Drake is Spotify's most popular artist for 2016: How he achieved the title
Drake came in at No. 1 on streaming service Spotify's list of most-streamed artists for the year. Singer Justin Bieber placed second, while artist Rihanna occupies third place.
Rapper Drake smiles during an announcement that the Toronto Raptors will host the NBA All-Star game in Toronto on Sept. 30, 2013.
Mark Blinch/Reuters
Drake experienced another extremely successful year on the streaming service Spotify, with the “One Dance” singer ranking for the second year in a row as the service's most-streamed musician.
According to Spotify, Drake’s music was the most streamed globally. Singer Justin Bieber came in behind him at No. 2, while singer Rihanna ranked third, the duo Twenty One Pilots ranked fourth, and musician Kanye West placed fifth.
When divided into female and male categories, Drake also topped the most-streamed male artists list, coming in ahead again of Mr. Bieber, who came in second. Twenty One Pilots ranked third on the most-streamed male artists list, while Mr. West came in fourth and Coldplay placed fifth.
Rihanna came in first on the most-streamed female artists list, while Ariana Grande came in second, singer Sia placed third, Adele placed fourth, and the group Fifth Harmony appropriately placed fifth.
Drake had earned the title most-streamed artist on Spotify last year, too. How did Drake achieve and maintain this dominance on the streaming service?
Drake also released the song that was the most-streamed this year on the service. Drake’s “One Dance” placed first in the list of most-streamed tracks for 2016. Additionally, his album “Views” was the most-streamed album of the year.
Eric Gonzales of Harper’s Bazaar felt that Drake achieved his Spotify titles by steadily putting out content that was enjoyed by fans.
“Drake and Rihanna top the list, thanks to the new albums and constant hits they released this year,” Mr. Gonzales writes.
Meanwhile, Alice Vincent of the Telegraph believes Drake wins over young listeners with the themes in his music. “Drake’s Grammy-winning, R[&]B-flavoured hip-hop is beloved by the internet generation because it captures many of its post-adolescent anxieties, including loneliness, anger at his parents and unluckiness in love,” Ms. Vincent writes.