Like a yearly truth bomb, Spotify Wrapped arrives each December. We all open the app with hope in our hearts-maybe this time, my Wrapped will reflect my superior indie–alternative–global–eclectic taste. But reality hits harder than a monsoon downpour: Pritam is once again sitting comfortably at the top of millions of Indian listeners' charts.
And it doesn't matter who you think you are, a techno loyalist, K-pop convert, Afrobeat enthusiast, or the person who plays that one Malayalam song just to feel culturally evolved. The minute you slip, maybe you played Kesariya at a house party, or Channa Mereya on some heartbreak spiral as Pritam quietly clocks those minutes. Before you know it, he's racked up thousands of streams and become your #1 artist all over again.
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The inseparable grip of Pritam on Indian audience
The dominance of Pritam is no accident on Spotify Wrapped. He has been one of Bollywood's most influential and commercially successful music directors for nearly two decades. From Jab We Met, Life In a… Metro, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, to Barfi! and Dangal, his music is woven into modern Indian pop culture.
His songs are everywhere:
At weddings and baarats
In gyms and cafes
Playing from cabs and auto speakers
Soundtracking breakups, road trips, and late-night nostalgia.
Showing up in reels, remixes, and karaoke playlists
In other words, you don’t have to chase Pritam — he finds you.
The allegations that never change anything
Every year, social media blows up with claims of Pritam "copying" melodies or being "inspired" by global tracks and every year, the same pattern repeats where outrage keeps on trending, memes surface, people grumble that Bollywood is unoriginal and then they play his songs again.
The controversies never change Pritam's position in Indian pop music which is largely because he consistently delivers chart-topping hits, and his music remains deeply tied to Bollywood's emotional universe. His melodies are sticky, cinematic, and engineered in a way that stay with you long after the credits roll.
The memes circulating on social media
This year, social feeds were filled with memes from people who were stunned-or embarrassed-that Pritam topped their Wrapped once again. Users who hardly listen to Bollywood admitted defeat.
As one meme put it best by saying:
"Everywhere I go I see his face" referencing the Spiderman and Ironman moment. One user commented "Maybe Pritam isn't topping your Wrapped because you chose him - he's topping it because he chose you."
Honestly? At this point, it's a shared national experience.
Why Pritam's music keeps winning?
Pritam's songs stand out because they combine:
Instantly hummable melodies
Emotional resonance
Bollywood-scale drama
Genre versatility-romance, EDM, heartbreak, Sufi, folk, everything!
Mass appeal across age groups
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All these things make him the "aloo" of Indian music as he fits everywhere, with everything, and in every playlist. So, whether you love Bollywood or pretend that you have outgrown it, Pritam has already infiltrated your playlist somehow. And the next December, he'll be right back on top of your Spotify Wrapped because some habits, and some composers, are simply undefeatable.
