As per tradition, hallways buzzed in anticipation of the release of the 2024 Spotify Wrapped. On Wednesday, Dec. 4, the wait was finally over. Students’ Spotify Wrapped flooded Instagram stories and conversations. Spotify Wrapped, a summary of an individual’s activity on the music streaming platform Spotify, can be a subject of excitement or nervousness depending on the listener. However, there’s no doubt that Spotify Wrapped brings the community together in a celebration of music to conclude the end of the year.
“‘Jazz’ is the first part of my name,” Jazzlyn Vaughan ‘26 said. “Since I’ve grown up, music is one of those things that’s revolved around my life always. There’s definitely a lot of lows in my life that would have been a lot harder to get out of without music. [Music] is one of those things that I can always depend on to fit my mood or just be there for me.”
Minutes Listened
Spotify listeners all have different listening habits. While some people constantly listen to music, others partake in it as a hobby. Among the stress of school and hardships in life, music can be an escape for many.
“I feel like I need it 24/7,” Chloe Paddock ‘25, who had over 200,000 minutes on her Spotify Wrapped said. “I feel like a lot of my life revolves around music. I’m the type of person that creates playlists for everything, like a rainy day or any type of activity. I have a whole playlist that I [listen to] when I go to sleep. I posted [my minutes] on my Instagram story and everybody was like, ‘are you okay? How does that even happen?’ Everybody else’s is [around] 30,000. They’re kind of normal, you know?”
Top Listening Locations
Enjoying music can happen anywhere and everywhere, from the car to the shower as music finds its way into daily routines. Boasting high minutes, Westwood Spotify users find time to listen to music in various places.
“[I listen to music] all the time, just as often as I can really,” Sebastian Grimaldo ‘25 said. “At this point it’s just normal to me to always listen to music. It just calms my nerves down. I always have to have music in the car. Also, in the gym I’m always listening to music. Something upbeat, but at the same time, in the gym I’ll listen to some ambient music, because I like to experiment [and] see which one gives me a better workout.”
Double Trouble: Travis Scott and Taylor Swift
Perhaps one of the most polarizing genre duos of music is that of hip-hop and pop. Artists Travis Scott and Taylor Swift were, respectively, Westwood students’ No. 1 and No. 2 artists in 2024. Interestingly, various students had both Travis Scott and Taylor Swift in their top five artists. The diversity in genres emphasizes how Spotify Wrapped can tell a lot about a person.
“I think it’s good listening to different types of music,” Sofia Prasla ‘27, who had both Travis Scott and Taylor Swift in her top five artists said. “When I say Taylor Swift, sometimes [I feel embarrassed] because I know a lot of people hate on her. [In hip-hop], a lot of people relate to the lyrics and they listen to actually feel something. Everyone has different personalities so [they have] different music tastes.”
Warriors’ Top Artists of 2024
Often, someone’s Spotify Wrapped can garner judgment. The commonly heard insult of someone having a mainstream or “basic” music taste can put negativity into otherwise positive music spaces. This year, Westwood students seemed to lean toward hip-hop and rap music, with only one mainstream pop artist appearing in the top five artists.
“My Wrapped makes me look very basic, but I don’t feel like I am,” Brady Johnson ‘26 said. “In my heart, I have a very strong individuality complex, so I don’t care what you say. I’m like, ‘no, I am different. I am the main character’. I will feed my own delusion. [Spotify Wrapped] is a quick thrill that you only get once a year, but it’s still exciting.”
Although students’ top five artists represent a portion of students, they don’t truly depict the diversity in music taste. The variety of genres, artists, and music unable to be captured by a top five list showcases how every listener has their own unique background in music. At the end of the year, Spotify Wrapped is a distinctive peek into who a person was that year.
“I grew up with [my parents] listening to a lot of music on the record player and speakers while cleaning the house,” Indi Harrell ‘28 said. “I was really raised with a mix of both of their music tastes, so I think that’s influenced what I listen to now. Honestly, I’m glad I had that experience by being judged [for my music taste] because it makes me more open to people and more sympathetic to their situations. My experiences with people about my music has really shaped me.”
