For subscribers to the world’s top music streaming service, the end of the year means one thing: Learning all about your personal listening habits and music taste via Spotify Wrapped.
The annual campaign turns data into hyperpersonalized recaps of users’ year in music. And ever since it debuted in 2016, the marketing campaign has been an annual viral hit. In fact, it’s been so successful that it has birthed a marketing trend. Now other apps like Duolingo, Partiful, Strava, and Apple Music give users their own habit-tracking, end-of-year recaps.
This year, the streaming giant introduced a new feature, the Listening Age metric which estimates the user’s “age” based on when their most-listened-to songs and albums were originally released. Tapping into current generational commentary, as in recent discussions about the Gen-Z stare and Millennial cringe, the Listening Age got Spotify listeners talking, typing, screenshotting, and sharing in a big way.
To learn more, we used Explore+, Meltwater’s enterprise-grade media, social, and consumer intelligence solution, to analyze how Spotify Wrapped 2025 used hyperpersonalization to go viral.
Deep dive: Spotify’s Listening Age
Our Explore+ analysis found that there were about 116,000 mentions of “Listening Age” in the week following Wrapped’s 2025 launch on December 3. Together, those mentions made up about 3% of the overall Wrapped conversation, generating about 5% of overall engagement actions.
Notably, significantly more people mentioned have an older listening age compared to a younger one. The reason for this isn't surprising: Since Listening Ages are based on “the release years of the tracks you listen to most”, there is much more “old” music for listeners to discover, rediscover, and return to.
While in real life, many people detest being mistaken as older than they are, that wasn’t the case with Spotify’s Listening Age. 81% of posts from users who said the feature aged them up were positive, with many celebrating that their music taste reflects maturity, individuality, or non-mainstream preferences.
So, was the buzz about Spotify Wrapped bigger in 2025 than 2024?
Overall, no. Our analysis found that mentions of Spotify Wrapped were relatively steady from 2024 to 2025. The annual campaign generated about 3.46 million mentions across more than two dozen media and social media sources in the week after it launched in 2024. In 2025, those numbers had decreased slightly to 3.4 million.
However, though the initial spike in conversation was lower this year, it lasted longer. In 2024, mentions dropped about 60% from the first launch of the Wrapped campaign to the second day. In 2025, that second-day drop was only about 14%. This sustained buzz was likely thanks to the novelty of the Listening Age feature and the many memes it inspired.
There were also some noticeable shifts in where Spotify Wrapped conversations took place. Our analysis found that Wrapped discussion increased significantly on Instagram in 2025. This was likely due to the hyperpersonalized, ultrashareable Listening Age graphics as well as some high-performing brand partnerships.
For example, two of the top three most engaged pieces of Wrapped content were Instagram collaborations between Spotify and FC Barcelona. The above post, sharing top players’ Wrapped lists, generated over 1.28 million likes in less than a week and about $12.4 million in Estimated Media Value (EMV).
Additionally, there was also increased Wrapped visibility on broadcast television in 2025 compared to 2024, thanks in large part to Spotify’s continued live activations. (More on that below.)
Finally, the geographic distribution of Spotify Wrapped buzz also changed. Mentions decreased in parts of Europe and the Americas — specifically Spain, India, the UK, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, and the US. Meanwhile, mentions surged by over 80% in both Nigeria and Japan and exploded in Thailand, increasing by 150% year over year. Let’s take a closer look at why Spotify Wrapped mentions grew so much in Thailand this year.
Spotify Wrapped’s rise in Thailand
More than half of the top keywords of Spotify Wrapped conversations this year were Thai, compared to only about 10% in 2024. This language shift highlights just how much the campaign has gained traction with listeners in Thailand, and it may all be thanks to live broadcast promotion.
In 2024, Spotify launched Spotify Wrapped Live Thailand, a celebrity-studded, televised program with live performances from top Thai artists. That activation continued this year, with appearances from K-pop stars like Ten Lee, Mark Tuan, and BamBam. The event, complete with its own black carpet and photo ops, turned what is mainly a digital campaign elsewhere into a regionally focused spectacle. Both the celebrities in attendance and the fans watching from home drove online buzz in real time.
For example, this Instagram post from the event by actress Arachaporn “Goy” Pokinpakorn drove the most engagement from the night, generating nearly 112,000 likes and over $1 million in EMV in less than a week. By turning Wrapped into a can’t-miss, interactive occasion, Spotify Thailand supercharged the campaign’s visibility and impact.
What can marketers learn from Spotify Wrapped?
Spotify Wrapped is a great example of how hyperpersonalized marketing campaigns get audiences talking — a lot. Content like individualized top 10 lists and Listening Ages give people personal signifiers to share, debate, critique, and bond over online. Combining personalized content with interactive, regionally focused, live activations drive that community aspect home, especially when it draws in existing fandoms. In particular, the Listening Age was a great addition of thoughtful personalization, hitting a sweet spot of identity, humor, and social comparison.
Marketers across industries can learn from Spotify’s playbook: Combine data-driven personalization with culturally specific executions tailored to your audiences. Personalized content can spark digital shares, but having multiple touchpoints that tap into identity and community can sustain that momentum.
For brands looking to understand these dynamics and conversation-driving cultural signals in real time, Meltwater Explore+ enables in-depth analysis at scale. Want to dive into what gets your audience talking and sharing? Fill out the form below for a personalized test drive.
FAQ: Spotify Wrapped and Listening Age
Why did Spotify’s Listening Age feature go viral in 2025?
The feature tapped into trending generational conversations—like Gen Z vs. Millennial aesthetics—and gave users a unique, personal metric to share. According to Meltwater Explore+, more than 80% of posts from users who received an “older” Listening Age were positive.
Was Spotify Wrapped bigger in 2025 than in 2024?
According to Meltwater Explore+, overall mentions were slightly lower year over year (3.4M vs. 3.46M), but the conversation lasted longer. Day-two conversation dropped only 14% in 2025 compared to a 60% decline in 2024.
Which platforms had the most Spotify Wrapped discussion in 2025?
According to a Meltwater analysis, Instagram saw a huge gain in Spotify Wrapped mentions in 2025 compared to 2024. This surge was driven by share-friendly Listening Age graphics and top-performing partnerships, including collaborations with FC Barcelona. Wrapped visibility also increased on broadcast TV thanks to Spotify’s live activation in Thailand.
Why did Spotify Wrapped go viral in Thailand in 2025?
Conversation grew more than 150% year over year in Thailand according to Meltwater Explore+. Spotify Wrapped Live Thailand—a televised event with major Thai and K-pop stars—turned the digital campaign into a cultural moment that drove real-time online buzz.
What regions saw the largest changes in Spotify Wrapped conversation volume?
Mentions declined in the U.S., U.K., Spain, India, and parts of Latin America, but surged by more than 80% in Nigeria and Japan, with the most dramatic growth in Thailand at 150% year over year, according to a Meltwater analysis.
What can marketers learn from Spotify Wrapped?
Spotify Wrapped shows the power of hyperpersonalized content paired with culturally specific activations. Campaigns that combine individualized insights with community-driven moments generate more sustained conversation and higher shareability.
