Spotify Wrapped 2023

2023 has come to an end, which means it is finally time for Spotify Wrapped! Here is what the CommRadio Arts & Entertainment department listened to this year.

Top Song: “Collect” by TORRES

Top Artist: Sir Chloe

Minutes Listened: 30,161

Overall, I am super happy with my Wrapped this year. I was alarmed to see a song that came out in Oct. 2023 as my most listened-to song, but it makes sense. All month I listened to it non-stop and it is definitely a contender for my song of the year.

Sir Chloe has my favorite album of the year “I Am the Dog” so I was listening to her, as well as VÉRITÉ (who was my second most listened-to artist) a lot this year. Sir Chloe is so talented and ended up listening to them for over 1,000 minutes and was in their 0.5% of listeners. I had the opportunity to meet Sir Chloe at Rough Trade in New York and they were absolutely lovely. So I am super happy to see them as my most listened-to artist.

Both “Collect” by TORRES and Sir Chloe are not as well known as they should be so I definitely suggest you check these respective people out. - Jack Freiser

Top Song: “Cruel Summer” - Taylor Swift

Top Artist: Taylor Swift

Minutes Listened: 15,870

Am I surprised by the results? No, not at all. While I promise I listen to other artists, I did end up in the top 2% of Taylor Swift listeners.

As Swift did count for over 30% of my minutes listened, it’s pretty evident that I listened to a lot of her music. While she did release “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” and “1989 (Taylor’s Version)," along with numerous single tracks this year, my top songs of hers were from her "Lover" (2019), "reputation" (2017) and "Midnights" (2022) albums.

With over 200 songs, Taylor Swift has a perfect one for whatever mood you’re in. I’ve had so many memories listening to her music: morning Dunkin’ drives with friends, jamming out with my sister, dance parties with my family and late-night study sessions and I can’t wait to make more. - Sarah Taylor

Top Song: “Silver Springs”- Fleetwood Mac

Top Artist: Fleetwood Mac

Minutes: 48,626

Yes, I do in fact listen to music released since 1980, but why would I when the 60s and 70s were so perfect? Fleetwood Mac’s “Silver Springs” is an intense, gripping tale that I regret to announce I played 191 times in 2023.

With Fleetwood Mac coming in as my No. 1, I saw myself fall into the top .05% of listeners. My most played artists consisted of other oldies such as Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, The Beach Boys and Queen. Spotify considers me a time traveler for all my contributions to the older generation, or the best generation, of music.

Victoria, Canada and I shared a lot in common this year, but most notably, we had the same music taste, according to Spotify. - Sketch Morton

Top Song: “man” - Quinnie

Top Artist: Taylor Swift

Minutes Listened: 45,099

My Spotify wrapped this year actually had me gagged on the floor speechless and needing to phone a lifeline. I completely forgot what music I listened to and was reminded so starkly how phenomenal my music taste is.

For starters, I was shocked to see “man” by Quinnie as my top song but when I listened to it again I was reminded of how poetic and beautiful that masterpiece is.

I was in the 0.5% of listeners for Taylor Swift for a third year in a row, and I am proud of myself for remaining so firmly bent in my obsession with her. 30% of my minutes listened were only Swift, and next year I’m aiming for 50%.

My second top song was “Hits Different” by Taylor Swift, which in turn is my top Taylor Swift Song. I’ll be honest, I am absolutely baffled by this ranking. I don’t remember listening to it that much, but I’m not mad about it.

I’ll be first to admit it, One Direction was in my top 3 artists and it's leaving me extremely conflicted and vulnerable. I will never beat the basic white girl allegations, but why would I try? I’m the one winning the war. - Grace Bowen

Top Song: “Sonne” by Rammstein

Top Artist: Taylor Swift

Minutes Listened: 67,493

If you know me, you know this is a likely combo.

I have a guilty pleasure for rock music, especially metal, which I got from riding around in my dad’s car as a kid. He loves Rammstein, and I credit that part of my music taste to him.

“Sonne” is one of the most beautiful songs ever created – everything from Till Lindemann’s deep vocals, the masterpiece by the band and the angelic backup voice on the track.

