At the end of each year, people celebrate all of their triumphs and the challenges they faced by rekindling old memories. Another way that some can recount their memories from the year is checking out their Spotify Wrapped. Spotify is a popular music streaming app. Here, listeners can make playlists, as well as stream music and podcasts. Spotify provides its users with a summary to celebrate the closing of the year; this includes statistics such as the user’s top five most-listened-to songs and artists along with their most listened to genres and how many minutes they’ve listened that year in total. Spotify Wrapped shows users data that can easily be shared on social media with a click of a button. This is appealing to many KHS students because it allows them to show off their particular music taste with all of their friends. TKC interviewed 14 KHS students to get their opinions on Spotify Wrapped.

Colin Murphy • Senior

Artists: Peach Pit, Chevelle, Vulfpeck, TOOL, Childish Japes

Songs: Drop the Guillotine, Camp Adventure, Feelin’ Low (F*ckboy Blues), Shampoo Bottles, Black Licorice

Minutes listened: 46,931

Top genre: Rock

TKC: When do you usually listen to Spotify?

CM: “I always have [Spotify] on in the car. Whenever I’m doing homework, if [the] class is particularly boring I’ll have music on in the background. Whenever something doesn’t require my complete attention and whenever I don’t like to give it my all, I like to have music on in the background. [Music is] a very comforting thing for me. It’s like a comfort blanket.”

Xander Piskulic • Senior

Artists: Basement, Narrow Head, Weezer, ALASKALASKA, Balance And Composure

Songs:   Tough Love, Oversized, Old Yeller, Location, Hanging Around

Minutes listened: 77,317

Top genre: Rock
TKC: Were you surprised by how much time you spent listening to Spotify?
XP: “No, I know for a fact that I listen to a lot of music. My first year I think I listened to Spotify for 73,000 minutes. Last year I only listened [to music on Spotify] for like 43,000 [minutes], and I was kinda disappointed. And then this year I was back up to 79,000 [minutes]. That’s higher than most of the people that I talk to, but I can’t get out of my head that the first or second year I had Spotify, one of my friends listened to Spotify for over 140,000 [minutes]. Part of me just wants to reach for that.”

Eva Gianino • Senior

Artists: 21 Savage, Kodak Black, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, Metro Boomin, Brent Faiyaz

Songs: Had Enough (feat. Quavo and Offset), Let Em’ Know, B.E.D., Or Nah (feat. The Weekend, Wiz Khalifa & DJ Mustard), Transportin’

Minutes listened: 36,727

Top genre: Rap

TKC: What do you like about Spotify Wrapped?
EG: “I think it’s interesting because for me some of [my results] were like ‘Yeah that makes sense,’ but [for] other ones I was kind of surprised. [It’s also interesting] to see [if] you are [in] the top [percentage] of people that listen to that artist.”

Christopher Plants • Junior

Artists: Ben Platt, Adele, Lewis Capaldi, Harry Styles, Glee Cast

Songs: Falling; Baba Yetu; Classic; Before You Go; Hurry, Hurry

Minutes listened: 33,087

Top genre: Pop

TKC: Why do you think people enjoy seeing their Spotify Wrapped?
CP: “People like seeing [Spotify Wrapped] to see what music they really like. I know for me, people are always like, ‘What genre of music do you really like?’ and I never really have an answer. And now I do: [my favorite genre] is pop and pop rap. It’s interesting because I never knew what my top genre [was], but now I know what to say.”

Katie Weyerich • Junior

Artists: Ruel, One Direction, Olivia O’Brien, Kodak Black, Lil Uzi Vert

Songs: Every Little Thing, UCLA, still feel., Josslyn, Free Time

Minutes listened: 18,296

Top genre: Pop
TKC: Why do you prefer Spotify over other streaming services?
KW: “Spotify is easier to access because [it] gives you the option to listen without paying. And also I really like how Spotify gives you generated playlists, like the “For you” playlist. Honestly, the Wrapped at the end of the year makes [Spotify] worth it.”

Tommy Byrne • Junior

Artists: Lorde, Blue Oyster Cult, Steely Dan, Kayne West, Asia

Songs: My Old School, Tennis Court, Ribs, 400 Lux, Tropical Heat

Minutes listened: 21,867

Top genre: rap
TKC: Were you ever surprised by your Spotify Wrapped results?
TB: “Not really, because there’s a website where I can go on to see my Spotify stats throughout the year. I’m kind of up to date with my [Spotify statistics] before I get the Spotify Wrapped.”

Nathan Hopkins • Senior

Artists: The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Jeff Beck, Cream

Songs: Live with me – Remastered, Black Coffee, Bring it on Home – Remastered, Sympathy For The Devil, Heartbreaker – Remastered

Minutes listened: 31,117

Top genre: Classic Rock
TKC: Why do you like getting Spotify Wrapped at the end of the year?
NH: “The biggest reason I like to look at it is to see how much I actually listen to music. I’m surprised that my total number of minutes [was] lower than I thought it was.”

