The Ultimate Shower Playlist
The Top Shower Artists
Three-quarters of Brits shower too much according to a YouGov survey. While reasons for this can vary, it might just come down to the fact that they do not want to cut their shower song short. According to Crystal Jackson (a former therapist with a master of Arts in Psychology): “Listening to music in the shower is a common practice, and people often have a preference for certain songs or types of music while they bathe. One reason for this preference is the inherent sensory experience of showering. The warm water and steam provide a relaxing and calming atmosphere, and the sound of the water can be soothing and help to mask external noises. This creates an ideal environment for the enjoyment of music.” “The shower can be a place where individuals can engage in self-reflection and introspection. Listening to music in the shower can enhance this experience by providing a soundtrack to one's thoughts and emotions. For example, individuals may listen to uplifting or motivating songs to start their day with a positive mindset or listen to soothing or mellow songs to unwind after a long day.” “Another reason is related to the psychology of how we experience and process music. People develop emotional connections with certain songs or types of music, often related to personal experiences, memories, or cultural background. And as we all know, music has the ability to evoke powerful emotions, such as happiness, sadness, nostalgia, and so on.” However, while a lot of people love listening to songs in the shower, their preferences might vary drastically. New research by UK Radiators has revealed the most beloved shower songs worldwide. The data also reveals the top genres and artists that people choose to play to enhance their shower experience.
The Top Shower Artists
To find out who the most popular artist to listen to in the shower was, we tallied how many songs different artists had in the top 50 most-liked shower playlists on Spotify. Here is what we found:
The most beloved shower artist was undeniably Taylor Swift with 168 songs featured in the top 50 shower playlists. With over 66 million Spotify plays and her most recent album occupying all top 10 positions in the music charts, it seems like the Swifties love listening to their favourite artist in and out of the shower. In second place we have One Direction. Although the band has been on a hiatus since 2015, their songs are evidently still popular. The boy band were included in the top 50 shower playlists 119 times. In close third, with 116 song inclusions, was Bruno Mars. Ariana Grande respectively ranked fourth on the list with 78 song features, and Rihanna came in fifth position with 72 song features.
The Top Shower Songs
To find the top shower songs, we analysed all the songs in the top 50 most liked shower playlists on Spotify. These were the results:
The most-listened-to song in the shower according to our research is ‘TikTok’ by Kesha! It might be the iconic opening line of the song, the catchy energetic beat, or simply due to the immense impact TikTok has had on the music industry. Bruno Mars is the only artist to feature twice in the top 10 with ‘That’s What I Like’ (included in six different playlists) and ‘Versace on the Floor’ (included in five different Playlists) from his hit album 24k Magic. We asked Crystal Jackson about why people prefer certain songs over others and she had this to say: “Certain songs may hold a special meaning for an individual; thus, these are the songs that people will choose to listen to in the shower, as it serves as a form of self-care, self-expression, and emotional regulation. It is a personal and subjective experience that can vary significantly from person to person.”
Top Shower Genres
To find the most loved shower genre, we tallied the number of songs each genre had in the top 50 Spotify shower playlists. Here is what we found:
Many of us want to gain a different feeling from our showers, some want to feel energetic and be woken up, whilst others want to relax and reflect on our thoughts. It makes sense that our research showed a range of genres featuring in the top shower playlists, but we can see that the pop genre was the most popular based on the list of top songs. Unsurprisingly, the top five shower genres are all pop or subcategories of pop. The most beloved shower genre is ‘Dance Pop’ with 398 songs included in the top 50 playlists. ‘Pop’ is the second most popular, followed by ‘Boy Band Pop’. These findings explain why artists such as Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars and One Direction are so high up on our list, and why iconic pop songs such as ‘TikTok’ and ‘Drive By’ are amongst the most popular shower songs. Crystal Jackson also had this to say on why pop was the most popular genre: “Music has a powerful ability to evoke emotions and influence our moods. Therefore, it is not surprising that people often choose to listen to music that aligns with their current emotional state while in the shower. For example, when a person is feeling upset, they may choose to listen to sad music as a way to process and validate their feelings. Similarly, when in a good mood, a person may choose to listen to happy music as a way to enhance and prolong that feeling.” “Pop music is often considered the most popular genre of music because it tends to be widely accessible and appealing to a diverse range of listeners. Pop music often incorporates catchy melodies, upbeat rhythms, and relatable lyrics, which can make it more enjoyable and easy to listen to.”
The Ultimate Shower Playlist
To create the ultimate shower playlist, we analysed all 7,251 songs to find out the different criteria for the most popular songs, such as speed, danceability, energy, and more. These were the average song criteria from the top 50 shower playlists:| Song Criteria | Maximum Value | Average Value | Minimum Value |
| Duration (mins) | 10.2 | 3.6 | 1.0 |
| Popularity | 97.0 | 62.0 | 0.0 |
| Danceability | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.2 |
| Energy | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.0 |
| Key | 11.0 | 5.2 | 0.0 |
| Loudness | -1.2 | -6.6 | -25.6 |
| Mode | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.0 |
| Speechiness | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Acousticness | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Instrumentalness | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Liveness | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Valence | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| Tempo | 210.9 | 119.7 | 43.5 |
| Time Signature | 5.0 | 3.9 | 1.0 |
Using the averages we were able to find the perfect shower song which was the classic All Star by Smash mouth.
We also asked Crystal Jackson if there were any underlying reasons why the data revealed All Star to be the perfect shower song and she had this to say: “The data that shows that "All Star" by Smash Mouth is the perfect shower song might be explained by the fact that it's an upbeat, catchy song that's easy to sing along to, and it's also a classic that people of different ages are familiar with. Additionally, the lyrics may be seen as relatable, which can also contribute to the song's popularity as a shower song. It's also possible that the song's association with the movie "Shrek" makes it a popular choice as it evokes positive memories and emotions for many people.” We also used the data to generate the ultimate shower playlist to make every shower more enjoyable!
Methodology We gathered data from Spotify’s top 50 most liked playlists that include the word shower in them. We then exported the data into a spreadsheet where we analysed all 7251 songs to find the outcome of the study and got a human behaviour expert to give additional insight on the human behaviour behind the data. Expert Bio Crystal is a former therapist turned author and the head writer at The Truly Charming. She has a Master of Arts in Psychology and authored the Heart of Madison series. Her work has also been featured in MSN, Yahoo, and Mind Body Green.