Of course, Taylor Swift is my top artist. There isn’t a day that goes by where I’m not listening to Swift, and songs like “Anti-Hero,” “mirrorball” and “Hits Different” made their way to the top of my Wrapped. - Adrianna Gallucci

Top Song: “Death By A Thousand Cuts (Live From Paris)” - Taylor Swift

Top Artist: Taylor Swift

Minutes Listened: 19,654

For the first time ever, and deservedly so, Taylor Swift is my top artist of the year. However, it was a little sad to see Brockhampton get bumped down to the number two spot, seeing as they had been my top artist for the past three years.

“Death By A Thousand Cuts (Live From Paris)” by Taylor Swift was my top listened-to song of the year, and I streamed it 84 times. In my opinion, the Live From Paris version of this song is by far better than the original. I was shocked to see this song come out on top, but definitely not unhappy about it.

Dr. Swift dominated most of my top songs but left the fifth spot for one of my favorite songs ever, which is “GOODBYE” by Brockhampton.

My top genre was Rap, but Movie Tunes and Broadway made their way onto that list, respectfully. “Without Love” from “Hairspray” was just a few songs short of making it into my top five.

I didn’t listen to as much new music this year as I would have liked to, so branching out of my usual taste will definitely be a New Year’s resolution.

As always, watching my Spotify Wrapped started my day off on a wonderful note. After all, Spotify Wrapped day is one of my favorite days of the year. - Sarah Gavlak

Top Song: “LOKITA” - Mora

Top Artist: Mora

Minutes Listened: 48,140

My 2023 Spotify wrapped this year is a testament to the phrase “a lot can change over the course of a year.”

My top artist of 2022 was Chicago rapper Juice Wrld and my top genre was “Rap.” However, in 2023, my top artist was Puertorican Reggaetón artist Mora and my top genre was “Urbano Latino.”

Somehow, I landed within the top 0.5% of Mora’s over 25 million monthly listeners which is interesting considering I am a native English speaker and all of his music is in Spanish. I learned the lyrics to his songs, and after translating them into English, I found myself astonished by his lyricism and storytelling abilities through music.

These numbers were fueled by his last two albums “Paraíso” and “Estrella,” and I would highly recommend checking out his music even if you have to translate at first. Trust me, you will learn the words quicker than you think. - Matthew Peters

Top Song: “Death By a Thousand Cuts”

Top Artist: Taylor Swift

Minutes Listened: 30,131

Wow, I am so quirky and unique. Taylor Swift as my number one artist?! It’s unheard of and groundbreaking, to say the least.

Get over it, don’t clown me just accept that I am part of the workforce that put her at the number one global artist.

I know what you are thinking. “Death By a Thousand Cuts”... is she okay? Well, I am now, thanks to this song!

Shamelessly, I listened to this song 59 times during my sad girl era. - Savannah Swartz

Top Song: “Got It On Me” by Pop Smoke

Top Artist: Pop Smoke

Minutes Listened: 28,285 minutes

For my entire life, I have always been a couple of years behind on music, something my friends have often poked fun at, and this year, I discovered the discography of Pop Smoke.

I knew I listened to Pop Smoke for a few weeks straight, but I had no idea he would be my top artist and top five songs. In addition, I had no idea that my multi-week binge would result in me being in the Top 0.5% of his listeners as I streamed the New York native for 2,375 minutes.

Eminem, Kanye West, XXTentacion and Lil Skies rounded out my top five artists, resulting in a rap-heavy Spotify Wrapped. Hopefully, my love of pop and folk-rock will shine through next year, resulting in a much more balanced wrap. - Ben Palillo

Top Song: “Big Shot Cream Soda” by $uicide Boy$

Top Artists: “$uicide Boy$

Minutes Listened: 16,052

This year I had another rap takeover, but I was not surprised to see $uicideboy$ and their entire EP “SHAMELESS $UICIDE” claim all 5 spots on my top songs list.

While my other top artists were on my list because of my obsession with rap songs of my teenage past, what really got me hooked to this EP was finally finding a new sound to obsess over.

“Big Shot Cream Soda” was the single released about a week before the rest of the EP, and I immediately fell in love with the trap metal/punk rock sound along with the edgy and intense-sounding vocal effects.

Ruby da Cherry is my favorite of the $uicideboy$ duo and is the first to rap on the track, which is why it was on repeat so frequently. His voice is magnetic as the raw edginess and effortlessly smooth delivery leave me entranced every time.

