Every year since 2016, Spotify users eagerly anticipate their Q4 musical astrological chart reading, aka Spotify Wrapped. It’s akin to the thrill of first discovering your sun sign, taking the Myers-Briggs test in high school, or having your college roommate dive into your numerology chart. Humans love having themselves explained to themselves, and music consumption offers a particularly rich, personal pool to draw from.
But how revealing is it, really? My colleague Genevieve Burgess aptly described Spotify Wrapped as something that “encourages a performative bent to music appreciation” while reminding us that music should be enjoyed “without worrying about other people.” In that spirit, I’ll share my Wrapped—though I know you’ll smirk and exclaim, “I knew it!” when you see it.
Yeah, okay. Drag me all you want—I’m a girl of a certain age. But here’s the thing: I don’t get the hype over Spotify Wrapped. I already know which artists and songs I listened to most this year. I was there! Of course, it was going to say Taylor Swift and Chappell Roan. Does seeing that affirmed make me feel warm and fuzzy? Not one bit.
This version of Spotify Wrapped is built for Instagram stories. Like Genevieve said, it’s performative. I’m supposed to flaunt my Swiftie status and pretend I don’t care what people think. “See?” I’m supposed to declare. “No guilty pleasures here—I’m better than you!” Sure, I like Taylor Swift. I listen to her in the car a lot. But that’s just 10% of who I am. My sun sign is Sagittarius, by the way—obvious, right? Taylor Swift is the least interesting part of my Spotify listening.
What Spotify Wrapped misses—that’s the good stuff. Take the audiobooks I listen to at full blast while doing dishes, laundry, or walking. I couldn’t summarize a single one, but they’re all written down on my list of books I’ve “read” this year. Or the musicals my boyfriend, his brother, and I played during a three-hour drive to a wedding. Those hours of “Heaven On Their Minds” from Jesus Christ Superstar will live in my head forever. We also tested various noise tracks—Green Noise was too high-pitched, Brown Noise too low, and White Noise too basic. And let’s not forget February, when I was obsessed with memorizing Blossom Dearie’s “Rhode Island Is Famous For You” and played it five times daily, just in case I ever find myself doing karaoke with someone from Rhode Island.
If Spotify Wrapped is your sun sign, the rest is your moon sign (mine’s also Sagittarius, so bear with me). It’s the emotional, intuitive part of you: listening to audiobooks around the house because you hate being alone with your thoughts; self-soothing with noise at night but compromising so your boyfriend can sleep; or how parents use Spotify to distract their kids during car rides. It’s about memories, nurturing, and connection—giving and receiving love.
Spotify Wrapped is the performance; the rest is what happens backstage. Personally, I’d rather take a peek behind the curtain.