshman year selves, our Blend playlist evolved and adapted alongside our friendship to a whooping 99% compatibility score.
So I encourage you to Blend it up! Listen for those bearing similar tunes, and keep your mind (and ears) open to exploring the extensive world of music. Who knows? You might find a partner/situationship/sibling/best friend in the process.