I love the switch up to Shakewell and then $crim rapping the last verse, as each artist has their chance to shine while also perfectly complimenting each others’ voices.

I’ve always enjoyed music by $uicideboy$, but becoming so attached to this EP also brought out my appreciation for their older songs - Rachel Fisher

Top Song: “Wild Uncharted Waters” by Jonah Hauer-King

Top Artist: Taylor Swift

Minutes Listened: 55,521

This is the second year my number one song on Spotify wrapped is from my favorite movie of the year. Last year it was “30/90” from “tick, tick…BOOM!” and this year it’s “Wild Uncharted Waters” from “The Little Mermaid” live-action adaptation.

I saw the film twice in theaters and multiple more times when it began streaming on Disney+, and I just fell in love with it more on every watch.

“Wild Uncharted Waters” is the new Prince Eric power ballad, where he sings about the siren who saved him from drowning in a shipwreck.

There’s just something about the song that’s so endearing to me, probably a combination of Haur-King’s passionate voice and the lyrics written by musical geniuses Lin Manuel-Miranda and Alan Menken.

My top artist is no surprise, I don’t think there’s been a single year of my life where Taylor Swift wasn’t my most listened-to artist.

“Electric Touch” and “Foolish One” from “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” were in my top five, as well as “You’re On Your Own, Kid” from “Midnights.”

Maybe next year I’ll have a Swift song as my number one, but it will probably be another obscure movie song. - Kaitlyn Murphy

Top Song: “All I Need” - Radiohead

Top Artist: Radiohead

Minutes Listened: 32,369

I must say, I’m enthralled with Radiohead acting like a radio in my head for most of this year.

If you’re not aware of the song “All I Need,” it’s about having strong feelings of affection and obsession towards someone with the need to have them in your life since the others aren’t the same.

The struggle stems from the other person not reciprocating and showing the same affection and obsession as you do towards them.

The dark synths paired with string assortments, glockenspiel hits, Thom Yorke’s chilling vocals and the avalanche of sound that bookends the track all culminate into one powerful and emotional song.

“Sleeping Through the Flood” by Sticky Fingers and “Fear of a Blank Planet” by Porcupine Tree were some other top tracks of my Spotify Wrapped.

Artists like Pink Floyd, Tame Impala, Lord Huron and Rush were also major figures throughout this year.

I expect to up the number of minutes listened for next year, and delve into different artists for an expanded taste while still mixing in the usual greats. - Jake Irwin

Top Songs: “Hits Different” by Taylor Swift

Top Artist: Taylor Swift

Minutes Listened: 24,521

In the year of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, along with the release of “Midnights (The Till Dawn Edition),” “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” and “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” how was Swift not supposed to be my top artist?

“Hits Different” only narrowly edged out Swift’s frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff with his Bleachers track “Don’t Take the Money,” only one play under the bonus “Midnights” track.

Both are the kind of songs that make you want to get up and dance or roll the windows down and scream along. My summer drives down the shore likely helped these songs get the plays they did.

Artists like Zach Bryan, Olivia Rodrigo, Noah Kahan and Bleachers all put up big numbers, but they were never going to be able to compete with Dr. Swift.

Swift was Apple Music’s Artist of the Year, and I like to think I helped influence this decision. -Sophia D’Ovidio

Jack Freiser is a fourth-year majoring in telecommunications. To contact him, email jef5614@psu.edu

Sarah Taylor is a first-year majoring in telecommunications. To contact her, email smt6314@psu.edu.

Sketch Morton is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email him at Sam7539@psu.edu.

Grace Bowman is a third-year majoring in biology and minoring in psychological sciences. To contact her, email gab5585@psu.edu

Adrianna Gallucci is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, please email amg7989@psu.edu.

Sarah Gavlak is a second-year majoring in telecommunications. To contact her, please email sng5393@psu.edu.

Matthew Peters is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email mbp5830@psu.edu.

Savannah Swartz is a third-year communications major. To contact her, email sms9072@psu.edu.

Ben Palillo is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email bgp5079@psu.edu.

Rachel Fisher is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email rlf5481@psu.edu

Kaitlyn Murphy is a second-year majoring in digital and print journalism. To contact her, email kvm6255@psu.edu

Jake Irwin is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jpi5089@psu.edu

Sophia D’Ovidio is a third-year majoring in digital and print journalism. To contact her, email sgd5184@psu.edu.