Spotify Wrapped 2021: release date, how to see your stats, most streamed songs and artists - and new features

Spotify Wrapped is finally out - but what are the new features for 2021?
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Spotify has revealed its much-awaited personalised Spotify Wrapped experience for listeners.

Listeners’ top artists, genres, songs, podcasts and the number of minutes they listened is included in Spotify Wrapped, in addition to a number of new features.

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The music streaming platform has also revealed the top music and podcasts streamed globally in 2021.

So how do you access Spotify Wrapped, what are the new features in 2021, and who are the most popular artists this year?

What is Spotify Wrapped?

Spotify Wrapped in an annual feature which displays users’ listening habits over the course of the year.

The streaming platform shows listeners their favourite artists, songs, albums, genres, podcasts and more from 2021.

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The data showcases insights like whether you’re in the top percentage of a certain artist’s listeners, or if you were one of the first to discover a song or artist before anyone else.

Spotify Wrapped is released each year in December (Photo: John Sciulli/Getty Images for Spotify)Spotify Wrapped is released each year in December (Photo: John Sciulli/Getty Images for Spotify)
Spotify Wrapped is released each year in December (Photo: John Sciulli/Getty Images for Spotify)

Spotify also turns your Spotify Wrapped into a playlist so you can easily access all the songs you’ve been loving over the past year in one handy space.

Last year, Spotify Wrapped featured a mini quiz to test listeners on how well they think they know their own music tastes.

The feature will be available to both premium users and its free users as well - however, premium users will get to enjoy some additional content and more personalised information from their Spotify Wrapped.

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However, the feature will only be available to users who had an account before 15 November and have listened to at least five different artists and 30 different tracks.

If you didn’t make an account in time, you’ll still be able to see some of the global music highlights instead.

When will Spotify Wrapped 2021 be released?

Spotify Wrapped was released on Wednesday 1 December 2021.

The feature tends to come out in the first week of December, and was released on the same date in 2020.

In 2019 it came out on 5 December and in 2018 on 4 December.

How do I see my Spotify Wrapped?

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You can access your Spotify Wrapped by logging into your Spotify account on any device and checking the home page.

You can also see it in your Spotify feed in the mobile app while it’s being promoted. it will show up as a collection of playlists based on the music you listen to regularly.

If you click on this playlist you’ll see your full Wrapped collection.

What are the new Spotfiy Wrapped features?

In addition to your favourite artists and playlists, Spotify is offering some new features this year, which delve - sometimes uncomfortably - into your listening habits. These are:

  • 2021: The Movie - A feature which pairs your favourite songs with classic scenes from a film all about you.
  • Your Audio Aura - working with an aura expert, Spotify has visualised your audio aura based on your top two music moods.
  • Playing cards - you can play this new interactive, data-based game with your friends. Spotify displays a number of statements about your listening habits, and you have to guess which ones are true.
  • 2021 Wrapped Blend - you can tap into this feature to find out how your music tastes match up with those of your friends, and stream blended playlists.
  • Wrapped hub - a variety of personalised and data-driven content including playlists of your favourite songs and artists, as well as playlist recommendations based on your preferences.

When does Spotify stop tracking songs?

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If you’re hoping to change the outcome of your Spotify Wrapped by rapidly listening to songs in a bid to drown out any potential guilty pleasures that might ruin your Spotify Wrapped - unfortunately, it’s too late.

Are you looking forward to Spotify Wrapped? (Photo: Shutterstock)Are you looking forward to Spotify Wrapped? (Photo: Shutterstock)
Are you looking forward to Spotify Wrapped? (Photo: Shutterstock)

In the past, Spotify has said in the past that the platform tracks users’ listening habits from 1 January to 31 October.

More recently, in the FAQ for Spotify Wrapped 2020, the service said that Unwrapped is based on what you’ve listened to from 1 January to 15 November.

Either way, it means that this year’s research into your top songs has already been completed.

Who was the most streamed artist in 2021?

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Looking at data from its 381 million users, Spotify has revealed that for a second year in a role, Puerto Rican Reggaeton star Bad Bunny was the most streamed artist in the world on the platform.

He is followed by singer-songwriter Taylor Swift whose album Red was extremely popular with listeners in 2021.

Korean pop band BTS came in at number three, after their single ‘Butter’ captured the attention of the world.

Canadian hip-hop artist Drake, whose album Certified Lover Boy came out in September, came in at number four and Justin Bieber was fifth on the list.

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Bieber’s 2021 album Justice featured collaborations with artists from across the globe and he will go on tour next year.

What was the most streamed song globally?

The most popular song of the year on Spotify was Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Drivers License’ which had more than 1.1 billion streams. The artist also took the fourth spot with her song ‘good 4 u’ - which was also Spotify Song of the Summer.

Number two was Lil Nas X’s ‘Montero’ (Call Me By Your Name), while The Kid LAROI was third place with his Justin Bieber collaboration ‘Stay’.

The fifth most streamed song was Dua Lipa’s ‘Levitating (feat. DaBaby).

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