‘Obsessed’ is a monthly deep dive into social and cultural trends that can help marketers inform the way they think. Led by Kate O’Loughlin, Initiative strategist and self-confessed obsessive, ‘Obsessed’ will be a magic school bus to expand marketing mindsets and help brands remain relevant amongst an ever-changing cultural landscape.
For the final OBSESSED of the year, it seems almost mandatory to discuss what might be December’s most anticipated day… and no, it’s not Christmas. It’s Spotify Wrapped release day of course.
Since 2016, Spotify users have excitedly awaited that fateful day between November 30 and December 6 where the platform wraps up user listening habits into one primary coloured and carefully designed slideshow, summarising top artists, songs, and podcasts listened alongside random and oftentimes hilariously absurd listening insights (who knew I had the listening habits of a ‘shapeshifter’).
For 2024, Wrapped dropped on 05/12/24 and it’s been a core part of internet culture since.
Landing on December 5 this year made Wrapped a late arrival leading to an onslaught of impatient customers taking to social media:
@starr Its not a want but a need at this point😭 has anyone got it yet? #australia #spotifywrapped #tiktokaustralia
♬ original sound - Colby
@itaintokbro impatiently* 😔
♬ Hinoki Wood - Gia Margaret
When it finally landed, it was a shock to no one that Taylor Swift once again topped the charts (surrounded by usual suspects like The Weekend and Bad Bunny). Songs wise, we saw the rise of hilarious pop-princess Sabrina Carpenter with her song ‘Espresso’ topping the charts globally.
Digging a little deeper into the data means we can see more macro cultural trends coming through in our listening behaviours, including:
The ‘femininomenon’ is real: Of the top albums streamed in 2024, women held 8 of the top 10 spots. This female-forward focus in music is mimicked in the 2025 Grammy’s ‘Best Pop Album’ nominees which is an all-female lineup, or again in Google’s top search trend data where multiple Charlie XCX-related terms ranked highly – including “Apple” at #8 in dance tutorials or “Brat” at #9 in trend meanings.
The candid and honest nature of the female pop girl lyrics has seen them skyrocket over 2024, following the candid and honest conversation around what it means to be a woman which Barbie put at the centre of the zeitgeist at the end of 2023.
Genres are made to be broken: From pop x country, to sexy drill x hip-hop, some of the top streamed sounds of 2024 were songs which blurred the line between two genres. In fact, Shaboozey’s song ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’ has tied the 19-week record for being #1 on the Billboard charts.
The fluid identify we see rising through the Gen Z and Gen Alpha ranks is something reflected in how they listen.
Immersive listening: For the first time, Spotify was able to release the top audiobook listens globally thanks to the introduction of the format onto the platform.
Half of the top books were from the fantasy genre, aligning with a new trend of ‘immersive reading’ on TikTok where users are tuning into audio books at the same time, they read the physical hardcover. Made popular by fantasy books, immersive listening proves a desire amongst booklovers to venture into alternate universes in favour of escaping this one.
@savannahleehenry ok, first time trying dramatised audio - its literally a movie in my mind!!! 📚🎧 #aesthetic #readingvlog #readwithme #readingaesthetic #booktok #bookish #bookworm #acotar #acourtofthornsandroses #readingcorner #cozyroom #roomdecor #roominspo #cozyvlog #dailyvlog #ditl #books #bookgirl #graphicaudio #fyp #foryou
♬ roslyn - hey
@jourdanbts Replying to @Key 📚😎 when I was diagnosed with ADHD It helped me realize that the reason why I wasn’t finishing books even when I was really enjoying them was because I wasn’t doing everything I could to enjoy the experience. Immersive reading is definitely one of the things that have helped me rekindle my love for reading. #BookLovers #Booktok #Audiobooks #KindleUnlimited
♬ original sound - Jourdanbts 📚📺🎬
While these macro trends are only the beginning of what the Spotify Wrapped ’24 dataset meant as an insight into culture, they do represent three insights for marketers looking into 2025:
1. Keep it real – customers want to experience their content on an emotional level and are sick of the brand BS. Cut the crap and be honest in your comms to forge true connection with shoppers.
2. Find the fringe – leaning into collaborations or partnerships with brands that sit on the fringe of your category will be key. Showing up in unexpected and unconventional ways will excite younger audiences and break your brand away from the category norms.
3. Cohesion matters – identifying multiple brand touchpoints which can be experienced simultaneously will help to create new ways for people to engage with your brand. Tapping into multi-sensory experiences will make it easier for customers to focus on your product over competitors.
Spotify Wrapped is more than just music, its culture wrapped too.
It’s easy to let it pass by with just a “huh, makes sense” as your over-obsession with yet another classic pop break-up song, but it’s always a good moment to pause and think about what the listening habits of the world means for the year that’s been – and more importantly, the year ahead.
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