It’s official! The Weeknd is the most popular entertainer in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
The 33-year-old Canadian, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, set two new Guinness World Records, the most monthly listeners on Spotify at 111.4 million and is also the first artist to reach 100 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
And that’s not all. The Weeknd’s 2020 song Blinding Lights is the most streamed song on Spotify of all time, with more than 3.47 billion streams as of Monday.
Blinding Lights is also the longest-charting song on the Billboard Hot 100 charts of all time with a total of 90 weeks on the chart, despite being rejected by the Grammys.
Surprisingly, no one comes close to The Weeknd’s streaming success.
Shakira is the closest with 81.6 million listeners, followed by Ariana Grande with 80.6 million listeners, Taylor Swift with 80.2 million listeners, and Rihanna with 78.5 million listeners.
Record holder: It’s official! The Weeknd is the most popular artist in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records
Achievements: He has the most monthly listeners on Spotify with 111.4 million and is also the first artist to reach 100 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
The Toronto native’s closest male challenger is Ed Sheeran with 77.5 million monthly listeners.
The Weeknd’s two new world records follow the huge success of his latest single, the remix of Die For You featuring Ariana Grande.
The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the seventh number one hit for both The Weeknd and Grande.
Die For You was originally released on the rapper’s 2016 album Starboy.
It is also the fourth collaboration between Grande and The Weeknd, after 2014’s Love Me Harder, 2020’s Off the Table and 2021’s Save Your Tears remix.
Starboy is the third of The Weeknd’s albums to have multiple number one singles after 2015’s Beauty Behind the Madness and 2020’s After Hours.
The Weeknd is in good company with this achievement, as Michael Jackson is the only other solo male artist to have multiple number one hits across three albums.
And these aren’t the only Guinness World Records the rapper has.. In 2016, he received one for Most Streamed Album of 2015 and also for Most Consecutive Weeks in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 by a Male Solo Artist.
Success: The Weeknd’s two new world records follow the huge success of his latest single, the remix of Die For You with Ariana Grande
Not even close: The Toronto native’s closest male challenger is Ed Sheeran with 77.5 million monthly listeners
The Blinding Lights singer has also settled a lawsuit filed against him by Suniel Fox and Henry Strange, who perform together as Epikker, over their 2018 hit Call Out My Name.
The two musicians claimed that The Weeknd’s “lead guitar and vocal hooks” were similar to his song Vibeking, according to The Guardian.
Furthermore, the musicians had proof that The Weeknd was aware of the song Vibeking when they sent it to the Canadian rapper’s frequent collaborator, Eric White.
White reportedly responded by saying the Save Your Tears rapper thought the song was “fire,” before telling Fox and Strange that The Weeknd, 33, “heard and liked” Vibeking, and that he was going to tell the rapper that he and his team had come with the beat.
“I just don’t want to say ‘hey Strange wrote this’ when he doesn’t know you,” part of the email read.
Fox and Strange claim that they were never asked for permission to use parts of their original song, nor were they given credit.
Call Out My Name is one of The Weeknd’s most successful songs, having peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 7 on the UK Singles Chart.
Attorneys for Fox and Strange requested that the case be dismissed, citing the fact that they had settled with The Weeknd and were “still in the process of formalizing, executing and consummating” the deal.
Blinding stats: The Weeknd’s 2020 track Blinding Lights is the most streamed song on Spotify of all time, with more than 3.47 billion streams as of Monday.
Grammy Snub: Blinding Lights is also the longest-charting song on the Billboard Hot 100 charts of all time with a total of 90 weeks on the chart, and the song was rejected by the Grammys.