Little-known hack for solving major Spotify Wrapped problem: 'Never knew this existed'

Spotify Wrapped 2024 is finally here and, like millions of people around the world, I was excited to see how my musical tastes have evolved (or not) over the year. Music is probably my greatest passion in life after my family so, suffice to say, I take this most sonically holy of days quite seriously.

So, imagine my despair when I clicked into the little presentation on my Spotify app only to be confronted with the news I have been dreading for two years now. It happened, it finally happened.

My son has ruined my algorithm, and truthfully, I knew this day would come.

Now, I'd like to add that, as someone who takes music very seriously, I have also done my best to instil this appreciation in my child. We're not big on "kids music" in my house, preferring instead to expose my son to the artists my partner and I enjoy listening to.

In fact, one of my proudest days as a parent was when my two-and-a-half-year-old started frequently requesting that I play "Tom" - what he calls David Bowie's epic Space Oddity (which, incidentally, was my third most played song of the year.)

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Because I am not a total monster, if I know my son loves dancing to a particular track, I will, of course, play it for him - which is why I have heard 'We Will Rock You' by Queen about 300 times in the last couple of days (please, send help!).

Earlier this year, however, it was not the rousing vocals of Freddie Mercury that my child was demanding on repeat, it was two other songs that have now infiltrated my sacred algorithm - Pharrell William's 2013 hit 'Happy' and Taylor Swift's 'Shake it Off' which landed on my top songs list at 2 and 5, respectively.

I knew those nightly dance parties to "get the sillies out" would come back and bite me in the butt.

Parents share dismay over Spotify Wrapped 2024

Of course, I am not the only parent lamenting my most-played list today. Social media is awash with folks just like me whose usual preference for hardcore hip-hop and indie punk have been bulldozed by white noise, Baby Shark and Bluey's Greatest Hits.

"I identify less and less with my Spotify account with each passing year. Kids, ehh. #SpotifyWrapped #SpotifyWrapped2024," was one comment on X.

"I’d post my #SpotifyWrapped2024 , but my kids' music selection took over it over for most the year and is full of NF and Taylor Swift. Not even interesting enough to post," was another.

And this guy just got right to the point with this tweet:

On Reddit, people admitted that they had resorted to extreme measures to keep their Wrapped intact.

"I told my daughter that my car can't play her music because it's too new. The reason Mom's car can play it is because Mom's car is older 😂," one person wrote.

"I have totally done this! 'Elsa only works in dad's car, we can make a mix for you of my songs that you like.' And that's why his top 5 includes Let It Go, and mine has her other favourite, Good Luck, Babe!," another confessed.

How to make sure your kids never ruin Spotify Wrapped ever again

However, as it turns out, we don't have to lie to our kids by telling them that the Australian government has made it illegal to pay Taylor Swift because there is a far simpler fix.

"Click the 3 dots on any playlist and select 'Exclude from taste profile' and it won't be included," a Spotify saviour wrote in a Reddit thread.

"Literally never knew that existed," someone replied.

And to that I say - SAME, sis! Why did I not know this sooner?!

Sure enough, over on Spotify's For The Record, there is an article dedicated to this very feature.

"We understand why you might not want kids’ music popping up in your Blend playlists, or white noise dominating your Discover Weekly," it says. "That’s why we’re introducing a new feature that will make personalisation better than ever: the ability to exclude select playlists from your Taste Profile."

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How to set up Exclude from your Taste Profile

Apparently, all it takes are just three simple steps to ensure that your 'heavy metal beach Christmas hoe-down' vibes are never sullied again.

1. Select the playlist of your choice.

2. Tap the three dots near the top of the playlist.

3. Select “Exclude from your Taste Profile.”

And if, for some reason, you decide later on that you'd actually like 80 recommendations similar to 'Hot Potato', you can turn the feature off at any time.

So, there you go, friends. It's too late for many of us this year, but in 2025, we are taking our playlists - and our street cred - back!

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