YES, it’s that time of the year again, when Spotify Wrapped shows streamers who they have been listening to and for how long.
The individualised charts, generated by listening habits, give Spotify subscribers a personalised roll-out of their sonic year.
And they revealed that Rita Ora’s own most played artist was . . . herself, coming ahead of Bruce Springsteen.
The singer took to her Instagram stories to share her completely un-narcissistic favourites to her 16million followers.
As well as being her own most played artist, her recent single Praising You, featuring Fatboy Slim, also topped her most listened to singles.
Rita Ora has been keeping Rita Ora busy.
She wrote: “Me and the flute have been killing it this year. lol.”
While Sprinter, by Gen Z Brit rapper Dave — nope, me neither — was the UK’s most played single, Taylor Swift was our most streamed singer of 2023.
Her record Midnights topped the album charts, while, incredibly, she also slipped in at No5 with Lover, originally released four years ago.
Brit entrants included Harry Styles (No3 with Harry’s House) and the Arctic Monkeys, in at No4 with AM.
In the artists category, Ed Sheeran, a man we’ve all heard of, creeps in at No5.
Globally, Taylor Swift unseated Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny after a three-year reign as the service’s most-steamed act. He drops to No2.
Podcasts are also taken into account and, look away Harry and Meghan, Archetypes failed to chart.
Depressingly, Joe Rogan was the UK’s most listened to broadcaster, with his alt-right conspiracy theory sessions on The Joe Rogan Experience beating Steven Bartlett’s Diary Of A CEO.
Laura Ferguson, Spotify head of global marketing experience, describes the annual lists, now in their tenth year, as, “Almost like election night”.
Unquestionably, it is the cultural event of the year for anyone under 40.
Actually, sod it, I’m 41 and I still excitedly “unwrapped” my personal highlights yesterday . . . only to discover I have the musical tastes of a 14-year- old schoolgirl.
Taylor, then, was my most played artist while, apparently, April was a particularly busy month for her track Anti-hero, which I played, on loop, more than is probably healthy.
I listened to 3,379 songs in total, with Spotify telling me: “2023 was a feast for my ears.” My ears, then, also lapped up Lewis Capaldi, Ed Sheeran, Pink and The Weeknd.
Cool, I am not.
Celebs, however, were quick to bolster their eclectic credentials, with Gwyneth Paltrow, Lily Allen and Charli XCX all sharing their Spotify screenshots.
Not surprisingly, theirs were considerably more respectable.
Until next year . . .
TOP ARTISTS IN THE UK
- Taylor Swift
- Drake
- The Weeknd
- Arctic Monkeys
- Ed Sheeran
TOP SONGS IN THE UK
- Sprinter, by Dave and Central Cee
- Flowers, by Miley Cyrus
- Kill Bill, by SZA
- Boy’s A Liar Pt 2, by Pink Pantheress & Ice Spice
- Escapism, by RAYE feat. 070 Shake
TOP ALBUMS IN THE UK
- Midnights, by Taylor Swift
- SOS, by SZA
- Harry’s House, by Harry Styles
- AM, by Arctic Monkeys
- Lover, by Taylor Swift
TOP PODCASTS IN THE UK
- The Joe Rogan Experience
- The Diary Of A CEO with Stephen Bartlett
- Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster
- Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe’s Parenting Hell
- Call Her Daddy
TOP ARTISTS GLOBALLY
- Taylor Swift
- Bad Bunny
- The Weeknd
- Drake
- Peso Pluma
TOP SONGS GLOBALLY
- Flowers, by Miley Cyrus
- Kill Bill, by SZA
- As It Was, by Harry Styles
- Seven by Jungkook feat. Latto
- Ella Bella Sola, by Armado & Peso Pluma
TOP ALBUMS GLOBALLY
- Un Verano Sin, by Bad Bunny
- Midnights by Taylor Swift
- SOS, by SZA
- Starboy by The Weeknd
- Manana Sera Bonito by Karol G
TOP PODCASTS GLOBALLY
- The Joe Rogan Experience
- Call Her Daddy
- Huberman Lab
- Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain
- On Purpose with Jay Shetty