It’s been a big year for Spotify. Spotify Lossless became a reality, and after all of the backlash the brand got for its yearly roundup last year, it has learned its lesson and delivered a better experience this time around. That’s right. Spotify Wrapped 2025 dropped yesterday (December 3), and our social media feeds are flooded with friends and acquaintances sharing their stats.
I must confess. I used to love Spotify Wrapped a few years ago. I’d eagerly look forward to it to find out who my top artists were going to be. But as the years have gone by, the excitement has worn off — for a few reasons, which I wrote about a while back. I called Spotify Wrapped a popularity contest, and one to see who loves music the most.
That’s partly one of the reasons why Spotify Wrapped is no longer is something I actively look forward to. Another reason? Because my Wrapped is exactly what I expect every single year. I don’t know how many other people feel the same way, but I’m sure there’s at least one person in your life who pretends to be shocked at their Wrapped.
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Gasp! My predictions have come true!
(Image credit: Future)
Look, I listen to music every single day. I know the artists I love, I know the songs I listen to on repeat (thanks to the On Repeat playlist), and I dabble in third-party apps that show you your listening stats throughout the year (like Superfan and Receiptify). It was easy for me to predict what would be in my Wrapped months ago.
Our Audio Editor, Tammy Rogers, asked the Tom’s Guide team to predict our Wrapped results. I said my top artists would include Lorien Testard, the man (the legend) who composed the soundtrack for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Kathryn Hahn (singing “Ballad of the Witches’ Road”), 070 Shake, Linkin Park, and Twenty One Pilots.
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Was I wrong? Not one bit. I accurately predicted the results, and I could even tell you the exact month I was listening to these artists day in and day out. You can see the results above. Though I am surprised that Lorien Testard didn’t take the number one spot, it’s not a shocker that he is on there. But considering I went to see Twenty One Pilots play in Manchester, U.K., it checks out, given that I listened to their album Clancy a lot.
I also saw 070 Shake live, twice, and streamed her album Petrichor repeatedly, and because she’s my partner’s favorite artist (and top artist this year), we listened to her while cooking and playing games. I will say, though, that Scaled and Icy being in my top albums is the only thing I did not predict correctly — but it was a pleasant surprise!
It’s all in the algorithm… but it’s also magical
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Spotify Wrapped seems like magic, but it’s all a numbers game at the end of the day. Throughout the year (and up until some point in November), Spotify tracks your listening activity. It knows exactly what you’re playing, when you’re playing it, and so on. It’s how we get curated Daylists which tell us what we typically listen to on a particular day.
I don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade, of course. I too would like to believe that Wrapped is a magical phenomenon and that it knows you inside and out. Even though I accurately predicted my Wrapped stats, I will say that flicking through my yearly stats does put a small smile on my face.
Anyone who knows me or is close to me, knows that I’m a massive nerd. I’ve got tattoos dedicated to video games and TV shows I love, and my listening activity reflects that. I mean, I listened to “Ballad of the Witches’ Road” 332 times, as you can see above. One thing I like about my Wrapped this year is that it has proven that I am an even bigger geek than I thought I was — and I’m proud of that.
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In-depth analysis that actually provides insight
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Spotify Wrapped 2024 felt a little lackluster as its “AI-powered” stats felt gimmicky and pretentious, and I’m glad the 2025 version has rectified that. I actually enjoyed the interactive bit of Wrapped 2025, where it gave me (and all of us) details about my “Biggest Twenty One Pilots Day” and “Biggest Music Listening Day.”
Though I was aware that I listened to particular albums and songs on repeat, it was nice seeing a breakdown of the songs I streamed the most from an album, mixed with another song I loved. Apparently I listened to “Ballad of the Witches’ Road” for… two hours straight? That’s got to be some kind of world record, right? Sadly, I didn’t get a thank you message from Kathryn Hahn at the end of my Wrapped, but we move on.
The other interactive elements worked well, too, with Spotify asking me to guess my top song and then telling me that failure builds character. This year’s rendition is much improved, that’s for certain.
Are we past comparing our stats in an unhealthy way?
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Spotify Wrapped is a novel idea, just like every other music streaming service with its yearly roundup. This year’s version prompts you to start a party with your friends to compare stats, which sounds harmless — and for most people, it is. But the problem arises when people start taking these stats way too seriously.
I’ve already had someone ask me how many listening minutes I accumulated in 2025, and when I told them I had just under 40,000, they told me they had more than 100,000 which, apparently, proved that they “love music more.” It should never be about who enjoys music more. Music, like every other form of art, is meant to be enjoyed. For me, music and my favorite artists are my safe space, not an arbitrary number that’s meant to either lift my mood or dampen it.
Whether you enjoy Wrapped or think it’s a waste of time, there’s no denying that it’s a big day for Spotify users and music lovers. While I might not be Wrapped’s biggest fan, I’ve still enjoyed going through it without overanalyzing it. Well, that’s the end of that. Let’s run back to Spotify and racking those minutes already!
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