The 'God's Plan' hitmaker towers over the likes of Post Malone and XXXTENTACION, while Ariana Grande gets Most-Streamed Female Artists title from Spotify.
- Dec 5, 2018
AceShowbiz - Drake was the most streamed artist in the world in 2018, according to figures from Spotify and Apple Music.
The "Hotline Bling" hitmaker's music was played an incredible 8.2 billion times on Spotify alone in 2018 and he was also named Apple's Artist of the Year - with three of the top four tracks in their year-end Top 100 Global Songs chart.
The Canadian rapper's single "God's Plan" was the most played song on both services, and his latest album "Scorpion" was the most popular record on Spotify.
Hot on Drake's heels is Post Malone, who was the second most streamed artist on Spotify thanks to the success of his album "beerbongs & bentleys", and he had two tracks in both firms' top five songs.
Late rapper XXXTENTACION's single "SAD!" made the top 10 in both company's lists. It was the second most played song on the Swedish streaming service in 2018, and he was their third most popular artist overall. The track flew up the charts after he was gunned down and killed at a motorcycle dealership in Deerfield Beach, Florida in June.
No women made the top five, as Latin star J Balvin and Ed Sheeran rounded out the list, even though the latter did not release any new music this year. Ariana Grande, whose latest single, "thank u, next", is by far the most streamed song this week (end December 09), was the most popular female, ahead of Dua Lipa, Cardi B, Taylor Swift, and Camila Cabello. The top group on Spotify in 2018 were Imagine Dragons, followed by K-pop sensations BTS (Bangtan Boys).
Ariana was streamed more than 3 billion times on Spotify in 2018 and has also been a hit with Apple users as she was the most streamed pop act on the platform, with Drake, predictably, the most played hip-hop artist.
Spotify's Global Top Lists 2018
Most-Streamed Artists:
- 1. Drake
- 2. Post Malone
- 3. XXXTENTACION
- 4. J Balvin
- 5. Ed Sheeran
Most-Streamed Female Artists:
- 1. Ariana Grande
- 2. Dua Lipa
- 3. Cardi B
- 4. Taylor Swift
- 5. Camila Cabello
Most-Streamed Tracks:
- 1. "God's Plan" - Drake
- 2. "SAD!" - XXXTENTACION
- 3. "rockstar" (feat. 21 Savage) - Post Malone
- 4. "Psycho" (feat. Ty Dolla $ign) - Post Malone
- 5. "In My Feelings" - Drake
Most-Streamed Artist Albums:
- 1. "Scorpion" - Drake
- 2. "beerbongs & bentleys" Post Malone
- 3. "?" - XXXTENTACION
- 4. "Dua Lipa" - Dua Lipa
- 5. "รท" - Ed Sheeran
Most-Streamed Groups:
- 1. Imagine Dragons
- 2. BTS (Bangtan Boys)
- 3. Maroon 5
- 4. Migos
- 5. Coldplay
Apple's Best Music of the Year
- Artist of the Year: Drake
- Breakout Artist of the Year: Juice WRLD
- Song of the Year: "I Like It" - Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny & J Balvin
- Album of the Year: "Golden Hour" - Kacey Musgraves
