The moment music fans have been waiting for is almost finally here - with the release of Spotify Wrapped tipped to be today.
The streaming giant's annual feature reveals the songs and artists you've played the most over the year - regardless of whether they're cool or cringey. Wrapped also reveals the most streamed musician across its global userbase of more than 640 million users.
"Spotify teases Spotify wrapped with friendship bracelet beads in celebration of Taylor Swift being the most streamed artist in 2024," said one person on X (Twitter).
Now, a cryptic teaser video appears to give a major hint which artist has taken the crown. The clip, posted by Spotify to its Instagram Stories, appears to show beads from friendship bracelets, which fans think is a reference to Taylor Swift. Swapping friendship bracelets has become something of a trend among Swift fans at the singer's concerts.
So the new teaser is the biggest hint yet that Swift will be crowned the most-streamed artist for the second year in a row.
"Cute nod to Taylor Swift's dominance in 2024!" another fan posted.
Spotify's new clip shows a variety of beads in different shapes and colours, including hearts, butterflies, leaves and the Spotify logo. There's also several letters including most of those that make up Taylor Swift's name: T, A, Y, L, R, S, W, I and T.
Fans don't have long to wait until all is revealed as Spotify Wrapped 2024 is rumoured to arrive around lunchtime today (December 4).
About Spotify Wrapped
Spotify Wrapped is described by the Swedish streaming giant as 'a deep dive into the music and podcasts that defined your year'. Tailored to each user, it presents users with visual charts of their top music and podcasts annually while also revealing global listening habits. It began in December 2016 and has been promoted every year since.
"Taylor Swift being named as the most-streamed artist on Spotify would be little surprise," noted one observer on social media.
Criticism
Critics have suggested that some users deliberately listen to certain artists so they appear prominently in their Wrapped results—making it feel contrived. For instance, last year one user was reported as streaming Taylor Swift for an astonishing 409,169 minutes or 284 days straight!
A Marketing Campaign
Wrapped acts as both an insightful review for listeners and an effective marketing campaign for Spotify itself—it boosts app store rankings every December when released. While this year's exact date isn't confirmed yet; teasers suggest it's imminent with hints towards popular artists like Beyoncé or Charli XCX featured too!