The Weeknd has a pretty strong claim to the title of biggest artist in the world, and he’s not only surpassing others in that process, but also himself. Moreover, he once again broke the record for most Spotify monthly listeners worldwide, now past the 120 million mark. The last person to break the record for the most Spotify monthly listeners was… Well, Abel Tesfaye himself. In addition, he also reportedly became the first artist to have 19 songs with over 1 billion streams on the platform, and it probably won’t be long before he hits 20. However, some reports suggest that he already hit 20 or is still at 18, so it’s a bit unclear at the moment.
Regardless, there’s no doubt that The Weeknd will surpass this goal soon, and will probably create a lot of other records through his outstanding commercial performance. As for what could’ve caused this rise in monthly listeners, it’s likely that the Playboi Carti collab “Timeless” contributed to a surge in listenership and commercial performance. Given how excited fans were for it and how much this duo has captivated them before, it also helps that they received the new record quite well.
The Weeknd Breaks His Own Record
What’s more is that The Weeknd has a massive moment coming up that will probably make his commercial performance exceed even more than it already is. Hurry Up Tomorrow is reportedly right around the corner, and while we don’t have a release date yet, it’s one of the most anticipated albums right now. It will also be the final album under this moniker and conclude the After Hours Til Dawn trilogy, so a couple of different eras will wrap up with this drop.
Meanwhile, Abel recently responded to praise from another massive artist. “How does The Weeknd still have that sweet young sounding falsetto?” Nicki Minaj recently tweeted. He responded by quote-tweeting her post with some heart emojis, and it’s always great to see fellow superstars praise each other and motivate each other to keep their foot on the gas. As impressive as Spotify numbers are, none of them could ever match to artistic respect and the love of your peers.
About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a music and pop culture news writer for HotNewHipHop. He started in 2022 as a weekend writer and, since joining the team full-time, has developed a strong knowledge in hip-hop news and releases. Whether it’s regular coverage or occasional interviews and album reviews, he continues to search for the most relevant news for his audience and find the best new releases in the genre. What excites him the most is finding pop culture stories of interest, as well as a deeper passion for the art form of hip-hop and its contemporary output.
Specifically, Gabriel enjoys the fringes of rap music: the experimental, boundary-pushing, and raw alternatives to the mainstream sound. As a proud native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, he also stays up-to-date with the archipelago’s local scene and its biggest musical exponents in reggaetón, salsa, indie, and beyond.
Before working at HotNewHipHop, Gabriel produced multiple short documentaries, artist interviews, venue spotlights, and audio podcasts on a variety of genres and musical figures. Hardcore punk and Go-go music defined much of his coverage during his time at the George Washington University in D.C.
His favorite hip-hop artists working today are Tyler, The Creator, Boldy James, JPEGMAFIA, and Earl Sweatshirt.
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