Anxiously awaited by people who love to brag about how niche their music taste is, Spotify Wrapped was released on Wednesday, Dec. 3. This resulted in countless Instagram stories where people boasted about their top five artists and songs, so that they could show the world how unique they are. Looking back on a year of listening, the Daily Campus Opinion section answers: Who was your top artist this year and what does that say about you?
Tomas Hinckley, Opinion Editor: My top artist was Radiohead, and this is second time in three years they’ve been at the top of my list. Now, “society” (Twitter) tells me I should be embarrassed by this, but I refuse the notion. “Society” (my friend Luis) tells me that it’s “male manipulator music” and a “red flag,” and to this I say it is quite possible! Still, the appropriation and bastardization of Radiohead by people with evil intentions (poor emotional maturity) has caused irreparable harm to the reputation of one of the greatest and most revolutionary bands of all time. Although I do subscribe to the idea that some people should feel shame for their musical choices, this is not an example. I am prepared to die on this hill and in this essay I will-
Patrick Minnerly, Weekly Columnist: Laufey was my top artist this year and also swept my top five songs, so I wasn’t very surprised – I may or may not have listened to one of her songs 151 times. Plus, she was number four in 2023, even though I had just discovered her in August of that year, so the progression was natural. The artists that rounded out my top five also made sense to me, although Florence + the Machine at No. 5 was a little surprising since I mainly listened to them earlier in the year. Overall, I do wish that Spotify Wrapped gave me my top genres, and a couple other bells and whistles could have been kept from last year’s edition. I did take a listen to Spotify’s “Wrapped AI Podcast” expecting to hate everything about it, but I was unfortunately disappointed as it was actually not the worst.
Dan Stark, Staff Writer: A Deadhead whose top artist is the Grateful Dead for the fifth year in a row, need I say more? My top five artists reflected my status as a jam band fan. But the less said about my top five songs, the better.
Raegan Skelly, Contributor: For the sixth year in a row, Taylor Swift is my top artist. I am not surprised in the slightest, as I am the biggest defender of her most recent album, “The Tortured Poets Department.” I do, however, have some questions for the month segment of Spotify Wrapped, as my fifth most streamed song was “Massachusetts” by indie artist Jensen McRae. I’m not shocked at its placement, as I eagerly waited for the song to be released and had been listening to a TikTok demo for at least six months beforehand. The song however was released in June 2024, but Spotify listed that I was “really into artists like Jensen McRae” in February, even though “Massachusetts” was the first song of hers I got into. I trust its placement and inclusion in my Spotify Wrapped, but I think they may be getting sloppy.
Noa Climor, Contributor: To the surprise of absolutely no one, Olivia Rodrigo is my top artist for the third year in a row. She is joined by great names such as Billie Eilish and Lizzy McAlpine. Eilish released my top streamed song, “BLUE,” which I highly recommend everyone listen to. My second most streamed song was Rodrigo’s “Obsessed” which I fell in love with from the moment I heard it. I am surprised DJO didn’t make it to my top five since I genuinely couldn’t stop listening to his music this year. Alas, I digress; the real top five might just be the friends we made along the way.