Billie Eilish overtakes The Weeknd as Spotify’s most popular artist

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Billie Eilish has officially surpassed The Weeknd to become the most listened-to artist on Spotify.

With 100.1 million monthly listeners, Eilish has claimed the top spot, exceeding that of The Weeknd, who currently has 99.8 million monthly listeners.

The accomplishment was announced by Spotify via its data-tracking X account on Monday (August 19).

Eilish, along with Taylor Swift and The Weeknd, is now one of only three artists to surpass the 100 million monthly listener mark. At the age of 22, she is the youngest artist to achieve the milestone.

When Eilish first achieved that feat in June, Jeremy Erlich, Spotify’s global head of music, told Billboard: “Spotify has been a part of Billie’s story from the start. Ever since Ocean Eyes,’ she has continuously grown her fan base around the world. What she and [brother-collaborator] Finneas have achieved since 2016 is quite remarkable … and all this by the age of 22.”

It’s worth noting that eight of Billie Eilish’s 82 tracks have achieved over a billion streams on Spotify, placing them in the Spotify Billions Club. These hits include collaborations like lovely with Khalid (2.9 billion streams), and solo tracks like Bad Guy (2.6b streams), When the Party’s Over (1.9b streams), Everything I Wanted (1.7b streams), Ocean Eyes (1.5b streams), Happier Than Ever (1.4b streams), Idontwannabeyouanymore (1.1b streams), and Bury a Friend (1b streams)

Eilish’s rise to stardom began in 2018 when her debut single, Ocean Eyes entered the Billboard Hot 100. The track eventually peaked at number 84 the following year. Since then, she has reached the chart with 42 more entries, including six top 10 hits, most notably Bad Guy, which claimed the number one spot in 2019, according to Billboard.

Eilish’s chart success extends to her albums. Her debut, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? and sophomore album, Happier Than Ever, both conquered the Billboard 200 for three weeks each. Her latest album, the 10-track Hit Me Hard and Soft, made a strong debut at number two.

Eilish, who signed an exclusive co-publishing deal with Universal Music Group in November 2018, is regarded as one of the top sellers for the label during the second quarter alongside other artists like Taylor Swift, SEVENTEEN, Morgan Wallen and Ae! group.

The latest development comes just days after Eilish left Wasserman Music for rival agency William Morris Endeavor (WME) in the wake of a tabloid scandal surrounding talent agent Casey Wasserman. Eilish and her brother, Finneas O’Connell, are now signed with WME for touring and live events worldwide, as well as film and TV.

Music Business Worldwide

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