It’s that time of year again—Spotify Wrapped season has arrived, inviting users to reflect on and share their music listening habits from the past year. The streaming platform launched its personalized end-of-year data on Wednesday, prompting a wave of social media posts as users showcased their top tracks and favorite artists of 2024.
A standout feature this year is “music evolution,” which provides insights into how users’ musical tastes have shifted throughout the year. This feature is akin to Spotify’s “daylist” and creates personalized, niche profiles that capture users’ musical “phases.” Additionally, listeners can track their longest listening streaks for their favorite artists, offering a more dynamic view of their engagement with music.
Among the trending themes, many users humorously labeled their listening habits as the “pink pilates princess” phase, resonating particularly within the LGBTQ+ community.
In another exciting update, Spotify also introduced a personalized AI-generated podcast that summarizes users’ listening habits. This podcast leverages Google’s Notebook LM app, which gained popularity for its ability to produce realistic-sounding summaries using users’ notes.
While many celebrated the unveiling of Wrapped, reactions were mixed, with some expressing disappointment in the new features and requesting the return of last year’s “sound towns”—a feature that matched users with cities reflecting their musical tastes.
As always, Spotify released a list of the most-streamed global artists, songs, and podcasts. Topping the artist charts is Taylor Swift, boasting over 26.6 billion streams this year, thanks to her ongoing Eras Tour and the release of her latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department.” Following her are The Weeknd and Bad Bunny, with Drake and Billie Eilish rounding out the top five artists.
Interestingly, despite Drake’s recent controversy over streaming numbers related to Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us,” he maintained his position as the fourth most-streamed artist of the year. The track did not make the top global songs list but had garnered over 928 million streams, ranking as the second most-streamed song in the U.S.
Notably, Sabrina Carpenter’s hit “Espresso” emerged as the most-streamed global song, amassing over 1.6 billion streams.
On the podcast side, popular shows such as “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy,” and “This Past Weekend with Theo Von” made it into the top five globally. They made headlines this year with high-profile guests including President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Finally, Spotify introduced its first global audiobooks list, reflecting the rising trend of audiobook consumption among subscribers. Sarah J. Maas’s “A Court of Thorns and Roses” claimed the top spot, while its sequel, “A Court of Mist and Fury,” secured the third position.
In summary, Spotify Wrapped not only serves as a reflection of users’ listening experiences but also highlights the evolving nature of music consumption. As listeners engage with these unique features, they can celebrate their personal musical journeys and the diverse range of artists shaping the global soundscape. This yearly tradition continues to foster community and connection through music, marking a hopeful end to the year for music lovers everywhere.