The long-awaited Spotify Wrapped arrived yesterday, December 4th, later than it has in previous years. Despite the relative disappointment online, with many comparisons to last year’s version and the fact that there is still no section to show users their most played albums of the year, it still has everyone talking as much as previous years, comparing their music tastes and listening times. Take a look below at the music taste of the UK as a whole.
don’t like how music is becoming less and less about albums
not a single mention of albums on Spotify wrapped
love a full album listen personally
— Jed (@Jed__28) December 4, 2024
apparently spotify laid off a lot of workers and used AI to create the wrapped this year instead no wonder it sucks… pic.twitter.com/jRvbHW9qGq — noah (@weremytown13) December 4, 2024
Top Streamed Artists
It seems the UK loves US artists with three out of five being American, and two Canadian. It’s no surprise that Taylor Swift has taken the top spot again with her incredible Era’s Tour and release of the album “The Tortured Poets Department” and an extended 31 song long version of the album, aptly titled “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology”. Popular as ever are Drake and the Weeknd, both of whom appeared on this list for 2023, with Drake retaining his spot as the second most listened-to artist, though the weekend has dropped from third to fifth.
The Five Top Streamed Artists in the UK:
With Kanye West (with his release of the album trilogy “Vultures”) and Billie Eilish (with her hit album “Hit Me Hard and Soft”) taking the third and fourth spots respectively, which means no British artists appear in the top five this year, replacing both Ed Sheeran and Arctic Monkeys.
Top Streamed Songs
Interestingly, none of the artists featured in the top five streamed songs in the UK this year were present in last year’s top five. Last year three out of five artists were British, with the most streamed song being “Sprinter” by Dave and Central Cee. This year the most streamed song is the lyricially complex, alternative/folk song “Stick Season” by Noah Kahan, originally released in 2022. Taking second place is, unsurprisingly, Sabrina Carpenter with “Espresso”. The catchy pop hit was released as a single this year in support of the equally successful full-length album “Short n’ Sweet”, which marked Carpenter’s big break in the UK. The track currently has 1.6 billion streams on Spotify worldwide. Spots three and four are also taken by US artists Benson Boone and Teddy Swims, with the fourth most streamed song being “Too Sweet” by Hozier. The track is the only one originating from an artist originating from the UK, with Hozier being Irish, and he happens to be the only British/Irish artist to appear on any of the top five statistics covered in this article.
The Five Top Streamed Songs in the UK:
- “Stick Season” – Noah Kahan
- “Espresso” – Sabrina Carpenter
- “Beautiful Things” – Benson Boone
- “Too Sweet” – Hozier
- “Lose Control” – Teddy Swims
Top Streamed Albums in the UK
Following with the trends of the previous lists, the most streamed albums in the UK come from only US artists, with two coming from Taylor Swift. Interestingly, Noah Kahan’s album “Stick Season” takes the third spot despite being released in October of 2022; similarly, “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” was released in 2023 yet still made it onto this year’s list. Carpenter capitalised on the success of single “Espresso” with the release of hits such as “Please Please Please” and “Taste”, both of which also charted well in the UK. Billie Eilish’s album “Hit Me Hard and Soft” justifies her spot on the list, with the viral success of her track “Birds of a Feather” from the album.
The Five Top Streamed Albums in the UK:
- “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology” – Taylor Swift
- “Short n’ Sweet” – Sabrina Carpenter
- “Stick Season” – Noah Kahan
- “Hit Me Hard and Soft” – Billie Eilish
- “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” – Taylor Swift
How do the UK’s most streamed artists, songs and albums compare to your Spotify Wrapped? More information can be found here, and last year’s statistics can be found here. Find your Spotify Wrapped 2024 here.
