It’s that time of year again as Spotify Wrapped returns, igniting a wave of excitement across social media. Launched this Wednesday, the platform’s personalized year-end streaming data allows users to share and scrutinize their musical choices from 2024 with friends and followers.
One of the standout features introduced this year is “music evolution,” which offers users a glimpse into their changing musical tastes over the year. This innovative tool, akin to Spotify’s “daylist,” gives a distinctive profile for each user, reflecting various ‘phases’ in their listening habits. Users can also check their longest streaks of listening to their favorite artists.
This season, many users enthusiastically shared their experiences, particularly highlighting a phase dubbed “pink pilates princess,” a term many associate with music trends popular in the LGBTQ+ community.
Another exciting addition is a personal AI-generated podcast that summarizes users’ listening trends. Created with Google’s Notebook LM app, which gained popularity this year for its ability to produce engaging summary podcasts, this feature brings a unique twist to how users interact with their listening history.
Although many users are reveling in the new features, there are some who expressed disappointment, particularly requesting the return of last year’s “sound towns,” which identified a city aligned with users’ music preferences.
As is tradition, Spotify also shared lists of the most-streamed global artists, podcasts, and authors. Taylor Swift topped the charts, achieving over 26.6 billion streams this year, bolstered by the success of her Eras Tour and her latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department.” The Weeknd and Bad Bunny followed in second and third place, respectively, while Drake remained notable in the fourth position despite his recent controversy regarding streaming numbers. Billie Eilish rounded out the top five.
While Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us” didn’t make the top global songs list, it was the second most-streamed song in the U.S. with over 928 million streams. Meanwhile, Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” took the global crown with over 1.6 billion streams.
The podcast arena saw familiar names dominate, with “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy,” and “This Past Weekend with Theo Von” ranking among the top five globally. Notably, all three shows featured high-profile guests, including political figures.
In a further highlight, Spotify introduced its inaugural top global audiobooks list. BookTok sensation Sarah J. Maas achieved the top spot with “A Court of Thorns and Roses,” as well as landing third on the list with its sequel.
In summary, Spotify Wrapped not only showcases individual listening preferences but also reflects broader cultural trends, making it a unique celebration of music and storytelling. As users share their experiences, the community continues to connect through the universal language of music, fostering a sense of belonging and exploration. This sense of connection fuels positivity as we look forward to what next year’s Wrapped might bring.