2019 Music Evolution
2019 Spotify Wrapped!
For the past few years now, Spotify has been releasing personalized playlists compiled of songs most listened to by the user. They call it their Spotify Wrapped Playlist.
I started using Spotify as a streaming platform in 2017 when I found out that they have a student deal where you get Spotify Premium, Hulu + Showtime for $5!
For the past three years, I've gotten my personalized playlists and have thoroughly enjoyed them! Disclaimer before moving forward, I do share my Spotify account with my sister because I'm nice but this has slightly skewed my results. She does not listen to as much music as me but she listens to enough to create an impression in the results.
Below are some screenshots of the visual summary that came along with my playlist this year. This year I was shown my music taste through the seasons. This year I was definitely more adventurous and ventured out of my comfort zone and branched out to different artists.
In addition to the lovely visuals about my listening through the seasons, I was also given some fun facts. Ariana Grande was my number 1 artist of the year!
According to Spotify, I listened to 258 hours of Ariana Grande and my most listened to song was 'Needy' from her 'thank u, next' album.
Aside from Ari, as one of my top artists of the year. Other notable mentions were Kehlani in second, Lizzo in third, BTS in fourth (not mine, this was all my sister's listening) and Kaiit in fifth!
Although most of the artists are pretty mainstream, Kaiit is an Australian artist that sings neo-soul music. I discovered her through a friend this summer and was hooked to her lyrics and spirit that radiate through her music. When I listen to her music she puts me in a very calming mood. If you're into funky-fun tunes check her out.
These are all amazing artists that I really vibed with in 2019 and will continue to vibe with in 2020 as they release more amazing music.
According to Spotify, I am a cultured woman. I listened to music from 58 countries this past year (minus one I guess if we're excluding all the Korean Pop music).
I was categorized by Spotify as genre-fluid. My top genres being Pop, Kpop (we know where this is from), Modern rock, Soul and Lo-Fi beats ( and between you and me I don't really know what this is).
In case you were curious about my most listened to songs they were all from the 'thank u, next' album. In order of most listened to, they were; 'Needy', 'imagine', 'thank u, next', 'NASA', 'in my head', 'break up with your girlfriend, i'm bored', 'bloodline', '7 rings', 'bad idea' and 'fake smile'.
Now looking at the top songs on this list, if you've heard this album you know its not the happiest of albums ever made. Ari produced this music during one of the hardest times in her life. During the Winter and Spring, I had this album on a heavy repeat. Some days this was the only thing I would listen to.
'Needy' being the top song on my list, I really resonated with the lyrics during a time in my life of romantic distress. I took things personally and put myself out there romantically. The messages from the other person weren't clear and the lyrics to this song just put everything into perspective for me. I really appreciated (and still do) this album because of how raw and unfiltered she was with her emotions.
Aside from Ariana Grande, 2019 was the year the I got really into podcasts! I started my own in February, called The Brown Girl Chronicles (which you can listen to all episodes now!). I realized early on that I didn't really know about podcasts even though I was producing content of my own through this platform.
With a brief Google of POC podcasts and some keyword searches, I found a few podcasts that peaked my interest. My top five podcasts were; Spanish Aqui Presents, Yo, Is This Racist?, The Friend Zone, Small Doses with Amanda Seales and The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. I spent 3,053 minutes listening to podcasts this year!
I love this medium of media and think all of you should go out and find your own podcast to get into. There are literally podcasts about everything and anything imaginable! With all the traveling that I do for school (which is 4 hours away from my hometown by car) I listened to podcasts!
With all this to be said I discovered 873 new artists this year which is very strange to think about. And again, don't know how much my sister contributed to this number but either way that's a lot of people.
Spotify pointed out that I listened to Lizzo a lot this year, 32 hours to be exact and 34 of her songs. And I think that just is proof of how big of a supporter I am of hers and will continue to be! My love for her stems from her stance and outward advocacy and determination to talk about body positivity. Her lyrics in all of her songs are empowering.
Although she has so many hit songs, I think she is often underestimated as a musician. She is classically trained on the flute. An instrument that is hard to master but she plays it like its nothing (obviously because she has had YEARS of practice). Additionally, her ability to continue to unapologetically be who she is is breathtaking and inspiring!
My goal for 2020 is to continue to listen to music and podcasts that cater to me and my interests. People change and grow and with that style and interests. Music and even podcasts help me to explore different sides of myself and I'm so excited to see what i discover this year.
If anyone is interested in listening to my Top Songs of 2019, please enjoy it!
