This past year, many musical artists with large fan bases have been becoming even more popular than before with some having monthly streams going past 100 million. The reason for this can vary, but it may be because the artist promotes music, genre of music, or how relatable their music is to their target fanbases. With new music coming out, the top 10 most monthly listened to Spotify artists have reached incredible heights.
#10: Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus has been a loved artist for years now. Her rise to fame was created when she starred in the Disney series Hannah Montana where she played Miley Stewart and Hannah Montana in 2006. Miley Cyrus was born as Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992, the same year her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, became a famous country singer. Her chosen name ‘Miley’ is a variation of her childhood nickname ‘Smiley’. Miley has 71.4M monthly listeners on Spotify as of right now. Her most recent album is Endless Summer Vacation which has her most streamed song, Flowers. This song has 1,457,835,133 streams which is exceptional since the song only came out January 13th of this year.
#9: Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O’Connell also known as Billie Eilish is a 21-year-old singer who was born on December 18, 2001. Billie was first recognized for her musical talent when she released Ocean Eyes on November 18, 2016. This song quickly gained popularity and reached number 84 on the Billboard Hot 100 which is amazing for it being her debut single. Since then Bille has released 2 studio albums When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? and Happier Than Ever. Billie’s most recent song is What Was I Made For? This song was made for the Barbie movie. Billie’s most streamed song is Bad Guy with almost 2 Billion streams. This was Billie’s first No.1 hit on The Billboard Top 100. Right now Billie has 71.5M monthly listeners on Spotify.
#8: Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber has been a beloved artist for many. His fame started when he began to cover songs sung by Usher and Chris Brown on YouTube. People started noticing him, so he signed with RMBG Records and created his debut album My World in 2009. Justin was born on March 1, 1994, meaning he is now 29. Justin’s most famous song is Sorry with 2,795,000 streams. Justin has 72.7M monthly listeners on Spotify and his most recent album is Justice which was released in 2021. This album has multiple hits including Peaches. Justin has had many Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits including, STAY, Despacito (remix), Sorry, What Do You Mean?, Stuck With U, and Love Yourself.
#7: Drake
Another artist who has been famous for quite a while is Drake. Drake was born on October 24, 1986, and was born as Aubrey Drake Graham. He is a Canadian rapper and singer who became famous when he was an actor on the show “Degrassi: The Next Generation”, playing Jimmy Brooks from 2001-2009. Drake began his music career in 2006 when he began to release mixtapes. After the release of his third mixtape So Far Gone, almost every rapper label wanted to sign him, but he decided to go with Republic Records as a solo artist. Drake’s first album was released on June 15, 2010, called Thank Me Later. Drake’s most recent album will be For All The Dogs which will be released on September 22 of this year. Drake has around 74.9M monthly listeners on Spotify and his most streamed song is One Dance with 2,777,209,142 streams.
#6: Bad Bunny
Bad Bunny is a Puerto Rican rapper and songwriter who became famous in 2016 after he signed for the record label Hear This Music and became popular very quickly after his release of Soy Peor. Bad Bunny was born as Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio on March 10, 1994 making him 29. His most streamed song is Yonaguni with more than 1.1 billion streams on Spotify. His most recent album is Un Verano Sin Ti which came out in 2022 as his fifth album. Bad Bunny has 74.3M monthly listeners on Spotify and chances are that number will grow.
#5: Rihanna
Rihanna is a talented singer who was born as Robyn Rihanna Fenty on February 20, 1988. Rihanna rose to fame when she was discovered in her home country of Barbados when she was 16 by Evan Rogers who is an American record producer. She then sent a demo to Def Jam Recordings and the CEO Jay-Z gave her a six-album with his company. Rihanna’s first album is Music Of The Sun. This album charted at number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 200. Since then Rihanna has made overall eight studio albums, two remix albums, one reissue, seven box sets, and three extended plays. Rihanna has 75.9M monthly listeners on Spotify and her most popular song is Umbrella with 1,269,525,928 streams on Spotify.
#4: Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran was born on February 17, 1991 in Yorkshire, England. Ed was discovered by singer, songwriter, and record producer Elliot John Gleave also known as Example. Example asked Ed to go on the road with him which caused him to gain popularity in the UK. He released his debut album + (Plus) with Asylum Records and Atlantic Records on September 9, 2011. His song The A Team was his first single and had him on the right track with his music. While Ed was already pretty famous in the U.K. he still was having a hard time becoming popular in the U.S., when Taylor Swift made a song with him called Everything Has Changed and had him open for her Red Tour in the US. This helped out Ed a lot with Americans recognising him. Ed Sheeran now has 76.3M monthly listeners on Spotify. His most popular song is Shape of You which reached the most streamed song in UK chart history.
#3: Dua Lipa
Dua Lipa is pretty new to the music industry with her self-titled debut album only being released in 2017. Dua was born on August 22, 1995, and despite popular belief, Dua Lipa is actually her birth name. Dua is a pop singer with two studio albums, two reissues, and one remix album. Her two studio albums are named Dua Lipa and Future Nostalgia. Some of Dua’s hit songs are Break My Heart, Levitating, New Rules, and Dance The Night. Her new song Dance The Night was made for the new Barbie Movie which has become popular ever since. Dua has around 77M monthly listeners as of now. Her most streamed song is Don’t Start Now with 2,612,00 sales.
#2: Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift is a country singer turned pop star who was born on December 13, 1989. Taylor started writing music when she was an early teenager, and she eventually got noticed
when she was at a showcase at Bluebird Cafe in Nashville in 2005. She was noticed by a man named Scott Borchetta who was planning on making his own record label. This label was called Big Machine Records and Taylor was one of his first signings. She released her debut album, Taylor Swift, on October 24, 2006. This album was a pretty decent hit for her, but her real fame came when she released her second album Fearless on November 11, 2008, which included her big hits You Belong With Me and Love Story. Taylor has had a unique musical journey because she has “re-released” and “re-recorded” her old albums. This is because Taylor’s first 6 albums were sold and she was not given the option to buy them. Taylor has nine songs that have been No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 including Shake It Off, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, Look What You Made Me Do, Blank Space, Bad Blood, Anti-Hero, Willow, All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylors’ Version), and Cardigan. As of right now Taylor has 100.9M monthly listeners on Spotify being the second person to reach this level of streams. Saugus Sophomore Audrey Smith reveals, “She [Taylor] is one of my favorite singers because I love how well her music and lyrics go together.”
#1: The Weeknd
Abel Makkonen Tesfaye also known as The Weeknd is the most streamed artist on Spotify and the most known in the world right now. He first broke into the music industry in 2011 when he released his mixtape House of Balloons. His first album was Kiss Land which was released in September of 2013 and reached No.2 on the Billboard Hot 200. Since then he has released five studio albums. His most recent album was released on January 7th, 2022 called Dawn FM. His most streamed song is Blinding Lights which is also the most streamed song in Spotify history with 3.7 Billion streams. The Weeknd has 106.7M monthly streams on Spotify. He has many No.1 hits including The Hills, I Can’t Feel My Face, Die For You, and Save Your Tears.
With worldwide tours and albums that have broken records, it may seem that these artists have reached the top of their fame, but every day their amount of streams and the order of the top 10 may change. However, these artists have gained tremendous popularity from their voices, lyrics, and music which can not be overlooked. This shows that the best and most important part of music is that it continues to relate and bring joy to listeners.
