Image via Nabil Elderkin //

Cut to Drake crying in the corner…

Ready to feel old yet? It’s been ten years since the release of The Weeknd’s debut album, Kiss Land. it came following his critically-acclaimed House of Balloons series and cemented him as one of the leading voices in alternative pop and R&B. Now, one decade, a whole heap of albums and hairstyles later, The Weeknd is now one of the biggest artists in the world, and he has the stats to prove it.

Riding the wave off his most recent record, Dawn FM, the Canadian crooner has had a momentous start to 2023, becoming first artist in history to cross 96 million monthly listeners on Spotify just in January. Then, in the following month, he crossed the 100 million mark, which resulted in him bagging the top spot in the Guinness World Records.

There's two new world records for @theweeknd as he has become the first artist to reach 100 million monthly listeners on @Spotify 👏https://t.co/Z2zCtVay8n

— Guinness World Records (@GWR) March 20, 2023

Following The Weeknd is, despite our initial guesses of it being Drizzy Drake, Miley Cyrus, who has 82.4 million monthly listeners on the app, with Shakira, Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift and Rihanna trailing close behind.

In addition to being a musical juggernaut, The Weeknd has been keeping busy with other creative projects as well, most notably being one of the masterminds behind the upcoming HBO series, The Idol. Centred on the leader of a drug-fuelled cult in Hollywood, the series stars The Weeknd in the leading role alongside Lily-Rose Depp, Troye Sivan, Moses Sumney and more. It’s already garnered plenty of controversy for its reported nudity and the extensive trouble plaguing its production, however, it appears it hasn’t at all slowing down The Weeknd on the music front. Because if there’s one thing the world needs right now, it’s more moody, synth-heavy pop music. Check out the Guiness World Records announcement for The Weeknd above along with the trailer for The Idol below.

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