As Spotify continues their annual tradition of showing listeners what songs and artists they’ve mostly listened to throughout the year, many listeners began posting their recaps on social media. While some already know what their data is going to be, many are surprised, as they never realized what music they tune into and how much of it they’ve consumed in the past year.

Due to COVID-19 and stay-at-home orders from earlier in the year, this year’s Spotify Wrapped is more likely your quarantine playlist. 

Many use this opportunity of seeing their Spotify Wrapped as a reflection of their year, showing the changes that were made within our character– and music taste throughout 2020.

Venice High has a variety of music genres represented, which shows the diversity of character that exists at school. Here, we’ll take a closer look at what students and teachers are listening to, and we’ll learn more about different personalities and opinions on the music industry.

Spotify measures your year in listening in various ways—minutes listened, top artists, top songs, top genres, and more. Much of the data presented had Venice High students and teachers captivated, as some had no idea what to expect and others did.

Government teacher, Ahsan Minhas: One thing that surprised me is that my top genre is rock. I would’ve thought that it was jazz because I listen to a lot of jazz. I listen to jazz in the evenings, when I have my dinner, I listen to jazz a lot while I work because I cannot work with lyrics—I need just the instrumentals. I’m just surprised that it’s rock, but the data doesn’t lie.

Senior, Gabriella Frangiyyeh: I was surprised to see Drake in my top five artists. I mainly listened to him this year because of his new album, which felt like it was released a really long time ago and I completely forgot that I even listened to it.

Senior, Ariana Sanchez: BTS not being number one for me surprised me the most.

Along with seeing our top artists, the amount of minutes we’ve streamed music in total is also easily accessible, which some may find to be a flex.

Minhas: I think the 132,000 minutes of music I’ve listened to is just a lot. I’m really using this thing to the max.

Sanchez: I was pretty shocked with how many songs I listened to in a day. It shows you all the data of how much you’ve progressed in the year. It’s kind of crazy because you’d never know that you streamed a song so much or that you listen to an artist more than the other. So, I was pretty surprised with mine.

Senior, Anthony Curiel: I was surprised with the amount of minutes I listened to music for, which was around 200,000. Music is life.

As they continued to speak on their music intake, people began to wonder how music is connected to them.

Minhas: I listen to a lot of different genres of music because I just enjoy different kinds of music. I love jazz; I like hip hop; I like guitar music– rock music in general. Art affects people both on an emotional and intellectual level. I feel that also by listening to music. I listen to different types of music because it affects me in different ways– especially music with lyrics.

Frangiyyeh: One reason that I listen to the music that I listen to is because there’s a lot of substance in the lyrics. As somebody who really pays attention to the words that are in the songs I listen to, I find that it’s one of the most important parts in deciding whether I like a song or not. I prefer to listen to songs with interesting lyrics because it can be helpful for me to listen to music saying the thoughts that I can’t put into words. It’s very eye-opening for me.

Minhas: The hip hop I like is when the lyrics are mainly about social commentary, like J. Cole or Kendrick Lamar. At the same time, I may want to hear lyrics that are more about love, relationships, or even your state of mind. That’s why I also listen to rock music, like Pink Floyd.

Music teacher, David Lee: Some of the genres that I listen to are representatives of my identity. A genre that I listen to is K-Pop. I am Korean-American. People tend to listen to stuff that is of their heritage. I feel like there is a rise of K-Pop here in the states, which to me, is very exciting. People are enjoying what I identify with. It may be a genre that you may not like but you got to give mad respect to the lifestyle they live. People are training to become these K-Pop idols. You’re a triple threat; you’re a dancer; you’re a singer; you also have the fashion sense. Whether or not you like K-Pop, there should be mad respect to the culture that it is. I also enjoy mariachi because I can play it and understand it. Those are two genres that you may not know I listen to.

Curiel: I just listen to my music because it makes me feel hyped up when I’m exercising. It actually depends on the song. One song usually has better lyrics, while the other has a better beat. I listen to both. I recommend listening to J.I.D. He’s the GOAT. That boy got lyrics.

You’re probably wondering what all the hype is about. I’m sure people only view their Spotify Wrapped because it’s trendy, right? Let’s take a closer look at what they have to say…

Minhas: We’re curious people by nature. Especially since music is such an important part of your life, I think people like to look at the data and either confirm what they believe is true about them or see what the data actually suggests. It’s a way for people to understand themselves better. It’s a very human instinct.

Frangiyyeh: A year is a very long time and a lot can change. I feel like music is a good reflection of character. Looking back at your past year through music is very helpful. You can see how you’ve changed and see what’s been important to you in that year because of the music you listen to.

Curiel: I think people are interested in their Spotify Wrapped because they can see what they’ve listened to, in case they wanna switch it up in the future.

Lee: This kind of data is not new. All this information, you could’ve accessed already. I feel like the only reason it was popular is because it’s presented and offered in an accessible manner.

As unusual as the 2020 experience may have been, there’s no denying that this past year’s music was recognizable. However, plenty was said about the music industry and what is hoped for next year.

Lee: The music industry is currently changing right now. There are a lot of up-and-coming artists. I’d like to see more variety. Currently, with the pandemic, a lot of the larger artists aren’t making as much money, which is, in my sense, a good thing because it gives an opportunity to the up-and-coming artists.

Frangiyyeh: I hope people will support independent artists more. I don’t spend a lot of time on Spotify because I listen to more smaller artists, in a sense. I think there’s a lot of musicians that aren’t popular that definitely deserve more recognition. People should give independent artists a try.

Sanchez: Next year, I wish to see more diversity. I’d want to see more Latinx artists. Cuco is a very good example of a Latinx artist but I don’t see a lot in the industry. My Top 5 artists include Boy Pablo, Katzù Oso, and Cuco, which are all Latinx artists but they’re not mainstream enough. I feel like it would be really cool if they could be at least up there.

Minhas: I don’t really have a lot of high expectations or hope for the music industry, just like the way I do for the film industry. My biggest complaint about the entertainment industry, in general, is that it doesn’t prioritize art. It’s driven by commercial interests. The industry prioritizes a lot of junk music, junk TV, and junk film. Really great artists are underappreciated; don’t get the recognition; and don’t get the awards they deserve.

Curiel: Next year, I want to hear better music.