TC Marti’s 2025 Spotify Wrapped is in and it’s eclectic
Spotify Wrapped might show a lot about who an author is and why they write in certain genres. But that’s not always the case.
I’ll make this a quick one today, because it’s a pretty fucking interesting curveball. For someone who writes dystopian fiction, science fantasies, epic fantasies, and overall genre fusion, you might expect grit and rebellion in my music.
But the answer’s more complicated than that. My Spotify Wrapped is the exact reason my work fuses dystopia, fantasy, Norse mythology, elemental magic, and East Asian cultural influence. I don’t stick to one genre in my music, and I sure as hell don’t stick to one in my writing.
It fits my broader theme: rejecting the idea that creators must stick to one box. Genre conformity is just another form of central planning when you think about it, and my Spotify isn’t planned by anyone.
Top artist: Gyubin
Apparently, I spent 2,547 minutes listening to Gyubin, which put me in the top 0.02 percentile of global fans. Her 2025 album, Flowering, also took the top prize, and three of her songs: Like You 100, Really Like You, and Like You 100 (English version) took third, fourth, and fifth, respectively, in my Top 100 songs.
I also ranked 303rd in the world of all of Gyubin’s top listeners. Like I said, it’s not something you’d see coming from this rebel. Or at least on the surface, but more on that later.
Top two songs were more what most readers would expect
Mystery of a Blood Red Rose by Avantasia took home the gold while I’ll Be Your Hero by Rhapsody of Fire brought home the silver. That’s interesting, because the latter clocked in at number one in 2024 and it damn near took the top prize again, with just eight fewer listens than Mystery of a Blood Red Rose. And, as mentioned earlier, Like You 100 by Gyubin took the bronze.
Other top artists and albums that rounded out my Spotify Wrapped
While Flowering took the top spot, YUQ1 by Yuqi took second. Prophecy of Ragnarök by Brothers of Metal took third, At the Heart of Wintervale by Twilight Force took fourth, and Here’s to the Good Times by Florida Georgia Line came in fifth.
As for the top artists? Avantasia took second place, Yuqi came in third, Twilight Force took fourth, and Nightwish came in fifth. So, there’s more on-brand music as far as albums and artists go with Ragnarök and At the Heart of Wintervale placing, along with Avantasia, Twilight Force, and Nightwish.
Okay, maybe it’s more on-brand than one may expect
I mean, my libertarian AF dystopian survival trilogy, Beyond the Lost, is about a sports writer with a fit body and Germanic Pagan beliefs teaming up with a K-pop idol, with Yuqi and Gyubin being two of at least seven K-pop artists inspiring Yui Kikuchi.
So, yeah, the entire K-pop invasion makes sense here. Or, maybe less of an invasion, and more of a takeover, since it’s not like I don’t listen to the genre regularly.
Hell, K-pop gives me the emotional and melodic contrast I use for characters like Yui, while symphonic metal gives me the epic backdrop for Quinn’s battles and the worldbuilding in my many fantasy series.
Anyway, if you’re interested in checking out my top 100 songs, you’ll find them right here. And if you want to meet Yui, make sure you pick up Beyond the Lost Horizon at my personal store, The Rebel Lore Vault. You know, so you don’t end up feeding the beast that is Amazon.
