MUMBAI: Scrolling through Instagram might reveal a thriving market for couple’s gift merchandise, especially Spotify-themed items. Gen Z has merged music, love, heartbreak, algorithms, and capitalism into a unique blend for the market. While Gen Z often gets criticized, their approach to love might be more on point than it appears. Instead of traditional gestures like flowers or chocolates, they offer QR codes and song links, blending the romantic with the digital. As you hum nostalgic tunes, they might be blasting contemporary hits along with you. Gen Z is transforming everything into a dating app, and now it’s Spotify’s turn.

Romance of Borrowed Words

At the end of each year, a couple of things make us uneasy: the upcoming year’s uncertainties and our Spotify Wrapped revealing the pitfalls of our latest situationship. Why is that obscure Talat Mahmood song among your top tracks alongside Jay-Z and Sabrina Carpenter? For a generation that struggles with communication, the Rs 59 Spotify student subscription is like a healing crystal bracelet. While we might not communicate directly with someone we've fantasized about having a pet with, we curate lengthy playlists as a form of expression. When I first read Stephen Chbosky’s ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ at 15, Charlie’s mixtape for Patrick started with The Smiths’ “Asleep.” Though mixtapes are out of fashion, love endures. We’ve moved from cassettes to late-night Spotify link-sharing, but the goal remains: use music to express complex emotions. Let Morrissey sing you to sleep while you jot down notes for your next therapy session.

Finding the Music Match

Remember exchanging social media handles in class before college? That’s old news. Gen Z craves more, seeking to see your Spotify account instead. What are you listening to? Are you in love? Do you enjoy 90s Bollywood? Are you single? Do you like Hozier? Can we get married? A surefire way to slide into someone’s DMs is to compliment their playlist. Validation for our music choices is deeply appreciated among us. Spotify enjoys our reliance on it, from the initial butterflies to the eventual heartbreak. My longest playlist, 12 hours and 12 minutes long, chronicles eight years of love and heartbreak. Spotify has changed our music consumption from genres and albums to curated playlists and mood mixes. Spotify Blends, which create personalized playlists and show music compatibility percentages, hook us further. This is how Spotify wraps a love-sick generation around its little finger. Why did I obsessively listen to Blues, hoping for a perfect music match percentage? Some mysteries are better left unsolved to protect the writer’s remaining sanity.