Predicting My Spotify Wrapped
Every year I somehow manage to forget that Spotify even does this. I'm not someone who constantly checks their listening statistics or uses third party apps to track my most listened to artists, songs, or albums throughout the year. I honestly have no idea how many hours I've spent listening to certain artists, and I kind of prefer it that way. But this year, I figured it would be interesting to try something different. Rather than waiting for Spotify to tell me what I've been listening to, I want to see how accurately I can predict my own Spotify Wrapped. I have a pretty good idea of which artists and albums I've returned to the most, but knowing how unpredictable my listening habits can be, I wouldn't be surprised if a few of my guesses end up being completely wrong.
One thing that always surprises me about my Spotify wrapped is seeing certain artists show up that I completely forgot I was listening to earlier in the year. I'll look at my top five and wonder how that artist made it onto the list, only to remember that I spent practically all of January and February listening to them. I think a lot of that has to do with how my music taste changes throughout the seasons. I've talked about this in a previous blog, but there are certain albums and artists that I associate with specific times of the year. Some albums just sound better during the colder months, while others are perfect for spring or summer. Because of that, my listening habits tend to shift quite a bit throughout the year. An artist I couldn't stop listening to in February might barely get played by the time July comes around, and by November, I might have completely forgotten about them. It's almost like looking back at the different phases I went through throughout the year, and being reminded of music I listened to months ago but haven't thought about in a while.
I figured I'd organize my predictions mostly the same way Spotify organizes it every year. It's a bit much so I'll just be going through my top five artists, songs, and albums. I'll try to rank everything in that order and I'll explain my reasoning behind some of my choices. Some categories will definitely be easier to predict than others, especially since there are a few artists I know I've listened to an absurd amount this year.
Artists
ᴀʀᴛɪꜱᴛ 1: ᴛʜᴇ 1975
If its not them than wow, I might actually begin to think their analytics are wrong. The 1975 have been first since I wanna say 2021, and when they weren't first they were easily top 5. They are always on the home page of my Spotify, so its like an automatic go to. Its a playlist of their whole discography so I spend a lot of time listening to them everyday. Every album describes a different era of life as we grow up listening to them. Each one is incredibly versatile, yet consistently carries a powerful message.
ᴀʀᴛɪꜱᴛ 2: ᴀʟᴠᴠᴀʏꜱ
I just think their music and sound is fitting for every season. Alvvays has a dreamy indie pop sound but its not all smooth and light. Theres some heavier parts to their newer sound but well masked by Molly Rankin's vocals. My brother introduced them to me back in 2017 and I wanna say they've been in my top 5 almost every year since then, if not, then easily top 10.
ᴀʀᴛɪꜱᴛ 3: ʙᴏɴ ɪᴠᴇʀ
A little bit of recency bias with this one, but Bon Iver dominates my fall playlist every year. I've talked about this in a previous blog, but there's just something about their music that fits perfectly with the colder weather and shorter days. Albums like For Emma, Forever Ago and SABLE, fABLE have been on repeat for me lately. The only thing making me second guess this prediction is that I don't listen to them nearly as much during the summer, though that's been less of the case this year.
ᴀʀᴛɪꜱᴛ 4: ʏᴏᴜᴛʜ ʟᴀɢᴏᴏɴ
Similar to Alvvays, I just think Youth Lagoon's music is year round. Specifically, his first two albums, The Year of Hibernation and Wondrous Bughouse, which I consider to be absolute masterpieces. Youth Lagoon is someone I find myself returning to regardless of the time of year. Whether it's the middle of summer or the dead of winter, there's just something about his music that always seems to fit. Because of that, I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up being one of my most listened to artists this year.
ᴀʀᴛɪꜱᴛ 5: ᴘʜᴏᴇʙᴇ ʙʀɪᴅɢᴇʀꜱ
I just think there was too much hype and buildup towards her third album. And rightfully so. After a six year long wait she releases the best album of 2026. Just compilation of raw emotion and her trying to make sense of all the things she's experienced since the second album. I think Phoebe will be fifth on my list solely because of this album. Don't get me wrong, Stranger in the Alps and Punisher I love but this year, its been all Lost Weekend.
Songs
1. ᴛʜᴇ 1975 - "ᴛʜᴇ 1975"
2. ʀʜᴇʏᴀ - "ꜰʀᴀɴᴄʜɪꜱᴇ"
3. ᴡᴀꜱʜᴇᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ - "ꜰᴇᴇʟ ɪᴛ ᴀʟʟ ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ"
4. ʙᴏɴ ɪᴠᴇʀ - "ɪꜰ ᴏɴʟʏ ɪ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴡᴀɪᴛ"
5. ᴘʜᴏᴇʙᴇ ʙʀɪᴅɢᴇʀꜱ - "ʟᴏꜱᴛ ᴡᴇᴇᴋᴇɴᴅ"
I honestly don't know why this was so hard. I assumed it would be easier than predicting artists but that was not the case. Maybe because there are just so many songs I can think of that I've listened to countless times. And considering how much my listening habits change over time, I wouldn't be surprised if a song I haven't listened to in months somehow ends up near the top of my Spotify wrapped.
Albums
1. ᴛʜᴇ 1975 - ʙᴇɪɴɢ ꜰᴜɴɴʏ ɪɴ ᴀ ꜰᴏʀᴇɪɢɴ ʟᴀɴɢᴜᴀɢᴇ
2. ᴛʜᴇ 1975 - ᴛʜᴇ 1975 (ꜱᴇʟꜰ ᴛɪᴛʟᴇᴅ)
3. ᴡᴀꜱʜᴇᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ - ᴡɪᴛʜɪɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ
4. ᴡᴏʟꜰɢᴀɴɢ ᴀᴍᴀᴅᴇᴜꜱ ᴘʜᴏᴇɴɪx - ᴘʜᴏᴇɴɪx
5. ᴏꜱʜɪɴ - ᴅɪɪᴠ
Not a surprise with the first two albums. The last two are long shots but I'm somewhat confident at least one of them will appear, most likely Wolfgang. Albums were a little bit easier to choose compared to songs. I also wouldn't be surprised if a few albums make this list despite their artists not appearing in my top five. After all, I can listen to one album an absurd amount without necessarily exploring the rest of that artist's discography.
Well, those are my predictions for this year's Spotify wrapped. I'm honestly pretty curious to see how accurate I end up being, especially since I haven't looked at any of my listening statistics throughout the year. I'm fairly confident about some of my choices, but I did throw in a few long shots so I wouldn't be surprised if a few artists or songs completely catch me off guard. Regardless, this was a fun way to look back at everything I've listened to this year. I'll definitely be comparing my predictions to the actual results. Hopefully I know my own music taste better than I think I do.
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