Michael Jackson’s streaming resurgence is accelerating again. Just days after placing two albums back inside the Billboard 200 top 10, the late pop icon now floods Spotify’s weekly global chart with 14 songs simultaneously charting for the tracking week ending May 7, all while several classics hit brand-new streaming peaks decades after their original release.
Leading the surge is “Billie Jean,” which climbs to No. 3 globally with 37.6 million weekly streams, marking a new peak for the song on Spotify’s worldwide rankings. Close behind, “Beat It” jumps nine spots to No. 6 with 29.1 million streams, while “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough” rockets 42 places to No. 16 after earning 21.1 million streams during the week.
The scale of the gains confirms that the momentum surrounding Michael is extending far beyond temporary curiosity. Jackson’s catalog is currently behaving less like a legacy act benefiting from nostalgia and more like an active contemporary release cycle.
Several tracks posted especially dramatic rises. “Human Nature” surged 90 positions to No. 27 globally, while “Dirty Diana” climbed 98 spots to No. 58. “Thriller” itself also jumped 90 places to No. 62 despite being nearly 43 years old. Elsewhere, “Smooth Criminal,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “Rock With You,” and “Remember the Time” all posted substantial weekly increases.
Two additional songs entered the chart for the first time entirely: “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” debuted at No. 178, while “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” arrived at No. 196. Even deep cuts continue gaining traction. “Chicago,” originally released posthumously on Xscape in 2014, reached No. 93 globally with 11.7 million streams.
The latest numbers arrive during one of the biggest catalog revivals of the streaming era. Following the April 24 theatrical release of Michael, Jackson rapidly became one of Spotify’s most-consumed artists worldwide. This week, he ranks as the platform’s third most-streamed artist globally, outperforming many active superstars despite his peak commercial years arriving decades before streaming existed.
Audience growth has mirrored the song explosion. Jackson’s Spotify monthly listeners recently surpassed 91 million for the first time in his career on the platform.
That momentum is also translating directly into album consumption. In the US, Thriller returned to No. 5 on the Billboard 200, while Number Ones climbed to No. 6 and became Jackson’s 11th career top 10 album. The achievement officially gave him at least one newly-charting top 10 release in every decade since the 1970s as a solo artist.
Michael Jackson Weekly Spotify Global Chart Peaks (Week Ending May 7)
#3 — “Billie Jean” — 37.6M
#6 — “Beat It” — 29.1M
#16 — “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough” — 21.1M
#27 — “Human Nature” — 18.3M
#31 — “Smooth Criminal” — 17.5M
#55 — “Bad” — 14.1M
#56 — “They Don’t Care About Us” — 13.8M
#58 — “Dirty Diana” — 13.5M
#62 — “Thriller” — 13.3M
#74 — “The Way You Make Me Feel” — 12.5M
#83 — “Rock With You” — 11.9M
#93 — “Chicago” — 11.7M
#150 — “Remember the Time” — 9.7M
#178 — “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” — 9.1M
#196 — “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” — 8.8M
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