So another breezy, bizarre and blessed year is coming to an end and I wish to commemorate it in a few ways. I’m starting off by sharing this Spotify playlist of songs I listened to the most in 2024. I surmise that the whole Spotify Wrapped campaign seems to come with controversy each year - and each year, I debate over whether to participate or not.
As an independent artist I’ve come to the conclusion, at least for now, that I do want to share this End Of Year Spotify-curated playlist as a gift to my supporters. Partially because it gives me a reason to make content where I otherwise might not, and also cause it’s kind of fun.
I respect the various arguments that circulate around Spotify being an alleged rip-off for independent artists. At the same time, there are bigger fish to fry in this life as far as I’m concerned. It’s cool to see how my own numbers turn out each year, and to revisit the music that motivates me to keep making mine by listening to these playlists based on my personal tastes. In my opinion, making and sharing playlists is one of the skills I possess as an artist who also identifies as an audiophile, so why not tap into it while the future of my independent music-making steeps at its own pace, yea?
Sharing your every-day top songs with the world is a pretty vulnerable thing to do. Even though a part of me does not want to share some of my very personal playlists with the world, another part of me is evolving into the more unapologetic version of myself that cares less and less about external validation - a version of myself whose intentions for output are rooted in the love of music and art, and the desire to share these sparkly treasures with whomevers’ heart they may warm along with my own. Anything else simply doesn’t matter.
I’m almost certain that only the people who are really inspired by my perspectives will take the time to listen to these songs anyway. So I’m letting the fearful avoidant shadow-self take a back seat in order to share these songs and bring sweet music to new ears (and old!).
Do me a favour and keep the following in mind while you listen, though: I’m usually quite intentional about telling a story through the playlists I, myself, make. Since Spotify compiled this list based on my listening stats, the collection you’ll hear is likely to differ in sequence from how I tend to tell stories through song combinations, but it’s certainly interesting to see how the songs I listened to most this year tell a story of their own. Perhaps you as a listener can hear parts of your own story.
I may not have released any new music of my own in recent months, but I keep my finger on that pulse. I scope the musical landscapes of the universe regularly to stay connected… and music just keeps me alive overall as is presumably pretty evident. Also, y’all stay locked in and listening to my previously released projects, collabs, etc. which brings me so much joy! I’m deeply grateful to everyone that’s been keeping MY music alive through the peaks and valleys of the independent artist journey I’m on.
My Spotify Wrapped Artist stats are just proof that no matter what the numbers look like, nothing compares to the truth of reaching people with a musical message that matters to you, whether it’s 5 or 5 mil. There are a lot more of you adding my music to YOUR playlist around the globe than I can already fathom, so I’m happy.
This playlist is but a distant glimpse into some of the music that has soundtracked my personal day-to-day moments from of the past year and some. Regardless of how blurry or clear the viewpoints may be, I truly hope these songs bring comfort and clarity to whoever finds them. Can you guess which ones are dearest to me? If you have a favourite from this list, leave a comment telling me which track(s) YOU like most and maybe a recommendation or two I can add to my musical evolution for the year to come!
As always, thanks you for your support and for listening to the music. Happy Holidaze 🧑🏾🎄💋
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