Streaming records come and go since the technology is still so recent, but certain milestones are still commendable regardless of the fickle landscape. In a new shift, Justin Bieber has been declared the most-streamed artist ever on Spotify, breaking a record that was previously held by fellow pop star and Scooter Braun client, Ariana Grande, who had hit 82 million in one month.
Earning over 83.3 million streams last month — the highest number for any platform ever on the service — he eclipses his peers and proved that even if Justice wasn’t quite the return to form fans hoped it might be, fans clearly still found something to love on it. Surely the success of “Peaches,” his collaboration with Giveon and Daniel Caesar that went No. 1 hasn’t hurt those numbers any.
Right behind Bieber in the rankings were The Weeknd, with 74.5 million monthly listeners and then Ed Sheeran who earned 72.4 million during his current comeback period featuring the new single “Bad Habits” and a reported “next stage” of his career. Of course, Abel Tesfaye has been in his superstar lane for a while now, and the release of last year’s After Hours only continued his massive success. Abel is another artist on the brink of releasing new music, so Justin might have a run for his money coming pretty soon. For now, it’s his moment to enjoy.