Spotify Has Spoken

Picture this. It’s December first of 2021. The year is nearing its end. The air has a harsh chill to it. Starbucks has long since started selling their holiday drinks. The countdown to the New Year has officially begun. Most importantly, Spotify Wrapped has been released.

For Spotify listeners worldwide, aside from the unlimited amount of music and podcasts to stream, Spotify Wrapped is what makes the app so worthwhile. As most Spotify listeners are already well aware, Spotify Wrapped is the annual music summary gauged for each listener. How many minutes of music did you listen to in total this year? Who was your most listened to artist? Which song did you continuously have on repeat? The answer to each of these questions (and more) is creatively collaged together at the end of every year so each individual can marvel over their listening history. For music fans, Spotify Wrapped has become no less than a form of musical identification and a way to connect with others who have similar top artists.

As attached as we are to our own personal musical habits, the global records of Spotify listening for 2021 have also been released. The top musical artist of the year is the first question on everyone’s mind. The expected Taylor Swift, BTS, Drake, and Justin Bieber made the list as numbers two, three, four, and five respectively. However, as told by the website For the Record in “What the World Streamed Most in 2021,” that honor goes to none other than the artist Bad Bunny. Though this was a shock to many, this was no surprise to the most talented Spotify Wrapped predictors.

The most listened-to songs globally on Spotify were from an array of artists. Also reported by For the Record, the number one song of the year went to Olivia Rodrigo’s “driver’s license.” This was followed by “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” by Lil Nas X, “Stay” by The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber, yet another Olivia Rodrigo song titled “good 4 u”, and Dua Lipa’s “Levitating (feat. DaBaby)”.

Following the pattern of the number one song of the year, the most listened to album goes to Olivia Rodrigo’s “SOUR”. In second, third, fourth, and fifth place are Dua Lipa’s “Future Nostalgia”, “Justice” by Justin Bieber, “=” by Ed Sheeran, and Doja Cat’s “Planet Her”.
All in all, while it may be interesting to know what is going on globally with Spotify user’s listening habits, at the end of the day it’s most important to ask yourself one question: is it more important to listen to the music that is most popular with everyone else, or to listen to what you most enjoy and appreciate? Think about this the next time you are comparing your Spotify Wrapped to the global Spotify records. Something to keep in mind for next year’s Spotify Wrapped. Who’s on your 2021 Spotify Wrapped?