On November 29th, Spotify was set to release Spotify Wrapped, a yearly log of each listener’s top artists, songs, genres, and a plethora of additional information about the user’s musical statistics for that year. With this release, the streaming service had declared that Taylor Swift had become Spotify’s Global Top Artist of 2023 with a total of more than 26.1 billion streams since January 1st.
Preceding this, on November 28th, Spotify began hinting at a major Taylor Swift announcement by posting 21 pieces of a photo on their social media accounts, as well as having the photos projected on billboards across the globe, that contained references to the coveted artist. They released the full picture and posted a YouTube video combining all of the pieces and spotlighting Swift on the day of Spotify Wrapped.
The full photo, a piece of artwork made by Spotify specifically for the announcement, included a variety of Taylor Swift “easter eggs,” as called by Swift. This includes allusions to the friendship bracelets from her global “Eras Tour” concerts, a moss-covered piano from the “cardigan” music video off her folklore album, and a snake depiction about the reputation album.
Along with being granted Spotify’s Global Top Artist, Swift’s Midnights was the second most streamed album in the world, and her album Lover was the seventh. Regarding her songs, “Cruel Summer,” a song off of Lover, was the sixth song streamed globally, and “Anti-Hero,” a song off of Midnights, was the tenth.
Additionally, to thank her fans for allowing her to receive this honor, Swift announced the release of her song “You’re Losing Me” on streaming services. When Swift came to New Jersey to perform her East Rutherford shows of the “Eras Tour” back in May, she had announced and released two more alternate versions of her previously released album, Midnights, which had originally come out in October of 2022. One of the new versions of Midnights was only available to purchase on CD if one went to see Swift at MetLife Stadium on May 26th, 27th, or 28th, and it featured songs called the “Late Night Tracks.” These songs specifically highlighted “You’re Losing Me,” as it was never heard before and would only be available on the CD. Fast forward to now, Swift decided to disclose “You’re Losing Me” as a way to commemorate her fans and how much they had listened to her music in 2023.
Proceeding the announcement, Swift’s fanbase, the Swifties, have been ecstatic that their favorite artist was able to be granted such an honor. Georgia Kissel ‘25 says, “She completely deserves it. This year, Taylor really hasn’t been anywhere except for the studio and on the ‘Eras Tour’ stage. She has worked so hard.”
By becoming Spotify’s Global Top Artist, Swift has proved to the world the extent of what she is capable of. This recognition allows Swift to be acknowledged by “the music industry,” a name she is called by her fans, ultimately cementing her legacy in music forever.
