Here’s what the Fulcrum staff listened to as they brought you the U of O’s biggest stories this year
Sharing your music taste is scary. You know that feeling when someone passes you the aux and you have no idea what to play? Spotify Wrapped takes that feeling and amplifies it.
Spotify users receive their year-in-review (as do Apple Music users) and are encouraged to post it on their non-Spotify social media accounts. It’s a cultural trend that exposes your behaviour from the entire year for all of your friends to see — and judge.
So, I have to first give a shout-out to the Fulcrum’s editorial board for letting me post their music taste on the internet. My fellow staff members were (mostly) happy to share. As a consolation to anyone who chose not to post their own Wrapped, it’s okay — some members of our ed-board felt the same way.
Victoria Drybrough, Arts & Culture Editor
This was surprising to me. After years of claiming to be a casual Taylor Swift fan, I have no idea how she ended up on top of my listening history in 2022.
My top songs make more sense, though. Until you remember that Harry’s House came out on May 20, 2022, almost five full months into Spotify’s ten-month data collection period.
I’m proud to say I saw two out of five of my top artists in 2022 — and if it weren’t for Ticketmaster fiascos and a lack of Canadian tour dates from Harry Styles and Taylor Swift, that number would have been three out of five, with tickets to a fourth in 2023.
Jasmine McKnight, co-Editor-in-Chief
After some navigating on our part to figure out how to get a picture of the less Instagram-friendly Apple Music Replay, one of our Editors-in-Chief, Jasmine, sent me her recap.
Jasmine spent a good portion of the year listening to Juice WRLD. Two days and 17 hours and 15 minutes, to be exact. The late rapper is also represented in her top three songs: “Go Hard 2.0,” “Burn,” and “Armed And Dangerous.”
Desirée Nikfardjam, News Editor
Drake’s Certified Lover Boy came out in 2021, but the Fulcrum’s news editor, Desirée, spent a lot of 2022 listening to it. Three out of her top five songs came from Drake’s sixth studio album, with features from Kid Cudi (“IMY2”) and Future (“N 2 Deep”.)
When Desirée wasn’t listening to rap, she turned to Lana Del Rey’s “Black Bathing Suit,” also released in 2021. In the third place spot, “Black Bathing Suit” is slower and sadder compared to the Drake songs that surround it.
Emma Williams, Science and Tech Editor
In case you missed it, being a Weezer fan is basically a prerequisite for working at the Fulcrum, as two-year science and tech editor, Emma, demonstrates.
All of Emma’s top artists have had long careers. Avril Lavigne’s first-ever single “Complicated” came out in 2002, and by that time the other four had already released an album. With long careers come a lot of new releases, making all of these artists extremely shuffle-able.
Spotify’s annual campaign has come and gone, and all of the 24-hour Instagram stories have expired. Come Jan. 1, we all need to remember Spotify is always watching your listening habits, and those habits will be on display at the end of the year. If you want to impress your followers or yourself with your 2023 Wrapped, remember to start early.
