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Minnesota politicians and celebrities reveal their Spotify Wrapped lists

December 30, 2025

Check out what music well-known personalities were listening to in 2025.

By Neal Justin

The Minnesota Star Tribune

Sen. Tina Smith, D

Top songs:

“Waltz for Koop,” Koop
“Baby,” Koop
“Tonight,” Koop
“The Girl From Ipanema,” Astrud Gilberto and Stan Getz
“Desafinado,” João Gilberto and Stan Getz

Top artists:

Stan Getz
Joe Pass
Koop
Astrud Gilberto
Antônio Carlos & Jocáfi

Smith clearly has a soft spot for Koop, an electronic jazz duo from Sweden.

“If you can’t tell, I listen to a lot of smooth jazz to try and keep some sense of calm when dealing with the day-to-day drama of today’s political landscape,” she said. “Honorable mentions to ‘Archie, Marry Me’ by Alvvays, ‘Manchild’ by Sabrina Carpenter and anything by Duluth’s Trampled by Turtles.”

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D

Favorite artists:

Beyoncé
Brandi Carlile
The Lumineers
Dessa

Klobuchar doesn’t have her own Spotify account, but these are the musicians she believes she listened to the most in 2025.

“Music has a way of bringing us together and helping us find a moment of peace,” she said. “It’s definitely been a year when a musical escape is needed!”

State Sen. Julia Coleman, R, Waconia

Top artists:

Tab Benoit
Gov’t Mule
Prince & the Revolution
Joe Bonamassa
Benson Boone

The taste of one of Coleman’s children played a role in her Spotify results.

“My oldest son cracked my top five with Benson Boone’s ‘Beautiful Things,’ which he listens to on repeat,” she said.

Former Vikings defensive tackle John Randle

Top artists:

Moby
U2
M83

Top songs:

“Bitter Sweet Symphony,” the Verve
“Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way,” Waylon Jennings
“Seventeen,” Sharon Van Etten

Top albums:

“Friday Night Lights” soundtrack, various artists
“Fantasy,” M83
“The Vikings Final Season (Songs from TV Series),” Trevor Morris

The NFL Hall of Famer spent over 300 hours this year listening to tunes on Apple Music. “These were my go-to songs,” he said. “Mostly my workout music and what I listen to in the morning when I’m driving to the golf course.”

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D

Top artists:

Lauryn Hill
The Notorious B.I.G.
Mase
2Pac
Ed Sheeran

Top songs:

“The Boy is Mine,” Monica and Brandy
“Shape of You,” Ed Sheeran
“What You Want,” Mase
“Ready or Not,” Fugees
“One More Chance,” the Notorious B.I.G.

Like a lot of people in their 40s, Omar is still obsessed with Hill, even though her last album of original material came out in 1998.

“My kids say my list is the most millennial thing they have seen, and I agree,” she said. “I don’t have much time to listen to music these days but listening to songs from my youth serve as a reminder of simpler days.”

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, D

Top songs:

“Harder Than You Think,” Public Enemy
“Burn Down the Mission,” Elton John
“Paint the Town Red,” Doja Cat
“Bitter Heart,” Mason Jennings
“Always Alright,” Alabama Shakes

Frey offered the main reason “Harder” ended up on top of his Wrapped list.

“Strong horn opening gets you up when you aren’t,” he said. “If you walk out the door to that beat, you walk tall.”

Carolyn Sakstrup, chief marketing officer, Thrivent

Top artists:

Kendrick Lamar
Paul Simon
Alex Warren
Tyler, the Creator
Chappell Roan

Top songs:

“Ordinary,” Warren
“All the Stars,” Lamar and SZA
“Everything In Its Right Place,” Radiohead
“No Bad Side,” Connor Price and Nic D
“Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover,” Sophie B. Hawkins

Sakstrup said the diversity on her list reflects the diversity of influencers in her life.

“My dad introduced me to Paul Simon (along with Garfunkel) when I was 9,” she said. “When my son was 9, he introduced me to Tyler, the Creator.”

Adrienne Costanzo, executive vice president and chief stores officer, Target

Top songs:

“Waiting for a Star to Fall,” Boy Meets Girl
“Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl,” Chappell Roan
“Somebody Else,” the 1975
“The Best,” Tina Turner
“Hot to Go!,” Chappell Roan

Costanzo has used Turner’s classic number to describe and inspire her team at Target.

“It was true when I shared it in September and it’s doubly true now as we lean into the energy and momentum of serving our guests through the holidays,” she wrote on LinkedIn.

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, D

Top artists:

New Kids on the Block
Prince
Beyoncé
Bonnie Raitt
Paula Abdul

Top songs

“Angel From Montgomery,” Bonnie Raitt
“King of Wishful Thinking,” Go West
“The Power of Love,” Huey Lewis & the News
“People Everyday,” Arrested Development
“Sweet Freedom,” Michael McDonald

According to Spotify, Flanagan’s top genre was yacht rock.

KARE 11 anchor Jana Shortal

Top songs:

“Show Yourself,” Idina Menzel and Evan Rachel Wood
“Let It Go,” Idina Menzel
“For the First Time in Forever,” Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell
“Speyside,” Bon Iver
“This Must Be the Place,” Talking Heads
“Wild Is the Wind,” Cat Power
“Pink Pony Club,” Chappell Roan
“The Book of Love,” the Magnetic Fields
“Strange Currencies,” R.E.M.
“Things Behind Things Behind Things,” Bon Iver

Yes, the “Breaking the News” anchor is well aware that the first three songs are from the “Frozen” movies. Deal with it.

“Listen I have a 4-year-old who lives and dies for Elsa, Anna and Olaf,” she said. “So cut me some slack.”

State Rep. Bjorn Olson, R, Fairmont

Top artist:

Sabaton, a Swedish heavy metal band

Top song:

“Northwest Passage” by Unleash the Archers

Olson, a major in the U.S. Army Reserve, said his deployment to Kuwait this year influenced his taste in music.

“My playlist was entirely dictated by songs I could run to. I ran at least 2 miles for 136 days in a row,” Olson said.

Rick Kupchella, author and journalist

Top artists:

Maggie Rogers
Jonathan Roy
mgk (Machine Gun Kelly)
Dean Lewis
Noah Kahan

Top songs:

“Outlaw Overture,” mgk
“Cliché,” mgk
“Don’t Wait Run Fast,” mgk
“Lost Without You,” Freya Ridings
“Don’t Forget Me,” Rogers

A Bob Dylan endorsement got the former KARE 11 anchor turned on to mgk. Most of his musical tastes in 2025 skewed younger. In fact, Spotify puts his listening age at 22. “I’m proud of that,” said Kupchella, who recently produced the documentary “A Precarious State.” “Meanwhile, Spotify has registered my two daughters, who are literally in their twenties, with musical tastes aligned most closely with those in their late 60s. Go figure.”

Christopher Vondracek, Kim Hyatt and Jp Lawrence of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this story.

about the writer

Neal Justin

Critic / Reporter

Neal Justin is the pop-culture critic, covering how Minnesotans spend their entertainment time. He also reviews stand-up comedy. Justin previously served as TV and music critic for the paper. He is the co-founder of JCamp, a non-profit program for high-school journalists, and works on many fronts to further diversity in newsrooms.