Guinness World Records names The Weeknd 'most popular artist'
MANILA, Philippines — Canadian hip-hop artist The Weeknd has been dubbed by Guinness World Records as the "most popular artist" in the world today after setting two new records.
The Weeknd's newly-obtained records are for "most monthly listeners on Spotify" with 111.4 million as of March 20, 2023 and for being the "first artist to reach 100 million monthly listeners on Spotify."
The closest competitors to the prior record are Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande, Shakira, Taylor Swift, and Rihanna — all roughly 30 million monthly listeners less — while the nearest male artist is Ed Sheeran at 77.5 million.
The singer, whose real name is Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, was previously awarded the record for "most streamed album on Spotify in 2015" and "most consecutive weeks in the Top 10 of Billboard's Hot 100 by a solo male artist."
The Weeknd's Spotify numbers received a significant boost following the release of his and Grande's "Die For You" remix, which went viral on TikTok and peaked at the Billboard Hot 100 — the seventh chart-topper for both artists.
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The original track was first released in The Weeknd’s album "Starboy" back in 2016 and only topped charts six years later, the longest climb for a non-holiday song on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Starboy" is his third album to have mutliple number one singles following his "Beauty Behind the Madness" and "After Hours." The late Michael Jackson is the only other male solo artist who achieved the same feat.
"Die For You" was the second collaboration between The Weeknd and Grande after 2014's "Love Me Harder" and was succeeded by 2020's "Off the Table" and the 2021 remix of "Save Your Tears."
His track, "Blinding Lights," from "After Hours," is still the most-streamed song on Spotify with over 3.4 billion streams as of February 2023. It dethroned Sheeran's "Shape of You," which held the recognition since September 2017.
Other popular songs by The Weeknd include "Can't Feel My Face," "Earned It," "Pray For Me" with Kendrick Lamar, "Starboy" and "I Feel It Coming," both featuring Daft Punk.
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