It’s officially that time of year where people flock to whatever app they use to listen to their favorite tunes to find out their favorite late-night bops and road-trip anthems. That’s right, Spotify Wrapped and Apple Replay are here, and the Item newsroom is sharing our diverse listening habits with the world.
Amanda Lurey: My taste can’t be defined
Last Thursday, around 4 a.m., I realized that this year’s Spotify Wrapped was ready for me — and by God, I was ready for it.
Spotify let me know that “taste like (mine) can’t be defined,” as I listened to 217 genres. My top five were: dance pop, melodic rap, electro house, rock, and R&B. No surprises there. This feels rather on brand.
I’m always most excited for my top songs. They are as follows: “Wonderful Nothing” by Glass Animals, “The Business” by Tiësto, “Hello” by Martin Solveig and Dragonette, “girl$” by Dom Dolla, and “A Tear in Space (Airlock)” by Glass Animals.
“Wonderful Nothing” is a song I reach for when I need a nasty beat with a screw you attitude. For anyone who’s never heard of the British, indie-rock band Glass Animals, my top artist, I recommend my all-time favorite “Your Love (Déjà Vu)” and close runners-up “Tokyo Drifting” and “Waterfalls Coming Out Your Mouth.”
I’m very proud to share that ADÉLA, whose solo career has been incredible to watch thus far, was my second most-listened-to artist. I’m parasocially proud of her for the success her EP “The Provocateur” has had, and I can’t wait to see her skyrocket into stardom.
Thanks to my raging ADHD, I often need my music to be louder than my overlapping thoughts, so I wasn’t shocked in the slightest when Spotify said I belonged to the Full Charge Crew.
I was shocked that “A Tear in Space (Airlock)” made it into my top five, though. I was expecting Ciara’s “Like a Boy” (15th most-played) or Farruko’s “Pepas” (10th most-played) to slip into that fifth spot, but considering Glass Animals was my top artist, oh well. You win some; you lose some.
Elizabeth Della Piana: Flannels, falling leaves, and a side of pop
My Spotify Wrapped top artists really show how looks can be deceiving because while Taylor Swift topped my chart (again), I ended up with indie rock as my top genre.
Now, I’m not shocked. I spent many car rides with stripped-down guitar melodies flowing through my speakers, pretending I was the main character in an A24 coming-of-age film. I’ve long said that I’ll listen to anything with a good beat, and I’ve found that indie rock nails that — especially when the lyrics hit that sweet spot between emotional damage and poetic metaphor.
I’m actually proud of my top five genres this year. I managed to hit pop, indie rock, indie folk, country, and global pop in 20,095 minutes of listening, which I’ve interpreted as proof of my expansive and deeply cultured musical taste.
My top five included Swift at number one, followed by indie rock influence Joe P, Noah Kahan, Crowe Boys (some of the only country I enjoy), and KATSEYE.
Kahan took two slots in my top five songs with “You’re Gonna Go Far” at number one and “Forever” at four, meaning I spent a large portion of 2025 wistfully dreaming about an alternate universe where I live in a secluded cabin and chop my own firewood. With a cozy, crunchy vibe laced with sadness, “Snowbank Blues” by The Backseat Lovers was second. At third was “Don’t Wanna Love U,” and “Birthday Baby (The Girl With No Smile)” by Joe P completed my list.
My Wrapped paints me as someone who is either staring out rain-soaked car windows or bumping my speakers with “Gnarly” by KATSEYE, vibrating my Lexus. That sounds about right.
Joey Barrett: He’s ‘Gone Country’ with Apple Music
So, I’m the only one who listens to real music. With instruments and all of that.
Kidding. Kind of. Anyway . . .
I’ve been a diehard country music fan since I was 4 years old, running around my house with an orange Volunteers jersey because Tennessee was Kenny Chesney’s favorite team.
Fast forward to today. I’ve been to Tennessee twice, the Vols are still my favorite team, and Tipsy Cowboy is my favorite bar in Salem (where I live).
Anyone with the unfortunate pleasure of driving with me knows this: Country music only, with a rare exception of Elvis Presley, who technically still qualifies.
My top artists of the year were Chesney, “King of Country” George Strait, modern-day king Morgan Wallen, Alan Jackson, and Post Malone (rapper-turned-country musician).
I enjoy these musicians because they write songs for every emotion: happy, sad, bored — you name it. They’re pure with good intentions. Love songs. Friday nights. Friends. Family. Faith.
Also, please tell me you understood the headline (Alan Jackson’s 1994 smash hit).
Matteo Valente: I betrayed Kelly Clarkson
This year, I moved from Spotify to YouTube Music. I am the only one using that platform out of my colleagues, but it’s included in YouTube Premium, and if I can cut down on subscriptions, I will. Besides, it’s very underrated, and all these streaming platforms are essentially the same. Plus, while Spotify shows listening ages, YouTube Music has “My Musical Passport,” which I believe is slightly cooler.
