Spotify, the audio streaming platform – with a total number of 678 million monthly active users – has become a platform that holds the potential to break or make an artist's career.
Securing a top spot on Spotify marks global superstardom. The constantly updated ranking highlights the most listened-to artists on Spotify since its launch, based on lead artist streams.
When it comes to measuring an artist's popularity on Spotify, there is quite a bit of confusion about the metrics.
Publications such as Guinness World Records frequently put the artist with the most monthly listeners on the threshold of the "most streamed"; however, the most-streamed artists on Spotify are those who have amassed the highest total play counts, mirroring their cumulative success over time.
Here's a list of top 10 most-streamed artists on Spotify in the first half of 2025
Taylor Swift
As per the ChartMasters, as of July 2025, the most-streamed artist ever on Spotify is Taylor Swift, with a total of 105,858,518,752 streams.
Explaining the significance of the huge number, the outlet shared that in late 2015, Kygo, a Norwegian DJ, became the first artist to reach 1 billion streams in a year, marking an unprecedented milestone.
With the availability of the platform and the streaming culture, the records have reached remarkable heights, with artists gearing for the 100 billion streams mark.
In February 2024, Taylor claimed the title of Spotify's most streamed artist ever, going from 11.9 billion streams in 2020 to over 90 billion by late 2024.
Bad Bunny
Following the Lover crooner on the list is the Latin heartthrob Bad Bunny with his total of 91,620,684,333 streams that he accumulated with almost half of the tracks of Taylor.
Drake
The third spot on the list has been secured by Drake with 89 billion streams that he managed to bag with consistent chart-topping releases and being a major presence in the music industry with quite a loyal fanbase.
Drake recently released a new single titled What Did I Miss?, which is expected to be on his upcoming album, ICEMAN.
The Weeknd
With 70 billion streams, The Weeknd has ranked fourth on the list, along with that, he also released his last album under his moniker in January, titled "Hurry Up Tomorrow."
This album is intended to be the final release under the name "The Weeknd," marking the end of Abel Tesfaye's trilogy of albums following After Hours and Dawn FM.
Ariana Grande
Ariana, with a total of 55 billion streams, has recently made headlines as she announced that despite diving into acting projects, she would never abandon music.
The other artists in the top 10 most-streamed ranking include Ed Sheeran with 54 billion streams and Eminem with 51 billion.
Justin Bieber, who just released a brand new album Swag after four years, secured the eighth position with 50 billion streams.
Furthermore, Billie Eilish, with her introspective lyrics and unique music, has been ranked ninth with 49 billion streams on Spotify, and lastly, the controversial rapper Kanye West has concluded the list with a total of 47 billion streams.
The notable mention is Harry Styles, as despite releasing just 36 tracks across his solo career, each one has exceeded 100 million streams, securing him a place among the top 40 most-streamed artists overall.
