The long wait for music fans is finally over: Spotify released their yearly music recap, Spotify Wrapped, on Dec. 4, 2024. Spotify Wrapped allows users to view and share their listening date from the past year, such as their top five most listened to artists, most listened to podcast, and total number of minutes listened over the course of the past year.
The Racquet Press conducted a small survey of University of Wisconsin-La Crosse students to see which artists and songs made their Spotify Wrapped end of year lists.
Coming in at number five on the artist side of things was Gracie Abrams. Abrams performed as an opening act for certain shows of Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” in 2023 and 2024, building on her already budding popularity from being a supporting act for Olivia Rodrigo’s 2022 “Sour Tour.” Additionally, Abrams released her second album, The Secret of Us, on June 21 of this year, paving the way for fans to stream her music and for her placement on this list.
Landing in fourth place was Olivia Rodrigo, who has been one of pop music’s biggest sensations since the release of her 2021 single “Drivers License.” Rodrigo released her second album, GUTS, on Sept. 8, 2023, which was supported by the hit single “Vampire.” In 2024, she performed her second headlining tour, the “Guts World Tour,” which lasted from February to October 2024.
Third on the list was country artist Zach Bryan, who had one of the most successful years of his career to date. Building off the popularity of his self-titled August 2023 album and number one single, “I Remember Everything” featuring Kacey Musgraves, he released his fifth studio album, The Great American Bar Scene, on July 4, 2024. In March 2024, he embarked on the massive “The Quittin’ Time Tour,” which Bryan has said will be his last tour ever.
Since 2023, Taylor Swift has become one of the most, if not the most, dominant force in the music industry, and she continues her dominance by placing second on the list. In March 2023, she began “the Eras Tour,” which she just recently wrapped up. Swift released her eleventh album, The Tortured Poets Department, on April 19, 2024. It sold over 2.6 million units in its first week in America and became the first album to ever gain one billion Spotify streams in a week.
Finally, the number one spot goes to Noah Kahan, who has exploded in popularity in 2023 and 2024. While his third album, Stick Season, was released in 2022, the title track didn’t become a hit until much later—it first entered the Billboard Hot 100 in October 2023.
In 2024, the songs “Stick Season” and “Northern Attitude”, the latter a collab with Hozier, took off, and Kahan released the final version of his Stick Season album, titled Stick Season (Forever). He also performed his fourth tour, the “Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever) Tour,” from January to September 2024, which had several shows added throughout the duration of the tour due to increased demand.
Additional popular artists among UWL students that did not make the top five include Sabrina Carpenter, Kanye West, Drake, Morgan Wallen, Hozier, and Tyler, the Creator.
Not only does Noah Kahan occupy the top spot of the artists list, but he also dominates the songs list: he occupies the first three spots of the top songs. The previously mentioned songs “Stick Season” and “Northern Attitude” place at two and one, respectively, and his track “All My Love” came in at number three.
The number four song belongs to Chappell Roan’s hit, “Good Luck, Babe!” UWL students already made their love for Chappell Roan clear with their responses to the Grammy nominations in November, and it continues to be seen here. “Good Luck, Babe!” was released on April 5, 2024, and steadily gained popularity throughout the year. It peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100, currently has over one billion Spotify streams, and received three Grammy nominations.
Lastly, coming in at number five on the songs lists was Sabrina Carpenter’s summer smash, “Espresso.” Released on April 11, 2024, “Espresso” built on the popularity she had gained from her 2022 songs “Nonsense” and “Feather,” and served as the lead single for her massive album Short n’ Sweet. With two Grammy nominations, it’s one of the most acclaimed and accomplished songs of the year.
If you would like to see your Spotify Wrapped from this year, simply open the Spotify app and click on the “Wrapped” tab on the home page.
