Singer Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, better known to the world as The Weeknd, is already a multiple hyphenate, having added actor and artist to his resume.
He’s recently landed his first starring role in a feature film, alongside “Wednesday” star Jenna Ortega. And his “After Hours Til Dawn” world tour kicks off in Lisbon, Portugal, in June.
But it’s a streaming milestone that landed The Weeknd a Guiness World Record.
“It’s official: On February 27, The Weeknd became the first artist in Spotify History to reach 100 Million monthly listeners 🏆” the streaming giant announced on Twitter.
It’s official: On February 27, The Weeknd became the first artist in Spotify History to reach 100 Million monthly listeners 🏆 pic.twitter.com/YwslzheIDN
— Spotify (@Spotify) February 27, 2023
The milestone was big enough that it got the attention of Guinness World Records.
The Weeknd has been a musical sensation since 2009, but this latest streaming surge was due to the “Die for You” remix featuring vocalist Ariana Grande, which went viral on TikTok in late 2021. Since then, the duo have found further success collaborating on songs like “Love Me, Harder,” “Off the Table” and the remix of “Save Your Tears.”
The “Starboy” singer also has a new live concert special on HBO Max, which proved to be the highest-rated debut for a music special in the platform’s history.
The Weeknd is no. 1 on Spotify with 111.4 million streams, nearly 20 million more that the no. 2 artist, Miley Cyrus. Ariana Grande, with 80.6 million, and Taylor Swift, with 80.2 million, are close behind.
