As the end of the year rolls around, people eagerly wait for some of the biggest dates of the year. However, one date came early. On November 29, 2023, Spotify unveiled their annual Wrapped feature which allows everyone to reflect on their year through music. 

This year, Spotify Wrapped included a new feature to keep things fresh. Artists were able to send personalized video messages as a thank you to being one of their top artists.

“I think it’s a nice addition since you can see your top artist appreciates you and the time you take out of your day to listen to their music,” sophomore Genesis Gutierrez said. “My top artist was Ivan Cornejo and it was amazing to see him be grateful towards his fans.” 

Wrapped also shows the listener their favorite genres, expanding on styles of music the listener found themselves listening to on a regular basis. However, throughout the year people tend to discover new music genres and artists.

“This year I discovered the band herlovebeheadsdaisies which developed their own unique genre by morphing other genres together,” senior Pablo Perez said. “It’s a nice blend between emo and screamo, which I found to be enjoyable.”

Music genres can impact listeners in various ways, ranging from their listening habits to how they carry themselves in their personal life and how they do things. 

“I found myself listening to a lot of R&B this year,” sophomore Brandon Cruz said. “I feel like R&B motivates me to stay focused in class and study harder” 

Another core feature that Spotify Wrapped provides to its listeners is its top five songs feature where it highlights the listeners’ most listened to songs from the year. 

“My top song on Spotify Wrapped this year was “Dear God” by Dax,” junior Ayanna Lowe said. “I enjoy the way the song tells a story about the rapper and how he struggles with life and following Christ.” 

These top songs can hold so much value to the listener, whether it’s their comfort song or a song that holds close association with a core memory. 

“The song “HASTA LA MUERTE” by Eslabon Armado stood out to me the most this year,” junior Gabriel Sanchez said. “My girlfriend mentioned it in a letter she wrote to me not long ago and I feel like the song is romantic.”

With the year winding down and a new year of music approaching, listeners await and ponder what new features Spotify Wrapped will include next year.