By Violet Daly ‘26

With the start of a new year, Catlin Gabel School (CGS) students reflect on the highlights and experiences that made 2024 unforgettable.

Music is a language everyone can understand that has been around for generations in all parts of the world. From playlists that fuel late-night study sessions to car-ride favorites, everyone at CGS has their genre or song of choice. Taking a step back from individual playlists, what were the most memorable tracks and trends in the 2024 CGS Upper SchoolSpotify Wrapped?

Top Genres of 2024

Although the genres were diverse, ranging from death metal to R&B, rap emerged as the most popular genre within the CGS student body with 12 out of 49 responses.

*Screenshot of Spotify Wrapped 2024 Survey Question 1.*
*Photo by Violet Daly ‘26*

While enjoying the company of fellow CGS students, the most listened-to genre was pop. This is a vague genre, however, some of the most popular pop artists of 2024 include Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, and Drake.

Top Artist of 2024

The top artist of 2024, after an Eras Tour that revolutionized the concert industry and took viewers through a journey of musical decades, is Taylor Swift. Swift is a prominent figure in the music industry, occupying multiple top spots on the Top 100 Billboard charts, and breaking various records. These records include having the fastest-selling book of 2024, the highest-grossing tour, and the highest-grossing concert film.

Swift broke many records with over 26 billion streams in 2024, and there is no surprise that she was at the top of CGS’s Spotify Wrapped.

Top Spotify Rogue Genres of 2024

In 2024, Spotify included a feature that creates a special name encompassing genres composed from the listener’s playlist. Many of the results took people by surprise with their bizarre names, such as: After Hours Football Rap, Alien Permanent Wave Glam Rock, and Pumpkin Spice Instrumental Indie.

After reviewing survey data, the top genre of 2024 was a combination of a Barbie dream; pink, sparkles, and a journey to success. This rogue genre was Pink Pilates Princess Strut Pop–a category including artists such as Chappell Roan, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and Charli XCX.

Although Pink Pilates Princess Strut Pop was the most popular, a close follower was After Hours Football Rap. This data is shown in the survey:

*Screenshot of Spotify Wrapped 2024 Survey Question 4.*
*Photo by Violet Daly ‘26*

Recommendations for 2025

So, what are the songs that were most influential for the interviewees? Each interviewee was asked to recommend 1-3 of their favorite songs to share with the CGS community.

Junior Bodhi Kainoaa recommends Weird Fishes and Arpeggios by Radiohead which falls under the 90’s rock category. Another of his favorites is Lover, You Should’ve Come Over by Jeff Buckley.

Sophomore River Davis endorses Headlock by Imogene Heap, which she described as “an experimental piece” where Heap “uses instruments that aren’t often used and play around with different volumes and sounds throughout the whole piece.”

Another favorite from Davis is “Now or Never” by Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige. “I like ‘Now or Never’ because it is such an uplifting song that I love to play in the car,” said Davis. “Kendrick and Mary's voices blend so well together to create a song that never fails to put me in a good mood.”

Senior Justin Xia commends “Rocketship” by Jxia and Vikwoods. This is a piece by Xia himself, which he wrote, produced, and released on various music platforms. When asked why CGS students should listen to this song, Xia said playing this song in the car feels like “the car is the rocket ship.”

Wrap-up of the Wrapped

Looking back on the memorable tunes that defined the 2024 school year, it is clear that these songs are more than just a soundtrack–they represent a collection of moments shared among CGS students.

There was a diverse range of artists, genres, and music tastes in the 2024 CGS Spotify Wrapped. Each student had a unique curation of songs playing throughout the past year that played a part in the CGS communal Spotify Wrapped.

Unwrapping the soundtrack of ‘24