The Weeknd is officially the most popular artist in the world
By Christian Edwards, CNN
It’s official: The Weeknd is the most popular artist in the world.
The singer-songwriter, whose real name is Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, is statistically the most popular musician on the planet, according to Guinness World Records (GWR).
“No one else even comes close,” said the organization in a statement earlier this week.
The Canadian singer, 33, has set two new Guinness World Record titles. He currently has the most monthly listeners on Spotify, with 111.4 million as of March 20. He also became the first artist to reach 100 million monthly listeners.
The Weeknd’s record-breaking stats will come as bad news to Swifties, Sheerios and Beliebers — whose idols are trailing in his wake.
Miley Cyrus is The Weeknd’s closest competitor, with 82.4 million monthly listeners, according to GWR.
Next is Shakira (81.6 million), then Ariana Grande (80.6 million), Taylor Swift (80.2 million) and Rihanna (78.5 million). The closest male competitor is Ed Sheeran (77.5 million), GWR adds.
The Weeknd’s surge was fueled in part by TikTok, after his “Die for You” remix with Grande went viral on the platform, according to GWR. The track went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 — The Weeknd’s seventh time at the top spot. The original “Die for You” was released in 2016 on The Weeknd’s album “Starboy.”
The Weeknd is no stranger to GWR. In 2016, he won an award for the most streamed album on Spotify, and another for the most consecutive weeks in the Top 10 of Billboard’s Hot 100 by a solo male artist.
The-CNN-Wire
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