Every December, like clockwork, social media is flooded with hundreds of colorful graphics plastered with Spotify’s staple #SpotifyWrapped branding. Prestigious award shows like the Grammys center the artists — focusing on the artistic technicalities surrounding the music released for the year. Spotify Wrapped focuses on music lovers — highlighting what songs, albums, and artists they enjoyed listening to.
As one of the most anticipated musical moments of the year, it is hard to remember a time when the user-generated data sharing moment wasn’t around. So when did Spotify Wrapped start? According to a spokesperson for the company, Spotify’s Wrapped concept was first introduced in 2013 under another name, Year in Music. In 2016, the platform allowed all users to join in on the fun. Then in 2017, rolled out the personalized listening statistics and user-specific interactivity.
Another major changed took place in 2020. The graphics generated for users to share across social media got a major face lift. Former intern and visual artist, Jewel Ham claimed responsibility for the revamp. Ham took to Twitter to reveal the she pitched #SpotifyWrapped’s visual rebranding during her final days at the company but did not receive credit. Ham later went on to discuss it further during an interview with Refinery29.
i really invented the spotify wrapped story concept as an intern project in 2019 and they havent looked back since LMAO
— jewel (@whateverjewel) December 2, 2020
However, representatives from Spotify deny Ham’s claim stating, “While ideas generated during Spotify’s internship program have on occasion informed campaigns and products, based on our internal review, that is not the case here with Spotify Wrapped. It’s unfortunate that things have been characterized otherwise.”
Either way as avid music lover we are grateful for everyone involved in formulating #SpotifyWrapped. If you have Spotify account, you can generate a #SpotifyWrapped list based on your streaming history. Click here to learn more.