Music Column Spotify Wrapped

“Spotify Wrapped” dominated everyone’s social media this year as students shared their unique music tastes online. Since the release of “Wrapped,” people have become captivated by the idea of sharing their music tastes with the world. It has become an annually anticipated event, offering insights into the people's most recycled songs, guilty pleasures, and experimental choices. To take a look at our school's musical preference for this year we sent a survey to the entire high school and polled the results. This year a wide variety of new music tastes emerged along with the resurfacing of old ones. 

As expected, an old trend that keeps on living is the dominance of popular music within our school’s audio ecosystem. Pop was the only genre unified by one artist, Taylor Swift. She has single-handedly swept the pop scene this year with her releases of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) and 1989 (Taylor’s Version), both roaring successes. Along with this rise in popularity from her new projects, Swift started the Eras Tour, a sweeping musical act that covers all of her “musical eras” over 151 concerts in 5 different continents. This hugely successful run from Taylor Swift paired with her coverage in the media regarding her relationship status. Taylor Swift propelled through 2023, becoming one of the most popular artists of the year and the most popular artist in Masterman High School. 

When we looked at the data for current and #1 artists at Masterman, we noticed that over 60% of responses said that they were different. Music taste is a dynamic and ever-evolving aspect of human expression that is constantly changing. From personal experiences and cultural shifts, the landscape of musical preferences is in a perpetual state of transition. Users are always experimenting with new sounds, and as these frontiers gain popularity they diversify music and open more music up for everyone. This leads to unique and rich varieties of music, but individuals often find themselves dealing with embarrassment. It’s a common experience rooted in societal pressures, but despite these dynamics, it is extremely important to recognize that music taste is deeply personal and is something you should be proud of. 

The genre diversity that Spotify hosts seems to have piqued the curiosity of many users. A genre that has been ever present this year is “pov indie.” However, this raises a greater question: what exactly is "pov indie?" The term "POV" stands for "point of view" and is usually used on the internet to put you in the shoes of the filmmaker. In the past, Spotify has been criticized for being too corny and “millennial,” so this year they set out to change that. The term “POV” has been popularized by the popular social media app, TikTok. TikTok has been a contemporary icon, setting trends all through 2023. Spotify used “pov indie" as an attempt to capture a specific cultural or artistic movement within the popular media scene since the basis of Wrapped is sharing on social media.

One notable trend from this new emergence was the prominence of alternative artists. We found that talents like Alex G, The Smiths, and Radiohead were popular, especially among the upperclassmen. What does this mean? The surge in popularity of indie and alternative genres among upperclassmen reflects a growing trend of music appreciation that goes beyond mainstream hits. Students are seeking out unique and more underground sounds. This reflects the growing desire for a more alternative aesthetic. We can see it in every walk of life that goes beyond music; the way people are dressing, what activities are becoming popular, and our desire to be “different.” The quest to be unique creates an environment in which sharing is not welcome out of fear that your taste might be saturated by others enjoying your music. We must recognize that the pursuit of uniqueness should not overshadow the simple joys of loving and appreciating things in all its forms. The indie aesthetic has proven itself a popular contemporary addition to Spotify and it seems that it is here to stay.