AceShowbiz - Spotify recently admitted to a manual error that mistakenly awarded Drake a 2026 streaming record that actually belongs to BTS and their hit "Swim."

The rollout of Drake’s Iceman album had already been a major talking point this year, but Spotify’s announcement claiming "Make Them Cry" as the biggest-debuting single on the platform in 2026 quickly ignited controversy among fans.

Within hours, the BTS Army produced clear evidence showing that "Swim," the lead track from BTS’s March album ARIRANG, had already achieved 14.6 million streams on its first day—a figure that "Make Them Cry" had not surpassed.

Independent chart trackers supported the BTS fanbase’s claims, prompting Spotify to revisit its data. The platform discovered that during a manual review process, streams from two separate tracks titled "Iceman" were mistakenly combined, inflating the total streams for "Make Them Cry."

In an official statement posted on X, Spotify explained, "The initial streams review process was completed manually, resulting in streams from two different album tracks being combined. Drake continues to hold the record for most-streamed artist and album in a single day in 2026. We apologize for the error and have implemented updated review procedures to prevent similar issues in the future."

The admission that a manual count was involved baffled many, as users found it hard to believe that a trillion-dollar streaming service would still rely on hand-counting streams in 2026. This fueled speculation about possible bias within Spotify’s reporting.

Moreover, Spotify’s correction notably did not explicitly reaffirm BTS’s record by name, which some fans interpreted as an attempt to quietly fix the mistake without fully acknowledging the group’s achievement.

This partial correction frustrated many who had been closely following the unfolding situation in real time.

Adding an interesting layer to the story, "Make Them Cry" is the very song where Drake references BTS by name in its opening verse, rapping, "I'm feeling like BTS 'cause it took the whole career for me to be so discovered."

BTS members V and J-Hope shared their reaction on Instagram Stories, where a viral clip showed them freezing mid-dance upon hearing their name mentioned in the record announcement, highlighting how intertwined the two artists’ narratives already were before Spotify’s error came to light.

Despite the confusion, Drake still holds the records for the most-streamed artist and most-streamed album in a single day for 2026.

Meanwhile, BTS’s "Swim" continues to stand as the biggest individual song debut of the year on Spotify, confirmed twice with a record 14.6 million streams on its release day.

This episode underscores the passionate engagement of both fanbases and the critical importance of accurate data reporting in the streaming era, especially when records and artist reputations are at stake.

This article is based on reporting originally published by AllHipHop.