Originally released in 2007, Spotify became one of the world’s biggest streaming services. Its affordability and free-tier access service soothed the lives of many avid music listeners. Over the years Spotify began adding services that revolutionized the platform to many viewers. Features such as discover weekly, daily mix and Spotify Wrapped leveraged users’ listening data into tailored playlists that felt unique to them, making searching easier and discovery possible.
Within the last year, Spotify Wrapped has become popular amongst many listeners who eagerly shared the musical statistics that define their identity. After gaining popularity, the feature became known as “Year In Music,” becoming the beta version for Spotify wrapped before its reintroduction. Other than the usual top artists and albums of the year, the edition features a listening age, an interactive quiz, personal quotes, listening archive and wrapped clubs. The club aspect garnered the most fan attention with many sharing their types of clubs ranging from the cloud state society, grit collective, club serotonin, full charge crew, cosmic stereo club, and soft hearts club on social media platforms such as TikTok. Out of the six, the soft hearts club and club serotonin emerged as the most popular, reflecting a high level of vulnerability and escapism through music that many fans shared.
But Spotify Wrapped is more than just a record of most listened to songs and longest streaks. Music, as a powerful emotional experience, is often tied to impactful moments in life and every Spotify Wrapped gives a unique opportunity to reconnect with old memories. Anika Budlow, a senior at Eastern, talks about how her top song, “Lion” by Elevation Worship featuring Brandon Lake and Chris Brown, reminds her of her faith journey. “When I went to church coming back from winter break last year, it was one of the first songs I heard. And I don’t know, it just sent chills down my spine. I resonated with it so much.” Budlow is not alone in her music connecting to incredible memories. Muldoon, a junior, has “No One Mourns the Wicked” from the “Wicked: The Soundtrack” as his top song and has a huge variety of music genres in his Wrapped, which is expected as he is a performer. Calvin Butler, a sophomore, loves Rodwave and Summer Walker, his two top artists. He recalls how he wasn’t able to make it to the Philadelphia Roadwave concert, but he looks forward to Summer’s upcoming concert. Samantha Perry, a freshman, tells the story of her best friend, Phoebe Giglio, who is Perry’s top artist. Perry also shares how much she loved her friend’s first single, “Finished,” “Her first one is actually my top song as well, and she came out with it, and I just, I love being proud of her… I also, this year specifically, was pretty sure that she was going to be at the top and I was really excited to call her and tell her… I also screen recorded the face time, and I got to post that, me telling her.”
Spotify doesn’t just keep track of personal experiences; it also records global trends through the years. Spotify: For the Record shows the rankings for most streamed artists, songs and much more for the whole world. There they say the top artist worldwide was Bad Bunny, followed by Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, Drake, and then Billie Eilish. Even though Bad Bunny was the top artist of the year, only one of his songs made it to top 10. Spotify: For the Record also includes other features of their platform, like audiobooks and podcasts, the top podcast being “The Joe Rogan Experience” with Joe Rogan, and the top audiobook being “Fourth Wing” by Rebecca Yarros.
While the data highlights Spotify’s corporate dominance, the viral digital format that defines wrapped actually originated from the vision of a former intern, Jewel Ham. The Howard alumna served on the streaming service’s design team during her 2019 internship, expressing her mixed media and artistic talents. According to Essence Magazine, Ham stated “It was just a link they would send at the end of the year [before she added her idea]. I gave the presentation at the end of my intern project, it was received really well. They liked the idea. That was my last day.” It is because of Ham’s contribution that Spotify has lengthened their successes, becoming highly competitive within the streaming world, contending for the number one spot with Apple Music. As Black History Month approaches, it is vital to recognize Black creatives like Ham, whose profound impact on global digital culture often goes unrecognized and whose credit is frequently left out of the corporate narrative. Ultimately, Spotify wrapped is more than just a viral trend but a testimony to the impact of what music and its visionaries have.
