Drake is Spotify’s most streamed artist of 2016
01 December 2016 - Press releaseSpotify reveals the year’s biggest artists, albums, songs and trends
Drake dominates with most streamed track and album for 2016, in the UK and globally
Rihanna named most streamed female artist in the UK for second year in a row
Today Spotify unveils its annual top lists which take a look back at the artists, albums, tracks and moments that made 2016 such an amazing year in music.
“Drake has been unstoppable this year - he’s a true global superstar,” said Stefan Blom, Spotify’s Chief Content & Chief Strategy Officer; “With the top album and the top song this year, as well as his successful Summer Sixteen tour, Drake continues to engage his fans in a way that only Drake can; it’s no surprise he is dominating the music industry.”
In the UK, Drake was by far the most streamed artist of 2016, with Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Coldplay and Twenty One Pilots making up the top 5 most streamed male artists of 2016. Pop powerhouse Rihanna was crowned the top female artist of 2016 in the UK and worldwide, based on the number of streams, with Sia, Adele, Ariana Grande and Beyoncé also featuring in the top five.
The dance genre continued to dominate Spotify’s UK charts this year, with tracks from Drake (‘One Dance’), Mike Posner (‘I Took A Pill in Ibiza’), and Calvin Harris (‘This Is What You Came For’) making the top five most streamed tracks of the year.
Fans also discovered more new music and artists than ever before in 2016. ZAYN became the top breakout artist globally, and Spotify’s weekly-personalised playlist, Discover Weekly, was streamed more than 9 billion times this year worldwide.
Check out below for the full breakdown of this year’s rankings and musical trends and head to ‘2016 Wrapped’ atspotify.com/2016 for the top playlists of 2016, year in review playlists, videos, and more.
Spotify’s UK Year in Music 2016
Most streamed artists in the UK
Drake was both the UK’s most streamed artist of 2016, and also the world’s most streamed artist (for the second year in a row), with more than 4.7 billion streams this year, more than doubling his record of 1.8 billion streams last year. He is currently the most streamed artist in the world, with more than 36 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
Here are the top 5 UK artists for 2016:
1. Drake
3. Coldplay
4. Rihanna
5. Adele
Most streamed female artists in the UK
Putting in the ‘work’ this year with over 2.5 billion streams globally, Rihanna takes home the title of most-streamed female artist for a second year in a row, in both the UK and worldwide:
1. Rihanna
2. Sia
3. Adele
5. Beyoncé
Most streamed male artists in the UK
Drake also dominates the list of male artists, but honourable mention must go to Justin Bieber, who ranks at number 2, with the help of his late 2015 release of his blockbuster album, Purpose:
1. Drake
3. Kanye West
4. Coldplay
Most streamed tracks in the UK
Drake’s One Dance made history this year by overtaking last year’s winner Lean On by Major Lazer (ft. MØ and DJ Snake), as the most popular song ever on Spotify, which now stands at over 967 million streams in total.
1. One Dance (feat. WizKid and Kyla) - Drake
3. I Took A Pill in Ibiza - Seeb Remix - Mike Posner
5. This Is What You Came For - Calvin Harris
Most streamed albums in the UK
After releasing Views in April, Drake’s album has racked up over 2.45 billion streams on Spotify. on Spotify in total, making it the most streamed album of the year.
Here are the top 5 most streamed albums for 2016:
4. Blurryface - Twenty One Pilots
5. Beauty Behind The Madness - The Weeknd
Most popular playlists in the UK
Of Spotify’s 2 billion+ playlists, Hot Hits UK was the most popular in the UK this year, with perennial favourites Feel Good Friday and #ThrowbackThursday also making the top five:
1. Hot Hits UK
Top five breakout artists (global)
One Direction fans still have a lot of love for ZAYN, putting him on top of this year’s list of breakout artists along with FRENSHIP, Anne-Marie, Madeintyo and Rob $tone. These breakout artists first made their mark in 2016:
1. ZAYN
2. FRENSHIP
3. Anne-Marie
4. Madeintyo
5. Rob $tone
Emerging genres in 2016 in the UK:
1. Witch House
2. Hawaiian
3. World Meditation
4. Underground Pop Rap
5. Pop House
6. Vapor Soul
7. Ambeat
8. Speed Garage
9. Lift Kit
10. Bouncy House
Top artists by genre in 2016:
● Alternative:David Bowie
● Classical:Glenn Gould
● Classic Rock:The Beatles
● Country (New):Dolly Parton
● Country (Old):Johnny Cash
● EDM:The Chainsmokers
● Emo:Panic! At The Disco
● Hip Hop:Drake
● Jazz:Michael Bublé
● Latin:Enrique Iglesias
● Metal:Bring Me The Horizon
● New Age:Enya
● Pop:Drake
● RnB:Rihanna
● Reggae:Bob Marley & The Wailers
● Reggaeton:Shakira
● Rock:Arctic Monkeys
● Soul:Michael Jackson
Fun facts:
● Most Musical Day of the Year: 18th November 2016
● Top sex song:Sex With Me - Rihanna – Bonus Track
● Top sad song:Say Something - A Great Big World
● Top breakup song:One Dance (feat. WizKid and Kyla) - Drake
● Top party/dance song:One Dance (feat. WizKid and Kyla) - Drake
● Top workout song:This Is What You Came For - Calvin Harris
Spotify’s Global Year in Music 2016
Most streamed artists worldwide
1. Drake
3. Rihanna
5. Kanye West
Most streamed female artists worldwide
1. Rihanna
3. Sia
4. Adele
Most streamed male artists worldwide
1. Drake
4. Kanye West
5. Coldplay
Most streamed tracks worldwide
1. One Dance (feat. WizKid and Kyla) - Drake
2. I Took A Pill in Ibiza - Seeb Remix - Mike Posner
3. Don’t Let Me Down (feat. Daya) - The Chainsmokers
4. Work (feat. Drake) - Rihanna
Most streamed albums worldwide
4. Blurryface - Twenty One Pilots
5. Beauty Behind The Madness - The Weeknd
Most popular playlists worldwide
Of Spotify’s 2 billion+ playlists,Today’s Top Hits was the most popular this year with over nearly 12 million followers
2. Rap Caviar
3. Hot Country
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