The Weeknd sets new Spotify listening record
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Loading... - Bosch Joroem
- 01 Mar 2023
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The Weeknd has become the first artist in Spotify history to hit 100 million monthly listeners, the streaming service has confirmed.
The star already has the service's most-played song of all time, Blinding Lights, which has been played a staggering 3.4 billion times.
His latest accolade comes a few days after he dropped a new remix of Die For You with Ariana Grande.
The 2016 track has enjoyed a new lease of life after going viral on TikTok.
A minor hit when it was first released, reaching number 74 in the charts, it re-entered the Top 40 last week and is set to be a high climber this Friday.
Who is The Weeknd?
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, has become one of the biggest chart stars of the last decade, with more than 45 platinum and singles and albums.
Born in Toronto to Ethiopian immigrants, he uploaded his first songs to YouTube in 2010, showcasing a dark, explicit strand of R&B that delved into drug use, casual sex and alienation.
His popularity exploded after Canadian rapper Drake posted those early demos to his personal blog; allowing Tesfaye to produce a nine-song mixtape, House of Balloons, which he released as a free download.
Despite critical acclaim, he seemed an unlikely candidate for mainstream success but by the mid-2010s, Tesfaye had achieved a stunning run of hit singles.
These included a duet with Ariana Grande (Love Me Harder), a Michael Jackson-inspired disco-funk smash (I Can't Feel My Face), and a futuristic collaboration with Daft Punk (Starboy). Read More…
