As December rolls around, the highly anticipated Spotify Wrapped notification has begun appearing on listeners’ Spotify home page. For many, it has become a ritual to share their top songs, artists, and other listening stats — sparking conversations and friendly comparisons. But how did this phenomenon begin?
Spotify Wrapped is an annual feature released by Spotify that provides users with a personal summary of their listening habits over the past year. This recap showcases users’ top artists, songs, genres, albums, and total listening minutes. It has become a cultural phenomenon on social media and at Hingham High School.
Spotify Wrapped debuted in December 2016, evolving from the platform’s earlier “Year in Music” feature launched in 2015. Wrapped took their previous recap and made it more personal by creating colorful, shareable graphics that allowed users to broadcast their listening habits on social media. The feature’s success was immediate, setting the trend for other music streaming platforms.
Today, Apple Music’s Replay, YouTube Music’s Recap, and even smaller services like Deezer have joined the recap game, each with their unique spin on celebrating user’s music journeys. The argument of which streaming platform is better is constantly discussed but the main thing that brings the argument to a halt is the discussion between favorite music no matter which platform it comes from.
At Hingham High School, students eagerly awaited this year’s Wrapped, excited to see their most-played artists and total listening minutes. Senior Caroline Connolly shared her thoughts, saying, “It wasn’t what I was listening to currently, but it makes sense to what I was listening to over the summer,” Her Wrappped revealed her top artists Tate McRae and Morgan Wallen dominating her top spots. Caroline added, “I had no idea that it was coming out, but when it did, I got excited.”
Junior Hanley Stroka echoed this enthusiasm, noting, “Yeah, I wanted to see how many minutes I had this year. I had like 30k.” Hanle’s Wrapped highlighted Dom Dolla as his favorite artist and also shined a light on his realization that his “music taste has changed so much over the last year.”
Senior Taylor Delaney’s Wrapped showcased her love for Sabrina Carpenter, an artist whose album release this year significantly influenced her listening habits. “Yeah, because when Sabrina Carpenter released her new album, I did listen to it a lot, like constantly,” she said. Taylor appreciated how Wrapped showcased her refined music taste stating, “Last year I feel like I just listened to random songs, but now I feel like I have tailored my music taste, which is reflected in my Spotify Wrapped.” This year, she logged 19,000 minutes of music.
Spotify Wrapped and similar features tap into our love for nostalgia and self-reflection, offering a digital diary of our evolving tastes. They help bring us together through the art of music and give snapshots of personal growth and the changing soundtracks of our lives. Whether it’s revisiting summer anthems, tracking listening milestones, or uncovering new favorite artists, Wrapped and its counterparts continue to resonate deeply with listeners worldwide.
