Spotify listeners may be familiar with Spotify Wrapped – the popular yearly presentation that shows users their listening statistics. Usually arriving in early December, listeners get to see their top artists, songs, and genres, as well as other fun information, such as total minutes listened. 

    Wrapped is a great way for music lovers to share their taste with others. “I get to post it on my Insta, where everybody just flips through it,” said freshman Lily Kuebler, sharing her favorite part of the feature.

    Some parts of Wrapped can be predictable, but the annual slideshow will often surprise people. “My favorite part is seeing what my top songs are. There are always songs I wouldn’t expect. I think [there will be] some songs that I have been listening to a lot, but a few songs that I listened to earlier in the year,” said senior Winston Smith.

    Spotify compiles the listening information from Jan 1 until Oct 31. It is common for someone’s Spotify Wrapped to feature songs or artists that haven’t been listened to in months, but were listened to frequently earlier in the year.

    Artists, however, can be more predictable, as the number of musicians listened to is often lower than the number of songs. Many listeners can confidently guess their top three artists for the year. “The Smiths, Joy Division, and New Order [were my top artists,]” said Smith. “Kidz Bop, Taylor Swift, and Sara Bareilles [were my top artists,” said Kuebler.

    Included in the slideshow is information about users’ most-listened artist. Users were able to see whether they were in the top 0.5, 0.1, or even 0.05% of listeners to an artist. This particular statistic has sparked some competition for listeners as they strive to be among the top fans of their favorite musicians.

    Spotify Wrapped dates back to 2015, although it was called ‘Year in Music’ at the time. Since then, the feature has experienced much more than just a name change, with Wrapped 2020 having more content than any year before.

    Whether Wrapped 2021 is loaded with new elements or identical to last year’s presentation, Spotify listeners are ready and waiting to see what is in store for them this year.