Spotify Wrapped 2020: 5 Things We Learned (And Listened To)

Online streaming service Spotify has provided a cultural review of 2020. The year will be remembered as one of the most tumultuous in recent memory, and understanding what types of music users were listening to can provide a better understanding of the mainstream's mindset.

In a montage of trends during the year of the pandemic, Spotify found that its users gravitated to hits from the 1980s. The popular app's own playlist from the 1980s runs from the melancholy voice of Barbra Streisand to legacy hits such as Blondie’s “Call Me.” There was even one from Lipps Inc.

Self-care was a big theme during the pandemic, which meant confidence-boosting music.

Spotify showed that users were looking for some feel-good music. Those hits range from a remix of George Michael’s “Freedom” to a pop-chart hit from Beyonce.

Americans saw the sign of the times pop up on playlists with artists trending along with the Black Lives Matter movement, which saw a surge of attention in the summer. Spotify estimated some 65,000 playlists were created that were titled "BLM" or "Black Lives Matter."

Podcasts saw a sharp uptick in 2020. There are an estimated 1.9 million titles to choose from on Spotify. The biggest podcast of 2020 was "The Joe Rogan Experience." In May, Rogan made his podcast exclusive to Spotify in a licensing deal estimated to be worth more than $100 million.

The most played song of the year was this one from Canadian singer The Weeknd, which according to Spotify saw 1.6 billion streams so far this year.

The numbers can still be shifted with almost an entire month remaining in 2020. However, December is often defined by holiday music.