From screens to streets: How Spotify Wrapped 2025 turned listening into a global party

Spotify has unveiled its 2025 Wrapped campaign, transforming users’ listening habits into a global cultural moment. The campaign, now live in over 30 markets, combines immersive real-world activations with digital storytelling to celebrate the artists and songs that defined the year.

Spotify describes Wrapped as a “visual mixtape” for more than 700 million fans worldwide, blending analog and digital aesthetics to capture the energy of music fandom. Special Wrapped-edition logos also return this year, reimagined in the spirit of 2025’s most popular tracks and artists.

The campaign moves beyond traditional billboards, with around 50 installations and pop-ups globally. Highlights include a giant paw on Copacabana Beach in Rio celebrating Lady Gaga, an 800-foot cascade of red hair in New York City’s Union Square subway station inspired by Chappell Roan’s “The Subway”, and a Ferrari parade through Paris ending with a top-fan performance by GIMS.

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Spotify’s partnership with FC Barcelona also takes centre stage this year. Wrapped billboards across the city showcase the team’s listening habits, while a special Wrapped Party allows players including Jules Koundé, Marcus Rashford, Pedri, Aitana Bonmatí, and Alexia to share their favourite tracks with fans.

In addition, Spotify released a short video featuring UK artists including Central Cee, JADE, Lola Young, Olivia Dean, Ed Sheeran, Nemzzz, PinkPantheress, Sammy Virji, Sasha Keable, Skye Newman, Kingfishr, and Lewis Capaldi. The clip celebrates fans’ dedication to their favourite artists, turning personal listening habits into shared moments of recognition and celebration.

From interactive pop-ups to artist integrations, the 2025 Wrapped campaign aims to turn individual listening histories into shared cultural experiences, connecting fans through music across the globe.

“2025 Wrapped is our most action-packed release yet. We’re bringing back the fan-favorite features you know and love, and adding bold new experiences that spotlight the way you listened this year. And for the first time ever, meet Wrapped Party, your chance to dive into Wrapped with friends and family and relive the moments that defined your year," said Marc Hazan, senior vice president of global marketing and partnerships. 

Spotify’s global executive creative director, Jeremy Wirth, said the 2025 Wrapped campaign captures the tension between chaos and clarity. He noted that the gradients and textures reflect the unpredictable mix of emotion and rhythm that makes listening deeply personal. Wirth added that this edition is the most expressive Wrapped yet, with a reduced color palette and bold imagery creating a simple, modern aesthetic.

According to media intelligence firm CARMA, Spotify generated 13.6 million mentions over the past month, with conversation peaking on 4 December at 2.7 million mentions tied to Wrapped. Overall sentiment stood at 35.1% positive and 17.2% negative.

Across markets, users enthusiastically compared music tastes and shared personalised results, including artist thank-you messages from names such as Taylor Swift. Fans also welcomed the addition of Top Albums and leaned into memes around the new “listening age” feature.

While many appreciated the deeper insights, some questioned the accuracy of the metrics or expressed nostalgia for a simpler Wrapped experience. Visuals drew mixed reactions, with a segment of users criticising the teasers and artist-themed assets as “ugly” or “AI slop.”

Still, CARMA’s word cloud for Spotify Wrapped 2025 featured positive terms such as “love” and “good”, alongside fire and star emojis, signalling largely favourable engagement.

The cultural impact of Wrapped has inspired local brands to launch their own year-in-review playlists, tapping into the personalisation and fan engagement that have made Spotify’s campaign a global phenomenon. Below are some of the brands that have jumped on the trend.

1. Capitol Singapore

2. CHAGEE

3. CHIJMES 

4. Garrett Popcorn Singapore 

5. Grab Malaysia

6. Honor of Kings Malaysia

7. iOi Mall Puchong

8. Mamee Monster

9. Mandarin Gallery 

10. Maybank Malaysia 

11. Singapore Kindness Movement 

While 2025 Wrapped has largely been celebrated for its immersive experiences, last year’s campaign faced a mixed reception that highlights the challenges of innovating on a beloved annual tradition. In 2024, Spotify aimed to take Wrapped “to the next level” by enhancing AI features such as AI DJ and AI Playlist, and introducing the new Your Spotify Wrapped AI podcast. While the company said these tools created hyper-personalised experiences for millions of listeners worldwide, the campaign drew criticism for its heavy reliance on AI.

Wrapped 2024 drew mixed reactions, with positive sentiment falling to 41.5% and users calling it “underwhelming” and “lazy”. Most responses were neutral, though some questioned its relevance. The campaign still peaked at 2.9 million net mentions on 4 December, but engagement dropped below 580,000 after four days.

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