Prime Spotify artist Taylor Swift’s high .001%: These Swifties listened to her for two-thirds of 2023

It’s been 67 days – or 96,480 minutes – since Taylor Swift broke the web along with her bombshell look at Travis Kelce’s Kansas Metropolis Chiefs sport in September.

However an elite cadre of followers, like 29-year-old Abigail Rose King, had already spent greater than thrice that quantity of minutes with the famous person singer this yr alone. King came upon on Wednesday by way of Spotify Wrapped that she’d positioned inside the minuscule .001% of Swift’s listeners on the streaming platform, translating, in King’s case, to a staggering 351,281 minutes of listening – breaking all the way down to 243.9 days, or roughly eight months.

It marked King’s third yr attaining that .001 rating, she proudly shared throughout her social media accounts. Spotify didn’t return request for remark from The Impartial about simply what number of followers represent that coveted percentile.

“I’ve been obsessive about Taylor’s music all my life, just about solely hearken to her, and sadly I’m awake with insomnia from my fibromyalgia A LOT,” King instructed The Impartial in a written interview. “I’m just about at all times enjoying Taylor Swift. Whether or not it’s blasting out within the automobile, on my cellphone whereas I scroll, on the TV whereas I clear, or enjoying by way of my speaker whereas I sing within the bathe.”

Coping with continual ache, the Salt Lake Metropolis resident mentioned that “listening to Taylor’s music, I feel, is actually what retains me going … the pains are dulled ever so barely once I can sing alongside to my favourite songs.”

Tatiana Lopez, 24, additionally ranked within the high .001% – a objective she’d been steadily creeping in the direction of since she started utilizing the streaming platform three years in the past. Swift, whose music Lopez fell in love with on the age of 9, has been her annual high artist.

“Final yr, I used to be within the high .005% and this yr I’m within the high .001%,” she instructed The Impartial by way of Fb. “Truthfully I feel considered one of my objectives was to surpass 2022’s minutes (round 65,000 minutes) however I genuinely love her songs a lot and he or she’s the artist I gravitate to once I wish to hearken to music … even once I’m listening to different artists, she’s normally in my music queue.”

Lopez, who’s flying from the Philippines to Canada for her first Swift live performance subsequent yr, mentioned she’s “managed to get this many minutes as a result of I pay attention whereas I work out, do chores, bathe, work (I’ve an workplace job and I can hearken to music whereas working.)”

There’s a real love for and obsessions with Swift and her music propelling the listeners within the .001%, however there are different motivations, too. They wish to see her excessive within the charts. They wish to present the world how loyal they’re. All of it, although, is wrapped up in unadulterated adulation.

“When a brand new album is out, I stream nearly 24/7 (additionally whereas sleeping). For the charts and all,” Lopez mentioned. “I do know charts aren’t a very powerful facet of this, but it surely makes Taylor completely satisfied when she is aware of we’re having fun with her music.”

There’s additionally a good-natured rivalry. There have been some rumblings in on-line boards, followers right here and there complaining that high Wrapped listeners ought to get precedence for excursions or different perks. However as social media customers shared their Spotify Wrapped throughout platforms this week, responses nearly universallys echoed some variation on “Wow!”

There are numerous exclamation factors and emojis within the Swiftaverse, however every little thing exudes real, optimistic enthusiasm.

Michigan graduate scholar Ashley Sacha, 23, was excited to be ranked .1% of Taylor Spotify listeners this week – and impressed to see individuals had listened to her favourite artist much more.

Being ranked herself within the .1%, she instructed The Impartial, was “nonetheless fairly loopy …I feel of us with even larger ranks, One, that’s so cool, and Two, I do know that, for myself, generally I go to sleep listening to Taylor Swift – and so I’m wondering if of us additionally try this, like me, to offer her some streams and provides her the rankings that she deserves.”

The Spotify Wrapped fallout amongst Swifties, in accordance with Lopez, has been “a mixture of each bragging rights and exhibiting help.”

“I do know it shouldn’t be about bragging rights as a result of individuals can love Taylor simply as a lot however have a unique listening routine,” she instructed The Impartial. “Minutes spent listening to her isn’t immediately proportional to how a lot you’re keen on/help her.

“However, however, I really feel form of proud to see my minutes and the way my high songs are all Taylor,” she mentioned, noting that Swifties like her loved the possibility to point out the broader world simply how a lot – and the way broadly – her favourite artists conjures up.

“When different individuals see my high .001% they usually see how devoted I’m, it additionally makes me really feel proud (even when I really feel like a few of them suppose it’s bizarre thatI hearken to her that a lot,)” she mentioned.

Again in Utah, King mentioned she achieved her .001% largely “to really study all of the lyrics and melodies.”

“I pleasure myself on having the ability to sing alongside to each Secret Track Taylor performs on tour,” she mentioned. “Would it not be good to get seen by Taylor’s workforce and get invited to some occasion? Completely.”

Swift launched particular movies for high listeners this week, blowing a kiss as she instructed them how “grateful” she was to be on their Spotify Wrapped. However the top-tier followers of Spotify Wrapped’s high artist appeared to view it solely as a bonus, completely satisfied sufficient simply to see their ardour mirrored in rankings together with their idol’s sweeping reputation.

“I do know that she has billions of listeners all the world over, however I do really feel excited to be part of one thing particular, to know that I hearken to her fairly a bit,’ Sacha instructed The Impartial from Ypsilanti, including that “generally it’s a shock, seeing how a lot individuals listened to her.

“However I’m simply completely satisfied that she’s getting the streams that she deserves. And I’m completely satisfied individuals discover pleasure in her music as a lot as I do.”