It’s that time of year, chestnuts roasting around an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose, and, of course, the annual release of Spotify Wrapped. 

As the morning of December 1st rolled around, Mayfield students gathered feverishly to see which songs they played the most or figure out their music “aura”, a new addition to Spotify Wrapped, 2021. With Instagram stories filled with Taylor Swift’s “My Chemical Romance,” many were curious to see what artists made it to the top of their charts. 

Yet, not everyone shared the same enthusiasm. 

“I think Spotify Wrapped is rigged,” senior Nina Copado said. “I think they take the music we listened to at the beginning of the year and then forget about the rest.” 

“I don’t mind it much, but I don’t get excited about it at all,” Mia Maalouf ’22 said. 

Despite the annoyance and flood of posts showcasing their top songs, Spotify Wrapped is still a great way to connect with others and find out what song you may have streamed one too many times without realizing it. 

Released annually in early December since 2016, Spotify Wrapped allows Spotify users to view a compilation of data about their activity on the platform over the past year and invites them to share it on social media.

“I actually started using Spotify because of Spotify Wrapped because I like the surprise of seeing what I listen to all year, and what others listen to,” Le Anh Metzger ’22 said. 

“I love Spotify and look forward to it all year because while I really like seeing what other people’s music tastes are,” Callie Pippert ’23 said. “I also like to think about the past four years and reflect on the growth of my music taste.” 

Although not every teenager has the same excitement for the annual release of their music, there’s no denying the anticipation that surrounds the event. From TikTok predictions of their favorite songs to exposure of their top artists, many people shared how music got them through 2021. 

“However you streamed, it was uniquely you, and uniquely 2021,” headlined Spotify’s news release. Their hope is that Spotify Wrapped 2021 helps subscribers reflect on their experience and further brings people together. Listeners realizing their favorite song matches celebrities, matching auras with their significant others, laughing at their friends’ top artists, can be quite the bonding experience. Although if you’re in that position of carrying a cringy Spotify wrapped chart, you may want to start changing that in 2022.

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