The Weeknd Is Officially The "Most Popular Artist", According To The Guinness World Record

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HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 11: The Weeknd attends the premiere of A24's "Uncut Gems" at The Dome at ArcLight Hollywood on December 11, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
The Weeknd is statistically the most popular artist across the globe.

The Weeknd shattered a number of records throughout his illustrious career but according to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Canadian star is officially the biggest artist across the globe. According to statistics, largely made up of unmatched streaming numbers, The Weeknd is now the “most popular artist” worldwide. The Guinness World Records bestowed the title upon the After Hours singer this morning, weeks after Spotify named The Weeknd as the only artist to surpass the 100M listener mark.

In late February, the streaming platform revealed the Weeknd as the sole artist who ever reached this benchmark. However, he’s accrued even more followers since. Guinness reports that the “Starboy” artist's streaming followers boosted to 111.4M since he reached the milestone in late February. The Weeknd leads the pack by a landslide with Miley Cyrus just behind him at 82.4M monthly listeners and Shakira in third place with 81.6M. Both of these accomplishments have been documented as two separate records in the Guinness Books.

The Weeknd Makes History In Guinness World Records

If numbers are any indication, then The Weeknd will go down as the greatest of all time. It’s an interesting feat, especially since he just matched Michael Jackson’s record as the only two male soloists to have numerous #1 hits on the Hot 100 from three separate albums. This came after the release of the “Die For You” remix ft. Ariana Grande, which spread across TikTok and propelled to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 a week after its release. Guinness credits the song’s success and massive streaming numbers for boosting The Weeknd to the title of most popular artist. 

Besides The Weeknd’s world record, he has a few projects in the world right now. Along with the controversial HBO series The Idol, which has been under scrutiny following a report from Rolling Stone, he’ll make his feature film debut in his first starring role, where he’ll also serve as a writer and producer. Little information surrounding the movie is available but perhaps, we’ll find him breaking another Guinness World Record when he makes his official foray in the film world. 

About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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