Spotify Wrapped has returned, allowing users to reflect on their music preferences and share their listening habits with friends on social media. The feature, which debuted Wednesday, showcases personalized streaming data for users, sparking a wave of posts highlighting their musical journeys throughout 2024.
One of the intriguing enhancements this year is the “music evolution” feature, which enables users to track their changing tastes over the year. This function resembles Spotify’s previous “daylist,” presenting users with personalized musical profiles that capture their evolving preferences. Furthermore, users can view their longest listening streaks for their favorite artists.
Many users are sharing their experiences, including the popular “pink pilates princess” phase, a trend that reflects music favored by the LGBTQ+ community. Adding to the excitement, Spotify has launched an AI-generated podcast that summarizes users’ listening patterns. This novel feature utilizes Google’s Notebook LM app, which gained fame for its ability to produce realistic-sounding podcasts based on user notes.
While many are enjoying the new Wrapped features, some users expressed disappointment and urged Spotify to reinstate last year’s “sound towns,” which matched listening habits with corresponding cities.
As expected, Spotify also presented its list of the most-streamed global artists, podcasts, and authors. Taylor Swift dominated the charts as the top artist, amassing over 26.6 billion streams this year, thanks to her successful Eras Tour and the release of her album, “The Tortured Poets Department.” The Weeknd and Bad Bunny followed, securing the second and third positions, while Drake claimed the fourth spot, despite recent controversy regarding his streaming numbers. Billie Eilish rounded out the top five.
Interestingly, Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us,” criticized for allegedly being inflated in streams, remained popular in the U.S., ranking as the second most-streamed song, despite not making it onto the global songs list. In contrast, Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” took the title of the most-streamed global song with over 1.6 billion streams.
On the podcast scene, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy,” and “This Past Weekend with Theo Von” were among the top five globally. The shows captured attention this year as both Rogan and Von hosted President-elect Donald Trump, and Cooper interviewed Vice President Kamala Harris.
Lastly, Spotify introduced its inaugural global audiobooks list after granting Premium subscribers 15 free hours of audiobook listening last year. Sarah J. Maas soared to the top spot with her novel “A Court of Thorns and Roses” and also claimed third place with its sequel.
This year’s Spotify Wrapped not only highlights music and podcasts but also encourages users to explore and discuss their listening habits, fostering a vibrant community centered around shared musical experiences. As media continues to evolve, features like these play a vital role in connecting listeners and enhancing their enjoyment of music.