Spotify Wrapped is an annual year-end tradition on Spotify where the service re most popular songs and artists of the year are revealed. You can find out your top artists on Spotify or see what was trending this year. In years past, I’d see Linkin Park as my top artist for the year, but 2021 was a year of musical discovery. As a result, I listened to a lot of different artists, 467 to be exact.
According to Spotify Wrapped 2021, I listened to 35 different genres. Some of my results were out of left field. For instance, I had no idea I was so into Nu-Metal or Dance Pop this year. But, of course, nostalgia played a key factor, as much of my music was by 1990/2000s artists. *NSYNC, Limp Bizkit, and Ace of Base all held a very high spot.
While my top artist was different, some things stayed the same- I still loved listening to Pop and Rock music. But, I branched out into Dance and Soul as well. Spotify did a great job of recognizing my past preferences and introducing me to new music.
Upon seeing my results, I also realized that this is the first time I didn’t have a song by Linkin Park on the list since the beginning of Spotify Wrapped. Instead, I spent the most time listening to Michael Jackson. So much in fact that Spotify has credited me as one of the top 1% listeners for that artist. Combined, I listened to Michael for a total of 11 hours and couldn’t get enough of “Billie Jean”. In all, I spent 4,173 minutes listening on Spotify, more than 43% of the entire United States.
Spotify Wrapped 2021 was an exciting look into my music listening habits over the past year. It was great to see both old and new artists that I enjoyed. Thanks, Spotify!
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Opening Credits Theme: Ace of Base – Don’t Turn Around
I felt nostalgic earlier this year and made a 1990s and 2000s Dance Pop playlist that I often put on in the background while working from home. This was all I played for two straight months, and Spotify Wrapped picked up on this.
For those who missed one of the best eras of dance music, Ace of Base was a Swedish pop group that released their debut album in 1992. The band released six studio albums (one being a reissue), sold over 50 million records worldwide, and was hugely popular during the 1990s.
When I was a kid, I owned two records by them, The Sign and The Bridge. Remember when people still bought CDs? Christ, I’m old.
Spotify Wrapped / Top Song of The Year: Cartel – Say Anything (Else)
Continuing my theme of nostalgia, and thanks in part to my pop-punk loving significant other, I dove deep into her “Random Music” playlist on iHeartRadio. I loved playing certain pop-punk tracks on repeat, and Cartel was a stand-out. Their song “Say Anything (Else)” was a mainstay all summer, and Spotify Wrapped picked up on how often this was played, which according to them was 14 times. I think that’s broken, as I’m pretty sure I listened to this song FAR more than that. Cartel also took my #3 spot with “Faster Ride”. Ace of Base also would follow Cartel with two songs in my top 5.
Spotify Wrapped / Top Five Songs:
1. Cartel – “Say Anything (Else)”
2. Michael Jackson – “Billie Jean”
3. Cartel – “Faster Ride”
4. Ace of Base – “Don’t Turn Around”
5. Ace of Base – “Beautiful Life”
My Vibe Check:
Angsty and Happy. Nowhere has the duality of my mental states this year been better displayed than here. 2021 has been an up and down year for me. I’ve had a lot of positives going on in my life as well as a lot of negatives. Proving that sometimes my brain can work in polar opposites, Spotify Wrapped 2021 tells me that my musical vibes this year have ranged from Angst to Happy. I use music as a soundtrack to my moods, and Spotify Wrapped did a great job showing this.
Spotify Wrapped / My Top Genres:
1. Nu-Metal (how?)
2. Emo
3. Dance Pop
4. Soul
5. Soft Rock
Spotify Wrapped / Top Artist: Michael Jackson
No surprise here. Ever since I was a little boy, I have always been obsessed with Michael Jackson. Born in the late 80s and growing up in the 90s, I was part of the generation where Michael Jackson was unstoppable. His music was always on the radio, he was always in the media, and it seemed like almost everyone loved him. Of course, people have opinions of him as an individual, but there is no denying his influence and importance as an artist. It didn’t get any better than The King of Pop, and even over 30 years on, nothing has changed.
Spotify Wrapped 2021 credited me with spending the most time listening to Michael Jackson out of any other artist, with a total of 11 hours. This was no surprise to me as I have been listening to him since I was young, and I don’t see myself stopping any time soon. According to Spotify Wrapped 2021, I am also one of that artist’s top 1% listeners. Awesome!
Final Thoughts
I enjoy Spotify since it enables me to discover new artists or songs that I would not have heard otherwise. For years, I’ve looked forward to my yearly Spotify Wrapped results. It’s fascinating to see how my personal listening habits change over time. Also, Spotify Wrapped is an excellent method of getting a glimpse into the musical tastes of Spotify users and what artists and songs Spotify users in general love.
Let’s see how everyone else’s results turned out. What was your Spotify Wrapped 2021 playlist like?
