Here's Spotify's Top Artists, Songs, and Albums of 2016

Drake is Spotify's most-streamed artist of the year for the second year in a row.

Not Available Lead
Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

Not Available Lead

For the second year in a row, Drake is Spotify's most streamed artist of the year. He racked up 4.7 billion Spotify streams this year, easily taking the No. 1 spot. The number more than doubles his 1.8 billion streams from last year, and puts him atop the Spotify leader board with over 8.7 billion views total. He also topped the most streamed albums list with Views' 2.45 billion streams, as well as the most streamed songs list, with 970 million streams of "One Dance."

“Drake has been unstoppable this year - he’s a true global superstar,” said Stefan Blom, Spotify’s Chief Content & Chief Strategy Officer. "With the top album and the top song this year, as well as his successful Summer Sixteen tour, Drake continues to engage his fans in a way that only Drake can; it’s no surprise he is dominating the music industry.” 

Justin Bieber took second place, with his 2015 Purpose holdovers no doubt continuing to help him into 2016. Rihanna, the most streamed female artist, took third, Twenty One Pilots, fourth, and Kanye West fifth. The last of these is surprising, if only because West eschewed Spotify for quite a while, choosing to make his new album The Life of Pablo available only through Tidal for about two months before releasing it to other streaming platforms.

You can see all of Spotify's top artists, songs, and albums on the chart below.

Spotify stats graphic

The major albums in addition to Views and Purpose were Rihanna's Anti, Twenty One Pilots' Blurryface, and The Weeknd's Beauty Behind the Madness. The top songs were Drizzy's "One Dance," Mike Posner's "I Took A Pill In Ibiza," The Chainsmokers' "Don't Let Me Down," Rihanna and Drake's "Work," and Sia's "Cheap Thrills."

The top new artists, or "breakout artists" in Spotify parlance, were former One Direction member Zayn Malik, the electronic duo Frenship, English singer and songwriter Anne-Marie, and two up-and-coming rappers, Atlanta's MadeinTYO, and San Diego's Rob Stone. You can see all of Spotify's year-end categories below.

Most Streamed Artists
1. Drake
2. Justin Bieber
3. Rihanna
4. Twenty One Pilots
5. Kanye West

Most Streamed Female Artists
1. Rihanna
2. Ariana Grande
3. Sia
4. Adele
5. Fifth Harmony

Most Streamed Male Artists
1. Drake
2. Justin Bieber
3. Twenty One Pilots
4. Kanye West
5. Coldplay

Top Five Breakout Artists
1. ZAYN
2. FRENSHIP
3. Anne-Marie
4. Madeintyo
5. Rob $tone

Most Streamed Tracks
1. One Dance (feat. WizKid and Kyla) - Drake
2. I Took A Pill in Ibiza - Seeb Remix - Mike Posner
3. Don’t Let Me Down (feat. Daya) - The Chainsmokers
4. Work (feat. Drake) - Rihanna
5. Cheap Thrills - Sia

Most Streamed Albums
1. Views - Drake
2. Purpose - Justin Bieber
3. ANTI - Rihanna
4. Blurryface - Twenty One Pilots
5. Beauty Behind The Madness - The Weeknd

Most Popular Playlists
1. Today’s Top Hits
2. Rap Caviar
3. Hot Country
4. Peaceful Piano
5. Baila Reggaeton

Fun Facts:
•    Top sex song: Sex – Cheat Codes, Kris Kross Amsterdam
•    Top sad song: Say Something - A Great Big World
•    Top breakup song: One Dance (feat. WizKid and Kyla) - Drake
•    Top party/dance song: Uptown Funk - Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars
•    Top workout song: 'Till I Collapse (feat. Nate Dogg) - Eminem  
•    Top gaming song: Fort Minor - Remember The Name (feat. Styles of Beyond)
•    Most Musical Day: 11th November 2016

Top Artists by Genre:
•    Classic Rock: The Beatles
•    Classical: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
•    Country (New): Luke Bryan
•    Country (Old): Johnny Cash
•    EDM: The Chainsmokers
•    Emo: Panic! At The Disco
•    Hip Hop: Drake
•    Jazz: Nina Simone 
•    Latin: Enrique Iglesias
•    Metal: Metallica
•    New Age: Enya
•    Pop: Drake
•    R&B: Rihanna
•    Reggae: Bob Marley & The Wailers
•    Reggaeton: Enrique Iglesias
•    Rock: Red Hot Chili Peppers
•    Soul: Michael Jackson

Emerging 2016 Genres:
1. Ambient Fusion
2. Witch House
3. Indie Emo
4. Underground Latin Hip Hop
5. Baile Funk
6. Dangdut
7. Hoerspiel
8. Speed Garage
9. Brazilian Gospel
10. World Meditation

MARKET SPECIFIC – U.S.

Top Five Artists in U.S.
1. Drake
2. Kanye West
3. Rihanna
4. Twenty One Pilots
5. Future

Top Five Males in U.S.
1. Drake
2. Kanye West
3. Twenty One Pilots
4. Future
5. Justin Bieber

Top Five Females in U.S.
1. Rihanna
2. Ariana Grande
3. Beyoncé
4. Sia
5. Adele

Top Five Tracks in the U.S.
1. One Dance (feat. WizKid and Kyla) - Drake
2. Don’t Let Me Down (feat. Daya) - The Chainsmokers
3. Needed Me - Rihanna
4. Panda - Desiigner
5. Work (feat. Drake) - Rihanna 

Top Five Albums in the U.S.
1. Views - Drake
2. ANTI - Rihanna
3. Purpose - Justin Bieber
4. Blurryface - Twenty One Pilots
5. The Life of Pablo - Kanye West

Top Five Playlists in the U.S.
1. Today’s Top Hits
2. Rap Caviar
3. Hot Country
4. New Music Friday
5. Peaceful Piano

Latest in Music