It’s official: The Weeknd is the most popular artist in the world. The singer-songwriter, whose real name is Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, is statistically the most popular musician on the planet, according to Guinness World Records (GWR). “No one else even comes close,” said the organization in a statement earlier this week.
The Canadian singer, 33, has set two new Guinness World Record titles. He currently has the most monthly listeners on Spotify, with 111.4 million as of March 20. He also became the first artist to reach 100 million monthly listeners. Miley Cyrus is The Weeknd’s closest competitor, with 82.4 million monthly listeners, according to GWR. Next is Shakira (81.6 million), and then Ariana Grande (80.6 million).