Reflecting on my Spotify Wrapped

After a much anticipated year-long wait, Spotify Wrapped dropped on December 4, sparking delight for some and dread for others. Personally, I felt a mix of both, which is probably due to my reliance on listening to ‘Brown Noise’ whilst studying in the quiet area on Floor 3 of the library.

In total, I spent 36,940 minutes listening to music, played 2588 songs and delved into the music of 1599 artists. However, as Spotify Wrapped has phrased it – one artist had ‘a special place in my heart. And ears’. That artist was Kid Cudi, who was also my top artist in 2023, so there was no surprise there. I struggle to prescribe Kid Cudi’s music to one genre as it is a blend of melodic rap, hip hop, R&B, and indie rock, which accompanies his truthful lyrics about the hardships he has faced in his life. Despite being my number one artist and me being in the top 0.5% of his listeners, none of his songs were in my top 5.

The French rapper, Jul, has been the most listened-to male artist on Spotify in France for four consecutive years. I really wish I was shocked, or could at least pretend to be, by the fact that Jul was my second most played artist and that the genre ‘Snow Ice Skating French Hip Hop’ defined my April. It is only natural that those reading this would assume I speak fluent French due to my musical taste, but I must break it to you – I do not. I have not studied French for five years. But if you were to ask me to say some French slang, I would be an expert now. Thank you, Jul and his song, ‘Avant la douane’, my second most listened to this year, whilst ‘AMBER’ by Zola, also a French rap song, sits at number five.

I view music as a medium that can be enjoyed universally no matter your culture and what language you speak

In line with this theme of me intently listening to songs in languages I cannot understand, you would be unsurprised to learn that the Puerto Rican rapper and singer, Bad Bunny, was my fourth most listened to artist of 2024. His song ‘Callaita’ was also my fourth most popular song and its upbeat melody truly defined summer for me.

I view music as a medium that can be enjoyed universally no matter your culture and what language you speak; I often find myself appreciating the actual musical qualities of foreign language songs instead of the meaning of their lyrics. Features of music, such as melody, pitch, texture and harmony, all combine to alter the listener’s emotional, physical, and psychological state, allowing one to create their own meaning for a song. I also strongly believe that being surrounded by people who speak multiple languages has altered my music taste and led to French and Latin music dominating my Spotify Wrapped. My playlists expanded after my friends and I had all had a chance to play our music on the speaker in the kitchen.

Wrapped 2024 revealed to me that Drake was my third most listened to artist, and his song, ‘Shot For Me’, coincidentally, was at number three. It appears that I am following a trend as Drake made my top  5 last year. Although, I did not think that ‘Shot For Me’ was my most listened to Drake song. It highly contrasts the other songs in my list as it is a lot more heartfelt, moody and has a softer quality; I probably listened to it a lot whilst studying.

Ultimately, I am pleased by my Spotify Wrapped, which has revealed to me that I should potentially start taking both French and Spanish Duolingo lessons

Childish Gambino was my fifth most played artist but if I continue to talk about him I will just get upset as he cancelled the rest of his tour, so I missed out on seeing him in concert in November.

Now, the big unveiling of my number one song – ‘Lady’ by Modjo. Again, keeping in theme, it is a piece of French house music, but the lyrics are in English. Sadly, the duo who made ‘Lady’ were only active from the years 1999-2003 and this piece of house music is basically a one hit wonder, but I still think it is one of the most iconic songs ever made. If you are ever in a horrid mood or in need of an energy boost, then ‘Lady’ will do the job instantly and that is not an understatement. In 2024, I streamed this song 145 times, which puts me in the top 0.001% of its listeners and I doubt I will stop listening to it anytime soon.

Ultimately, I am pleased by my Spotify Wrapped, which has revealed to me that I should potentially start taking both French and Spanish Duolingo lessons. I look forward to next year where I might have a ‘Boujee American Football Rap’ January or a ‘Mcbling Hollywood Pop’ June once again.