Top Musical Artists

Few things represent the end of a calendar year more in pop culture than the annual release of Spotify’s “Wrapped.” The social sharing-oriented, data-centric feature of the world’s biggest streaming app lets everyone know what music defined their year. Here is a look at the artists who defined 2022 as a whole:

Lizzo

Love her or hate her, you cannot deny her impact. Lizzo had another blockbuster year, making waves and cultural headlines as a bona-fide star. The highlight of her year? Playing James Madison’s relic flute to great praise from some and condemnation from others. The classically trained flautist flaunted more than her instrumental skills in 2022, showing off her impressive vocals in her awe-inspiring July release of her album “Special.”

Drake

Drake’s power in the music industry is undeniable. Once again topping the charts, Drake was the most-listened-to artist in the United States this year, per Spotify. Releasing two albums back-to-back, Drake made an impact on the music and culture scenes with “Honestly, Nevermind” and “Her Loss,” the latter of which being a new collaboration with 21 Savage.

Harry Styles

You can no longer walk through New York City’s iconic Penn Station without seeing a colorful boa feather. That kind of impact uniquely belongs to Harry Styles, whose fans flood the station, nearby Madison Square Garden, the train from New Jersey to New York, and just about anywhere else they can find with their feather-filled, enthusiastic support of Styles. His “Love on Tour” simply took over 2022, boasting an impressive residency at Madison Square and drawing endless fans to watch his fun-filled shows.

Bad Bunny

Bad Bunny is the top-listened artist in the world. Again! Endlessly impressive in his global statistical success, Bad Bunny has topped the charts of world streams since 2020. In the U.S., he’s not far behind his global mark, logging in as the third-most-listened-to artist in the United States this year. The Puerto Rican rapper’s 2022 album “Un Verano Sin Ti” received excellent reviews, further adding to his accomplishments in a big year for Bad Bunny.

Taylor Swift

Among all of the ridiculous statistics that have defined Taylor Swift’s unprecedented levels of success, one emerged in 2022 that is simply hard to comprehend. After the release of her tenth major album “Midnights” in October, Taylor did something no artist had ever done before: she dominated all ten of the top spots on the next week’s Billboard charts. That means that her 10th most popular song was more popular than every other artist’s #1 offering. That legendary level of success, combined with the cultural clamor to get in on Taylor’s tour and fandom in general, makes Taylor Swift the other most influential artist of 2022.