Guinness World Records names The Weeknd the world’s most popular artist (2024)

The Weeknd has been declared the most popular musician on the planet, according to statistics collected by Guinness World Records.

Apparently, The Weeknd blew all the competition away. Guinness said that “no one else even comes close.” He has 111.4 million monthly listeners as of March 20. This achievement has gotten him two Guinness World Record titles: Most monthly listeners on Spotify, and first artist to reach 100 million listeners on Spotify.

The next closest artist is Miley Cyrus, at 82.4 million monthly listeners — almost 30 million behind The Weeknd.

Behind Cyrus are Shakira (81.6 million), Ariana Grande (80.6 million), Taylor Swift (80.2 million), Rihanna (78.5 million) and Ed Sheeran (77.5 million).

The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, recently released a remix of his 2016 song “Die For You,” recorded with frequent collaborator Ariana Grande, which shot up the Hot 100 charts after it came out Feb. 24. It has also seen a resurgence in popularity on TikTok.

You can listen to the remix below.

The Weeknd previously received Guinness World Records in 2016 for the most streamed Spotify album (“Beauty Behind the Madness,” with its uber-popular single “Can’t Feel My Face,” which was listened to by 60 million people in one year) and most consecutive weeks in the Top 10 of Billboard’s Hot 100 solo male artist list.

The artist first came into the public eye in 2011 when he published songs on YouTube with very little information attached. As the buzz grew, The Weeknd’s identity was revealed, he played Coachella for the first time in 2012, and more tracks rose in popularity before his song “Earned It,” was featured in the “50 Shades of Grey” movie in 2015. His star only rose from there.

Tesfaye, 33, is from Ontario, Canada, where his Ethiopian immigrant parents moved before he was born. He grew up speaking Amharic and English and also went to a French immersion school. He originally thought he’d like to go to film school before pursuing music.

His music has been influential ever since his first moody mixed tapes came out — and clearly, The Weeknd is not done making waves.

This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Check out Simplemost for additional stories.

Copyright 2024 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Guinness World Records names The Weeknd the world’s most popular artist (2024)

FAQs

Guinness World Records names The Weeknd the world’s most popular artist? ›

Apparently, The Weeknd blew all the competition away. Guinness said that “no one else even comes close.” He has 111.4 million monthly listeners as of March 20. This achievement has gotten him two Guinness World Record titles: Most monthly listeners on Spotify, and first artist to reach 100 million listeners on Spotify.

Who is the most popular artist in the world Guinness World Record? ›

Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, more commonly known as The Weeknd, is officially the most popular artist in the world, according to Guinness World Records (GWR).

Who is the #1 artist in the world? ›

Chart: Taylor Swift Retains Crown of World's No. 1 Recording Artist | Statista.

Is The Weekend bigger than Michael Jackson? ›

The Weeknd Surpasses Michael Jackson's Tour Record And Tribute's Him In The Process. The Canadian singer became the highest-grossing ever by a Black artist. The Weeknd has reportedly surpassed Michael Jackson's revenue record for the highest-grossing tour ever put on by a Black artist.

Who is the most popular singer in the world of all time? ›

Michael Jackson – Most Famous Male Singers Of All Time

Michael Jackson, often regarded as the King of Pop, is the most iconic and famous singer of all time.

Is The Weeknd most popular singer? ›

The Weeknd has been declared the most popular musician on the planet, according to statistics collected by Guinness World Records. Apparently, The Weeknd blew all the competition away. Guinness said that “no one else even comes close.” He has 111.4 million monthly listeners as of March 20.

What is The Weeknd's world record? ›

This achievement has gotten him two Guinness World Record titles: Most monthly listeners on Spotify, and first artist to reach 100 million listeners on Spotify.

Why is The Weeknd so popular? ›

The first reason is simple. He makes spectacular music. For an artist to reach that level of fame, they have to be extremely talented in their medium, and The Weeknd is. Going back to his early mixtapes, Abel has always put out exceptional projects.

Who is the best selling male artist of all time? ›

Frequently Asked Questions. Who's the best selling artist of all-time? The Beatles are the best selling artist of all-time with over 420 million equivalent album sales. More than 85 million sales behind, Michael Jackson is runner up ahead of Elvis Presley.

Who is the biggest female artist of all time? ›

Madonna has nine albums on the list (1983–2005), more than any other artist. Celine Dion has seven albums on the list (1993–2002). Mariah Carey has seven albums on the list (1990–2005). Whitney Houston has six albums on the list (1985–2000).

How many #1s does The Weeknd have? ›

Pop Base on X: "The Weeknd now has 7 #1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100.

How many No 1 hits does Weeknd have? ›

The world had grown to know who he was, and by August 2015, he nabbed his first Hot 100 No. 1 hit with “Can't Feel My Face.” By 2021, he'd gone on to take the world's biggest stage at the Super Bowl and grab a total of nine No.

How many #1 songs does The Weeknd have? ›

The Weeknd scored his seventh No. 1 hit alongside singer Ariana Grande when their 2016 duet “Die For You” jumped to the top of the Hot 100 list on Monday (March 6), according to Chart Data.

Who is the top male singer of all time? ›

The 20 best male singers of all time, ranked in order of pure...
  • Elton John. Elton John - Your Song (Top Of The Pops 1971) ...
  • Paul McCartney. Sir Paul McCartney - My Valentine (Live Kisses) ~ 1080p HD. ...
  • Rod Stewart. ...
  • Andy Williams. ...
  • Tom Jones. ...
  • Michael Bublé ...
  • Art Garfunkel. ...
  • Stevie Wonder.
Jan 3, 2023

Who has the best female voice of all time? ›

Aretha Franklin

The one and only Aretha, perhaps the epitome of the hype living up to the talent.

Is Michael Jackson the biggest artist in the world? ›

Jackson is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with sales estimated around 500 million records worldwide. He had 13 Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles (fourth highest of any artist in the Hot 100 era) and was the first artist to have a top-ten single on the Billboard Hot 100 in five different decades.

Who has more sales than Michael Jackson? ›

The Beatles

Is Michael Jackson the biggest star in the world? ›

He was able to create such an amazing career and be probably the biggest star we've ever had. But also, never did he cuss in his songs. He always had a positive way of doing what he did.

Was Michael Jackson the biggest celebrity in the world? ›

Jesus was probably the most famous person to walk the earth and still is today. However, was MJ the most famous person alive during his time-yes, most certainly.

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