Emelia Pierre • Junior

Artists: Ruel, Chase Atlantic, BENEE, Billie Eilish, Melanie Martinez

Songs: Dazed & Confused, Face To Face, Real Thing, Younger, Free Time

Minutes listened: 23,165

Top genre: Pop
TKC: Why do you think people like Spotify Wrapped?
EP: “[Spotify Wrapped is] aesthetically pleasing. It’s really interesting to see what artists you have listened to throughout the year — it takes you back. It’s also surprising to find out how much you have listened to these artists. And it’s fun to compare your Spotify Wrapped to your friends. [My friends and I] watch them together.”

Jack Miller • Sophomore

Artists: Juice WRLD, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Peep, XXXTENTACION, Kanye West

Songs: white tee, witchblades, Myron, Bean (Kobe)[feat. Chief Keef], Yes Indeed

Minutes listened: 42,801

Top genre: Rap
TKC: Is there anything that you would change or improve about Spotify Wrapped?
JM: “[I would suggest to] maybe have minutes-per-artist and song because I’d be interested to know how it changes from [ranks] one to five. I want to see how many minutes I’ve listened to my number one song versus how many I have listened to my number five [song]. I think that would be really cool.”

Margaret Mallow • Sophomore 

Artists: Original Broadway Cast Recording), Lin-Manuel Miranda, ABBA, Leslie Odom Jr., Elton John

Songs: Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) – Remastered, Dancing Queen, The Way You Look Tonight, You Make Me Feel So Good, Honkey Cat

Minutes Listened: 19,264

Top Genre: Pop
TKC: Were you surprised by how many minutes you have listened to Spotify?
MM: “I thought I listened to music a lot because I had 19,000 [minutes]. But then, I saw that other people had around 50,000 [minutes]. So at first I thought that I listened to a lot of music, but then I saw everyone else’s [minutes] and realized that maybe I don’t listen to music as often as I thought I did.”

Kate Bergman • Junior

Artists: Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, Rex Orange County, Too Many Zooz, Tyler, The Creator

Songs: Car Alarm, CITY OF ANGELS, Moral of the Story, my future, Feeling Whitney

Minutes listened: 47,317

Top genre: Pop

TKC: Why do you like getting the Spotify Wrapped at the end of the year?
KB: “It’s really cool to see what my favorite songs were that I completely forgot about. I think my number one song was a song I listened to 256 times, and I just thought it was really cool because I completely forgot about that song at the end of the year. I’ve been listening to the songs that were at the top of my [Spotify Wrapped list] religiously since the Spotify Wrapped came out. It’s reintroduced me to a lot of songs I forgot about.”

Wyatt Byers • Sophomore

Artists: Gorillaz, Tyler, The Creator, Childish Gambino, Kendrick Lamar, BROCKHAMPTON

Songs: Them Changes, IGOR’S THEME, XXX. FEAT. U2., Apricot Princess, Me and Your Mama

Minutes listened: 36,499

Top genre: Rock
TKC: Why do you think people like sharing their Spotify Wrapped?
WB: “Well, I think that it’s a pretty low-effort way to show what kind of music you’re into. It’s cool to compare yours to everyone else’s. I like seeing my wrap up at the end of the year, I find it interesting.”

Harper Hansard • Freshman

Artists: Adult Mom, Soccer Mommy, Lana Del Ray, Sir Chloe, Fleetwood Mac

Songs: Told Ya So, Looking Out for You, Full Screen, Kids, Vacation

Minutes listened: 16,862

Genre: Indie Pop
TKC: Do you ever share your Spotify Wrapped on social media? Why?
HH: “I shared my Spotify Wrapped on my Snapchat private story with just a few people, because everyone else was sharing theirs. I don’t really share it anywhere super public. I thought it was interesting because I was pretty surprised by what it said. I have a lot of friends that listen to the same artists, so I thought it would be fun if they acknowledged that we all had listened to a certain artist so much.”

Marilynn Steuby • Sophomore

Artists: Arctic Monkeys, Rex Orange County, SZA, Tame Impala, Still Woozy

Songs: Dance, Baby!, Tongue Tied, Supermodel, Best Friend, Baby I’m Yours

Minutes Listened: 14,837

Top Genre: Rap
TKC: Do you enjoy getting Spotify Wrapped at the end of the year?
MS: “Yeah, the past few years my music taste has changed a lot. So [my Wrapped is] a lot of different [kinds of] music every year. It’s a combination of a bunch of different [songs and artists] which is kind of weird. Last year, all I listened to was rap, [especially] for the first half of the year. Then, I started to move over to listening to my sister’s [favorite kind of] music, which is more indie. I like it, and I listen to my parents’ [favorite kind of] music more now too.”