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The singers with the most listens ever on Spotify from 2013 to present, year by year
Spotify is a Swedish music service that offers streaming of songs and podcasts and has been one of the world's leading music platforms for years.
Every year in December, Spotify publishes data on songs and singers with the most streaming and more.
And among the rankings published every year by the Swedish platform, there is also one on the most listened to musicians year by year. Here are who were the singers with the most worldwide listens (with the top five) from 2013 to the present.
Top 5 listens on Spotify from 2013 to date, year by year
Every year, Spotify publishes data on the songs and singers with the most plays on the platform and beyond. And among the rankings published annually by Spotify, there is also one on the most listened to musicians year by year. Here are who were the singers with the most stream worldwide in the last ten years, from 2013 to the present.
2013: 1. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis 2. Avicii 3. Daft punk 4. Eminem 5. Imagine Dragons
In 2013, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis dominated the charts thanks to the album 'The Heist', which included 'Can't Hold us', the most played track of 2013, and 'Thrift Shop', the third most played track in 2013 (between the two songs, Avicii's 'Wake me up' was in second place).
2014: 1. Ed Sheeran 2. Eminem 3. Coldplay 4. Calvin Harris 5. Katy Perry
In 2014, the chart completely changed from the previous year: only Eminem remained in the Top 5, while Ed Sheeran came out on top (860 million total streams). In that year, however, the most played track was 'Happy' by Pharrell Williams.
2015: 1. Drake 2. Ed Sheeran 3. The Weeknd 4. Maroon 5 5. Kanye West
In 2015 Ed Sheeran dropped to second position: at the top was rapper Drake (1.8 billion streaming). The most listened to female artist in 2015, on the other hand, was Rihanna, with 1 billion streams and a total of 57 million monthly listeners.
2016: 1. Drake 2. Justin Bieber 3. Rihanna 4. Twenty One Pilots 5. Kanye West
For the second year in a row, Drake is the artist with the most listens on Spotify: 4.7 billion streaming for him. In 2016 it is from Drake also the most played song during the year: "One Dance", a song made in collaboration with WizKid and Kyla.
2017: 1. Ed Sheeran 2. Drake 3. The Weeknd 4. Kendrick Lamar 5. The Chainsmokers
In 2017 Ed Sheeran returned to the top 6.3 billion streaming). His album "Divide" was a worldwide hit with 3.1 billion plays, partly due to the very famous song "Shape of You".
2018: 1. Drake 2. Post Malone 3. XXXTentacion 4. J Balvin 5. Ed Sheeran
In 2018 Drake takes back the top spot (8.2 billion streaming), while Ed Sheeran slips to fifth. In third place, however, is XXXTentacion, a rapper who died just in 2018 when he was only 20 years old.
2019: 1. Post Malone 2. Billie Eilish 3. Ariana Grande 4. Ed Sheeran 5. Bad Bunny
For the first time since 2013, we find neither Drake nor Ed Sheeran at the top of the ratings list, but Post Malone, who totals 6.5 billion streams. Also debuting in the Top 5 in 2019 are Billie Eilish, dragged by the success of 'Bad Guy', Ariana Grande and Bad Bunny.
2020: 1. Bad Bunny 2. Drake 3. J Balvin 4. Juice Wrld 5. Justin Bieber
From fifth to first place: in 2020 Bad Bunny climbs the charts thanks to 8.3 billion listeners. 2020 is the year of Puerto Rico's rapper, who also performed at Super Bowl during the Halftime Show along with Shakira and Jennifer Lopez.
2021: 1. Bad Bunny 2. Taylor Swift 3. BTS 4. Drake 5. Justin Bieber
Second year in a row at the top for Bad Bunny, who scored 9.1 billion listens last year. Also in the Top 5 was Taylor Swift, who in December 2020 released 'Evermore', an album acclaimed by all music critics.
2022: 1. Bad Bunny 2. Taylor Swift 3. Drake 4.The Weeknd 5. BTS
In 2022, the Top 5 changes very little: the first two positions are unchanged (Bad Bunny even totals 18.5 billion streams). The only new entry is The Weeknd, who returns to the chart in place of Justin Bieber, while Drake rises from fourth to third position.
2023: ?
It is only the beginning of March, so it is still too early to say which singers will be the most listened to in 2023. But here's a clue: on 27 February, The Weeknd became the first artist ever to surpass the 100 million monthly listeners mark. Will he be the singer with the most streams this year?