At the beginning of every December, Spotify users open the app to see a brand new tab appear on their homescreens: Spotify Wrapped. They excitedly click through their stats, seeing how many minutes of music they listened to, which artists and albums they listened to the most and which genres were their listening favorites. This annual ritual for all music enjoyers recaps their year, with 2025 marking the tenth year that Spotify Wrapped has been around.
In 2015, Spotify released the “Spotify Year in Music,” but it was limited in musical data. It offered users the chance to see their top artists and songs, but not much else. The following year, it was rebranded to “Spotify Wrapped,” where Spotify created a playlist containing the user’s top 100 songs. It continued to grow in popularity, especially when the 2019 version introduced the ability to publish stats straight to social media.
This year, Spotify went above and beyond for its 10th anniversary. With more stats than ever, they included song minutes listened, number of genres, top genres, listening age (the average age of the music listened to), number of songs, top five songs, number of albums, top five albums, podcast minutes listened, top five podcasts, artists listened to, top five artists and an exclusive “listening club,” where listeners are paired with people around the world with similar music taste. For the top 100 songs playlists, they included the number of times the user listened to each of the songs. The top new feature, however, was the Spotify Wrapped Party. With this, users can join parties with friends or family where they receive awards, discover their music compatibility — which is how similar their music taste is — and compete for most minutes listened and most artists discovered.
Spotify Wrapped also releases its global top five artists of the year, which they measure by the number of times that the artist’s songs were streamed. In fifth was Billie Eilish, fourth was Drake, third was The Weeknd and second was Taylor Swift. Taking the top spot was the Latino artist Bad Bunny, who will be capping off this success with a Super Bowl halftime show performance coming in February of 2026. All of these artists saw success this year and will continue to produce music for their many fans.
For many students, Spotify Wrapped has become more than an annual tradition; it’s a highly anticipated story of their listening year. Green Hope freshman Ali Fortuniewicz logged 26,546 minutes this year, a number she said accurately reflected the music she listened to on a daily basis. Her top artist was Frank Ocean, whose music dominated her playlist, and her top song was “Ivy” by Frank Ocean. Unlike some Spotify users who open their Spotify Wrapped to unexpected songs or artists, Ali said, “Nothing in my Wrapped surprised me; I listen to all of my top artists pretty often.”
Fortuniewicz also stated that Spotify Wrapped has become an exciting way to reflect on her personal and cultural identity. “It created a tradition and something that I look forward to, and a way to express my identity.” For many, it’s become a diary that shows students their unique music taste throughout the year.
Freshman Lily Swain also shared her Spotify Wrapped, which included a mix of emotional pop and modern country. Her top artists included Tate McRae, Megan Moroney, Zach Bryan, Bailey Zimmerman and Daniel Caesar, a lineup that involves many different genres of music. “I get excited to see my music throughout the year,” Swain said. For her, Wrapped is a chance to look back at the songs that shaped studying, late-night drives and everything in between.
Together, Ali and Lily represent why Spotify Wrapped has become a cultural staple for not only students, but listeners worldwide: it turns everyday music listening into a reflection of identity. Whether it’s the comfort of familiar favorites or the excitement of shifting genres, Spotify Wrapped transforms personal playlists into a story of unique listening experiences.
