Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, popularly known as The Weeknd, has officially been recognized as the most popular artist globally, according to the Guinness World Records. The Canadian singer and songwriter, aged 33, has set two new records, having the highest number of monthly listeners on Spotify, with 111.4 million listeners as of March 20, and being the first musician to achieve 100 million monthly listeners.
The Weeknd's success surpasses other artists like Miley Cyrus, Shakira, Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, and Rihanna, whose number of monthly listeners trail behind him. Ed Sheeran is the closest male competitor with 77.5 million monthly listeners, Guinness World Records confirms. The Weeknd's surge to the top position was partly due to TikTok, where his Die for You remix with Ariana Grande went viral. The song later reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, marking the seventh time The Weeknd has topped the list. The original Die for You was included in The Weeknd's 2016 album Starboy.
The Weeknd has previously won two Guinness World Records, one 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 in 2016.