Usher voice these are my (Wrapped) reflections

Dec 02, 2021

how i’m sleepin the night b4 spotify wrapped is released https://t.co/PLKam8E2Mc

Spotify’s viral campaign capitalizes on the general curiosity we’ve all got through something we all can appreciate — music. And the keyword here is “all,” because that’s oftentimes what music is about. There’s intimacy in the All: fixating on sonic pleasures together, experiencing emotional atmospheres that others bask in, too. The desire to establish community and resonance through music — even if only for a moment — is an enduring and universal want. It’s why we tolerate hefty ticket processing fees to witness musicians dazzle under stage lights while swaying (or booty-shaking, or moshing) alongside fellow fans. It’s why playing DJ on the family road trip is such an honorable-yet-dicey responsibility. It’s why you and your friends need nothing short of sativa and a Bluetooth speaker to have a good Sunday afternoon. Heck, it’s likely why your favorite band exists.

I, myself, love Wrapped because it’s not only a wholesome opportunity for stans and supporters to connect with and learn more about each other but also a way to understand ourselves better. With every passing year, Wrapped has grown increasingly personal. What began in 2016 as a shareable, inchoate Cliffs Notes of a Spotify user’s most-streamed songs is now a full-fledged data graphic biography. With precision, Spotify knows everything we love, and, most remarkably, how much we love it.

kira ~ @Sadcrib

tbh who cares about the Grammys when we got Spotify Wrapped

The long, data-driven stories that Spotify computes trigger self-examination amongst the most introspective music lovers. What is it about your top artist or genre that earned so much of your ears’ attention over these last 365 days? How many more hours did you spend listening to music this year in comparison to last? Most importantly, why that song? You know the one I’m talking about — the one that you had stuck in your head all year, the one you dropped a link to in the groupchat, the one that, once you heard it, you couldn’t imagine doing without. Why did you listen to that track more than any other, and what does that say about you? I find it interesting that, in terms of volume, Wrapped continues to offer us more information about ourselves, and yet, one uncomplicated morsel of data that’s they’ve always captured, even way back in 2016, is the fact that reverberates most intensely: a user’s most-streamed track, often a minutes-long representation of a year-long journey. Indeed, so much can be said in song.

I’m a writer, an introvert, and a twentysomething; thus, I’m big on reflection and generally trying (sometimes too) hard to decipher my behaviors and inclinations in retrospect. I guess you could say I’m obsessed with “getting” myself — figuring out how I’ve changed from late adolescence (I was mostly 19 in 2016) to my mid-20s, both celebrating and frowning upon the fact that many parts of me are the same, others different, for better and worse. Twenty is nothing like 25. But it’s not a different planet, either, and evidencing this are the songs that have crowned my Your Top Songs playlists over this past half-decade. These tracks fall into varying genres, and some are far more popular than others; they also have disparate lyrical themes, production characteristics, and overall vibes. But despite lacking so many commonalities and symbolizing so many distinctly different phases in my life, these songs still share one thing: my admiration. (I’ve always had good taste… and a big ego.)

Ran @kiyokianlovee

When #SpotifyWrapped comes out and my top artists/songs are exactly what i thought they would be https://t.co/TA7Lz0m3Dj

For my first issue of Unsolicited, I wanted to reflect on the music I’ve loved most — because, again, I have a gargantuan ego. (All writers do!!!!!!) But also because I believe everyone’s Top Songs are super biographical and interesting enough to think hard about. Here, I dive into mine, and I hope my doing so inspires you to wax introspective about yours. And if you do, pretty pls let me know what your top tracks have been over these last five years. Or else!