Spotify Wrapped: Why mine is hugely made up of Newcastle heroes

Spotify Wrapped is an annual release of data on Spotify, which shares with the account holder a personalised ranking of artists, songs, podcasts and more.

It is released in the first week of December every year, as the data is collected between January 1 and October 31 - many believe this is to eliminate Christmas music from being included in the data.

The release is always very anticipated, and once it drops it is always widely spoken about on social media. Spotify users can share their Spotify Wrapped, with some boasting about their taste and others laughing at theirs.

When I realised that my Spotify Wrapped for 2022 had dropped on the platform, I was very excited to view my results - specifically for the top artists and top podcasts section as that is what I mostly use the service for.

Now, let me first start off by saying that I have always been a huge fan of people who hail from in and around Newcastle (this really is the perfect job for me). My favourite girl group and artists of all time are Little Mix (two of which are from South Shields), my favourite presenters Ant and Dec, my favourite TV personality Cheryl, and my favourite comedian’s are Chris and Rosie Ramsey.

I think it comes down to a few reasons why this is. First of all, there’s no denying that Geordie’s are incredibly talented - just look at what Sam Fender has achieved in a fairly short space of time. Secondly, famous Geordie’s are known for staying true to their roots and remaining completely down to earth. Lastly, there is something so amazing about seeing people from your hometown achieve great success.

So, with that in mind, let’s go back to my Spotify Wrapped.

For many years now, Little Mix have been my top artist on Spotify Wrapped. They were overtaken last year by Ariana Grande surprisingly, but they were back again this year at the top of the list. According to Spotify, I listened to Little Mix for a total of 1,419 minutes, meaning that I was in the top 0.5% of Little Mix listeners this year. This is mostly due to the fact that they announced their indefinite hiatus this year, and I spent a lot of time revisiting their whole discography.

My top song was, of course, a Little Mix track. Between Us, a song released by Little Mix just before their hiatus, with the lyrics detailing their friendship. This song means a lot to me, due to how much the group does. The track name is also the name of their greatest hits album, which I actually have tattooed onto me.

When it came to podcasts, the geordies reigned supreme again. Vicky Pattison: The Secret To managed to get the jump on Chris and Rosie Ramsey’s Sh**ged, Married, Annoyed which usually takes the top spot. Sh**ged, Married, Annoyed has been my favourite podcast since I started listening to it in 2019, but I decided to check out former Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattison’s this year, and soon became addicted to listening to it each day.

In my top songs, other Newcastle icons made the list. Of course, Cheryl was there with her 2014 hit I Don’t Care - which is an uplifting song I always play on repeat. A new addition to the list though, was the Lighthouse Family with their 1997 track High. The Newcastle-based duo were huge in the 90s and I remember their songs being played in my family home, however I truly became obsessed with the heart-felt lyrics of High after researching and writing about what happened to the band.

So, I think it is absolutely clear from my Spotify Wrapped that I am an absolute fan-girl of all things Geordie and are so proud of all that the city I call home has achieved.