My Year in Music {2016}

My Year in Music {2016}

• Dec 29, 2016

I always enjoy December, from a blogging perspective, because I love looking back at the past year. Whether it's reflecting on lessons learned or sharing my enduring obsessions, it's so fun to recap the past twelve months. For the next few days, I'm highlighting some of my favorite things from 2016. Today, it's music!

I was a little wishy-washy with Spotify Premium this year! I kept my account through May, but when I canceled it over the summer. I didn't realize just how much of my listening time was spent driving, blogging and at work. I definitely wasn't using Premium as much at home with my newborn! But now that I'm blogging a little more and out running errands, I joined again because I missed it too much. It's so worth it! But you can definitely tell the difference between 2015 and 2016 when you look at my stats.

 Last year, I listened to 18,000 minutes of music. Talk about a pretty drastic change in 2015! There was also significantly less variety in the number of artists I listened to, and I think some of that is because I wasn't using the Spotify Discover playlists as much this year. But I'm hoping that will change in 2017! I'm not surprised by my most played artist/album because I had it on repeat for most of the summer. And "Youth" (Troye Sivan) caught my attention in January, I think, and was a listening staple this year!

Chaos and the Calm by James Bay - This was my most played album of 2015, and my love for it trickled over into 2016. I feel silly featuring the same album two years in a row, but it's truly what I listened to!

VENUS by Joy Williams - This is the only other album that appears on last year's list, too. I was craving familiarity in winter, which is why I gravitated towards favorite albums and artists. This one definitely fit the bill.

The War Inside by Jill Andrews - This came out in 2015, but I didn't really start listening to it until earlier this year. I really love Jill Andrews' music, and this was no exception. Her whole catalog was on repeat in the winter.

Chelsea Lankes EP by Chelsea Lankes - I discovered Chelsea a year or two ago in a Spotify Discover playlist and fell in love with her single. She hasn't released a ton of new music, but I was thrilled to have the EP in spring.

Atlas: Senses by Sleeping at Last - I had several songs by Sleeping at Last on older playlists but didn't realize it until an episode of Grey's Anatomy prompted me to stream everything I could get my hands on by them.

Sing Over Me: Worship Songs and Lullabies by Various Artists - This is, without a doubt, the oldest album on my list this year. It was released in 2006! After my baby was born in May, I found myself play lots of calming music.

Hero by Maren Morris - My most played album of 2016! I find it funny that this was my top album because I'm not even a huge country fan. But there's something about Maren's voice + her lyrics that just hook me.

Conscious by Broods - Anytime I wasn't sure what I wanted to listen to this year, I inevitably turned on this album. I don't know why, but it worked no matter what mood I was in! I'm so glad I found this duo last year.

Inheritance by Audrey Assad - "Be Thou My Vision" was a very significant song to me this year, and I found Audrey Assad when I was searching for different versions of that hymn. I ended up loving the whole album! 

The Weight of These Wings by Miranda Lambert - I couldn't wait for this album to come out! Miranda is one of my all-time favorite country artists, so I was thrilled to have so much new music from her release this year. 

Georgica Pond by Johnnyswim - While they aren't quite the same, Johnnyswim has been filling the whole in my heart that was left by The Civil Wars breakup. I adored this album and have had it on repeat for weeks.

Hamilton: An American Musical by Original Broadway Cast - I finally succumbed to the hype and gave Hamilton a shot. I can now say that I understand what all the fuss is about! Now, if I could just go see it...

What was your favorite album in 2016? 

Were there any songs that defined your year?