Quantifiable metrics don’t lie, and they sure paint a picture of who we might be as people, consumers, and artists.

In 2022 I made a concerted effort to listen to a wide variety of artists and genres. I listened to a heavy mix of mainstream artists like Taylor Swift and Hozier and small artists like Amigo the Devil and Jarod Noel, with small artists being the majority of my streams.

Obscurify gives me an obscurity rating of 94 percent, meaning I listen to more obscure music than 94 percent of other Spotify users, so I’d like to think I have achieved my goal of listening to more small artists.

According to Obscurify, my most obscure artists currently are Megan Brown, Jarod Noel, Semler, Andrew Montana, and Joe Pug.

Spotify and Apple Music took no prisoners in 2022, none of us were spared of the embarrassment of our Spotify Wrapped and Apple Replay playlists last month, myself included.

Unfortunately for my Spotify Wrapped, I didn’t listen to any single track from an obscure or small artist enough for it to make my top 15, except for a song from Amigo the Devil.

Top 10 Songs of 2022:

Boyfriend — Dove Cameron

Sand in my Boots — Morgan Wallen

Still Don’t Know My Name — Labrinth

Strawberry Wine — Deana Carter

Forefathers — Liam St. John

The Very First Night — Taylor Swift

Like Real People Do — Hozier

All For Us — Labrinth, Zendaya

Cocaine and Abel — Amigo the Devil

Bad Guy — Billie Eilish

2022 honorable mentions:

Ivy — Taylor Swift

Crimson and Clover — Joan Jett & The Blackhearts

Taste of You — Rezz, Dove Cameron

This Kiss — Faith Hill

Call it what you will — Joe Pug

What does my 2022 wrapped say about me as a person, consumer, and artists?

For 2023, I have doubled down my efforts to stream small artists with greater consistency than mainstream artists and my current metrics reflect that.

Top 10 currently:

Cornbread and Butterbeans — Carolina Chocolate Drops

Dooley’s Farm (feat. Billy Strings) — Molly Tuttle

Take me to Church — Hozier

Something in the Orange — Zach Bryan

Cocaine and Abel — Amigo the Devil

Just my record player — Jennifer Nettles

Way of the Triune God — Tyler Childers

Space and Time — S.G. Goodman

Sorry — James and the Shame

Plastic Jesus — Tia Blake

One thing that is consistent between my top 10 2022, current top 10, and my top 10 all time is my tendency to listen to many different genres. There is no one genre that I necessarily like more than another, I think every genre is equal and has something to offer us.

My top 10 all time offers artists from rock, musical theatre, country, bluegrass, and multiple sub-genres therein. The same can be said of my top 10 2022 and current top 10.

Even as a non-Christian, Christian artists like Semler, Jarod Noel, and Brandon Lake find their way into my top 10s because even they have something to offer listeners, Christian or non-Christian.

Some of the most gifted songwriters of all time fall into spiritual and traditional genres, and I think we have a lot to learn from their stories both as consumers and artists.

Bonus top 10 all time:

Travelin Thru — Dolly Parton

Call me Cruella — Florence & The Machine

Little Miss Perfect — Taylor Louderman

Shake the Frost — Tyler Childers

Boyfriend — Dove Cameron

Bad Romance — Lady Gaga

Cocaine and Abel — Amigo the Devil

Jacob from the Bible — Jake Wesley Rogers

Graves Into Garden — Elevation Worship, Brandon Lake

Still Don’t Know My Name — Labrinth

What do your metrics say about you?