Throughout this inconsistent year, there has been one enduring aspect of life: music. During the pandemic, artists have not only released music, but they have also been inspired by the world around them. Singers of all different genres released record breaking albums and tracks during this time. Yet, it is not just the artists that have been inspired by music; listeners are inspired too. 

Back in March, life took a pause. No one truly understood what was happening or when it was going to stop, and because of this, hobbies formed out of the unknown. For many people, Villanovans included, that hobby was mastering their own Spotify aesthetic. 

Spotify is a music streaming service, created in 2006 by Daniel Ek with the intention of creating a listening service in which music consumers could easily listen to and find new music. As of January this year, Spotify had 144 million premium subscribers, many of these premium subscribers being Villanovans. 

Spotify’s website claims that “it’s easy to find the right music or podcast for every moment.”

Villanova students strongly agree with the website’s description regarding the streaming service. Not only is Spotify a way for students to easily listen to music, but it has become a form of social media. Spotify users have started to create a certain aesthetic for their Spotify accounts. Users are creating certain playlists for every mood imaginable, usually with a creative playlist title. In addition to the playlist title and aesthetic, users who really want to go the extra mile can add a playlist cover that depicts the mood that specific playlist emits. If users do not have the right playlist for a current mood they are feeling, they can easily stalk other Spotify users’ profiles.

One place that has become a petri dish for Spotify creativity is the social media platform Pinterest. On the explore page, thousands of users post ideas for Spotify playlist names, cover photos and songs for certain moods. 

The Villanovan asked students why they love the streaming service and what makes them want to customize their Spotify profiles to form a certain aesthetic. 

Junior Stephanie Horne, spoke about her specific use of playlists.

“I love making playlists for very specific moods and having the titles and cover reflect that,” Horne said. “Having music to fit the exact situation or feeling makes everything so much better. Spotify also makes it easier than ever to discover new artists with their personalized playlists that always seem to be spot on for my taste in music.”

Sophomores Zac Spader and Madeline Wujek also spoke about the convenience of using playlists on Spotify.

“I make playlists to fill an aesthetic because I enjoy it and I find it fun to just mess around and imagine myself in different situations or scenes in movies and make playlists to fit the vibe,” Spader said. “I also love Spotify because if I ever find myself somewhere where if I don’t have a playlist to match what I want, I can type in how I’m feeling and there will be a playlist made by someone else that you can listen to. I like how social it is.”

“Music is definitely my biggest outlet, so I take a lot of pride and comfort in organizing my playlists,” Wujek said. “Every time I find a feeling or situation that I don’t feel I have one solid playlist for, I’ll take the time to make one surrounding that and it’ll actually help me work through things just by making it.”

During a time when nothing seems to be clear, people find themselves turning to things that they can understand. For Villanovans this year, this outlet has been Spotify. As long as the music keeps on playing, everything will be alright.