Today marks the release of Spotify Wrapped, the music streaming platform’s annual roundup of our listening data. If you know who was crowned DC’s top artist last year…and the year before…and the year before, then 2025 will come as no surprise: Taylor Swift is once more the most-streamed musician in Washington.
Sorry to my city, but I don’t think this accomplishment will rank high on Swift’s Year in Review. In 2025, the singer/songwriter dropped her 12th album, The Life of a Showgirl, took ownership of her masters, got engaged to footballer and podcast host Travis Kelce, was nominated to the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and she’s releasing a behind-the-scenes tour docuseries later this month. But sure, I guess being DC’s top artist for what feels like the millionth year in a row is cool, too.
Though Swift maintains a tight grip on DC, she was actually dethroned on the global level, ceding the most-streamed title to Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny. Still, area Swifties remain fiercely loyal, even after she snubbed us on the Eras Tour and forced local fans to travel to that other mid-sized city up north, Philadelphia.
Despite Swift’s popularity, DC’s top song isn’t one of her tracks. (Justice for lyric of the year, “He ah-matized me!”) That accolade belongs to Kendrick Lamar and SZA for “Luther.” Lamar’s Drake diss track “Not Like Us” was also a top song last year.
Will Swift achieve the elusive five-peat in 2026 and become our top artist yet again? If that’s the case, we might have to rename the District “Washington, DC (Taylor’s Version).”
Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in Takoma.