Ask anyone who knows me to name my favorite artist, and they’ll answer quickly: Kelly Clarkson. I remember being in kindergarten and going to Walmart with my mom and seeing Clarkson’s first album “Thankful” on the CD rack. I asked my mom to purchase it for me. Did I know who she was? No. Did my mom get it for me? No. But perhaps that stuck somewhere deep in my mind because I quickly became a fan of hers when “Since U Been Gone” was released in 2004.
Usually every year, Clarkson is my top artist, but not this year. MARINA, a Welsh singer known for hits like “Hollywood” and “How To Be a Hearbreaker” released her new album this year titled “Princess of Power,” and clearly I loved it since all my top songs are from said album. If you want to listen to a woman with an angelic voice who can put out beautiful, fun pop songs, MARINA should be in your playlist.
Last year 24kGoldn, Selena Gomez, and Doja Cat accompanied Clarkson and MARINA in my top five artists, but sadly Gomez and Doja didn’t make it this time. Instead, the iconic whistle queen herself Mariah Carey, and the greatest, everlasting group of all time, Outkast, took their place. If you haven’t listened to Outkast’s album “Stankonia,” I strongly suggest you experience this amazing, no-skip album.
Sophia Harris: 38,000 minutes of my year
If my year had a soundtrack, Spotify Wrapped has now confirmed it: I’ve been living squarely in my soft-focus, indie-pop era. With 38,005 minutes of listening logged, I apparently spent more time with my headphones than with human beings, and honestly, no regrets.
At the top of my artist lineup sits Laufey, reigning like the patron saint of cozy introspection. Following close behind are SZA and Tyler, The Creator, proof that my emotional range this year stretched from heart-spilled confessions to vibrant, creative chaos. Rounding out the top five were Clairo and Faye Webster, artists who specialize in making everyday moments feel cinematic, even when I’m just staring out a bus window pretending to be in an A24 film.
My most-played songs paint an equally tender picture. “Sweet Boy” led the charge, followed by “The Days,” “party 4 u,” “undressed,” and “Love Me Not.” Together, they form a playlist of wistfulness, nostalgia, and just enough emotional damage to keep things interesting. Obviously, something happened maybe mid-year that made “party 4 u” by Charli xcx rise to the top. Oh, right, I graduated. Lots of partying for me during the month of May.
And the genre? Indie pop, obviously. Nothing else could’ve carried me through late-night thinking sessions, long walks, and the occasional main-character crisis quite so reliably.
If anything, this year’s Wrapped tells me I’ve curated my own universe — one filled with delicate strings, confessional lyrics, and artists who know how to articulate feelings I didn’t even know I had. Here’s to another year of replaying the songs that soundtrack the versions of ourselves we’re still learning to become.
Spenser Hasak: Metalcore from around the world
I’m in the minority of the office, and seemingly the world, because I’m an Apple Music user. What that means is I don’t get to know my listening age, play games to find out my top songs, and I’ll never know what my “vibe” is… damn. OK, maybe I am actually bummed out about not getting games to play, but I still prefer Apple Music.
It may come as a shock to anyone who knows me and my demeanor, but I listen to metal. If we’re getting specific, metalcore. And if we’re getting even more specific, technical metalcore. I guess listening to all this “angry” music (44,892 minutes) allows me to have a cheery, sunny disposition most of the time.
My top three artists were Prospective (Italian metalcore), Northlane (Australian metalcore), and Architects (British metalcore). Northlane has always been my favorite band, but something about Prospective’s new album “The Weight of What I’ve Become” really struck a chord with me, particularly with the instrumentals. It’s heavy hitting and technical with fantastic breakdowns and synth. Lyrically (yes, I understand what they’re screaming), the album is powerful. It talks about breakup struggles and the lasting effects of a bad relationship. Now, I am happily married and love my wife, but the music still resonates with a past version of myself.
It should come as no surprise that my top three songs — “Who I Am,” “Ethereal,” and “Closer” — were all from that album. I liked it so much that I made it into Prospective’s Top 100 listeners for 2025.
Zach Laird: Spotify called me old
Just this year, I discovered that Spotify Wrapped existed, and it took me for a spin. Not only did I find a carefully-curated selection of my top songs, but I also learned that the algorithms behind the magic claimed my listening age was 75… Indeed, during moments like these, the word “wow” doesn’t quite cut it, but let’s dissect the app’s diagnosis anyway.
I listened to 23,466 minutes of songs and podcasts — that’s 16 days, folks — with a mix of 182 genres, the top five being: classic rock, indie rock, jazz rap, folk, and Chicago blues.
Out of 585 songs, my number one was “Confused” by Kid Cudi. The rest were from Thunderclap Newman, The Beatles, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, and Rod Stewart, which is likely why Spotify thinks I’m almost 80… But I don’t mind; having a weird mix of music helps me feel like I can conquer any type of day life throws my way.
The Rolling Stones was reportedly my top artist, and after spending 910 minutes listening to them, I’ve become a top 0.5% global fan. Not bad, huh?
I also streamed 2,959 minutes of podcasts, but this list isn’t as diverse. In fact, there were apparently only two categories of shows that I listened to: comedians and conspiracies (primarily about UFOs).
Spotify called me an “old soul,” which feels pretty fitting.
