I love Spotify. I’m obsessed with it. Despite Wrapped 2021 being an attack on all fronts, there is no other music streaming service I’d want to spend my sad girl hours with. Spotify has seen me through my tweens, where my number one artist was Justin Bieber for three years in a row; my messy three-year relationship and eventual breakup, when all I listened to was XXXTENTACION; and my heavily caffeinated college career, blasting lo-fi beats in a YRL study pod. If no one’s got me, at least I know Spotify’s got me, and whether I’m cramming for a midterm or driving with the windows down, that’s all I need.
The one thing that Spotify unequivocally holds over other streaming services is personalization. Not only does it let you design your own playlists, but it spoon feeds you playlists of its own creation that are catered to your taste. Everyone’s a bit of a music snob these days, gatekeeping their favorite underground artists, but no one is a bigger music snob than me. Spotify helps me hold that title by curating an endless supply of indie songs for me to pick from and play for other people to make them feel mainstream for not knowing them.
Even though my mood jumps from Pheobe Bridgers to Tyler, the Creator and back to Harry Styles, Spotify always seems to know what I want to listen to. Or if I’m leaning more toward a specific atmosphere instead of a specific artist, great, because there are six playlists dedicated to my most listened to genres in the center of my homepage. I once got a headline that read, “POV: you’re a Gen Z on this app” and it listed a bunch of playlists whose vibes swiveled between “hot girl shit” and “why won’t he text me back.” Truly, the duality of our generation.
One of the best features of Spotify is its data analysis. Third-party websites like Stats for Spotify, Obscurify, and The Pudding offer fun, interactive ways to analyze your streaming history and see just how good (or bad) your music taste really is. Also, things like Spotify Wrapped give you a firsthand look into your favorite songs and artists, and discovering those things is really what streaming services are all about. Did I expect One Direction to be my fourth-most listened-to artist of 2021? No, but I’m not mad at it.
As someone who is physically unable to walk to campus without earphones in, Spotify is my saving grace. It’s the last little uplifting bit I need before a three-hour lab or a seven-hour shift, and it’s as easy as pressing shuffle on my liked songs. The next time you’re going to class, queue up your favorite bops and walk down Bruin Walk like you’re the main character because you are.