Before I get started, I’d like to think I have a decent amount of experience with Spotify, considering I’ve created around 400 playlists over the years. The question “how on earth does one person have around 400 Spotify playlists?” is probably lingering in your head right now, and I think the easiest way to answer that is by saying I’m the youngest of three daughters. I made my Spotify account in 2017 after years of using Pandora Music (crazy, I know). Every year, my sisters and I share our Spotify Wrapped with each other, and in 2023, it became a competition between my sister, Kaitlyn, and me. Our older sister, Keirstyn, does love some music, but when she hit the millennial era, that meant she became a podcast listener (no shade, I love a good podcast). However, Kaitlyn and I, on the other hand, were 18 and 21 at the time, and let me just say, being a freshman and sophomore in college meant I had that in the bag. We had a bet for $50…which I never received, oddly enough. Now, let me drop that topic before I get a text from my sister accusing me of cheating in our Spotify competition.
I found my love for making playlists for pretty much everything in 2019, my freshman year of high school. I drove to school every day with Kaitlyn, which not only meant she had aux, but that I also found a lot of new music to enjoy. So, when she graduated high school in 2020 and went to college, I realized the closest thing I had to her was music and making silly little playlists just like she always was. Considering music and my playlists are my entire personality, I think it’s safe to say that she shaped me into the person I am today.
In September of 2020, I started making a playlist each month consisting of new and old music I loved throughout the month. I’ve made one every month since, which adds up to around 61 playlists as of September 2025. These playlists range in length, with some only being a few songs to some having full albums. Sometimes, when one of my favorite artists drops a new album, I’ll listen to it in full and add my favorite songs to the playlist for that month. These are some of my simpler and easier playlists, and I highly recommend making them yourself.
Another idea for a playlist is to base one on a song you enjoy. I commonly make playlists based on vibes, and this is a prime example of that! Pick one song you love and find other songs that sound like it or remind you of it. Then, name the playlist after a line or lyric that might stand out to you. That way, if you’re ever in the mood to listen to one song but need a little bit more variety, you have it!
I also find myself making playlists based on my favorite artists! This way, if I’m ever in the mood to just listen to my favorite songs of theirs, I can without skipping some I might not enjoy. I’ll usually name my playlist after them and then take my favorite songs and put them in the playlist. This is the category of playlists that takes up a large amount of my total playlists. Right now, I have 40 playlists in my artists folder. My most recent are Sombr, Role Model, and Rainbow Kitten Surprise.
Lastly and one of my favorite playlists to make is one based on family, friends, or other loved ones, like partners. These also take up a huge percentage of my Spotify library. Ranging from having one playlist for one person to having 41 for one person, I’ve found that making someone a playlist is one of my love languages. If you’re my friend, sister, dad, or boyfriend, you have a playlist for yourself on my account, and I will always listen to it whenever I’m thinking about you! Truly, I think this form of love isn’t talked about often. There is no feeling quite like making a new playlist, naming it after someone you love, making the playlist cover a cute picture of them or of you both, and adding any song that reminds you of them or that you’ve listened to with them.
Whether you’re making a playlist for yourself, your favorite artist or song, or someone you love, just know there’s no “bad” playlist. That’s one of the great things about making a playlist, whether it’s on Spotify, Apple Music, or whatever streaming platform you use; it’s yours, and you can make it whatever you want. Playlists to me are like time capsules that can capture an entire mood, a memory, or even a person. I may have gone a little overboard with 400 (okay, a lot overboard. I’ll admit it), but in all honesty, each one tells a story, and if my Spotify account ever were to get erased, I’d lose my mind. I highly recommend making your own playlists, whether you take my advice or not. Maybe one day you’ll be able to catch up to me and my 400 (good luck, I’m about to go make another one!)
Looking for inspo? Here’s my Spotify account:
https://open.spotify.com/user/klreimer3?si=414152e4d34e4213