Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album SOUR has surpassed 18 billion streams on Spotify, making history as the first album by a female artist to reach the milestone on the platform. The achievement places the 2021 release among Spotify’s four most-streamed albums to surpass the 18 billion mark, joining projects by Bad Bunny, The Weeknd and Ed Sheeran.
Released on May 21, 2021, through Geffen Records, SOUR is Rodrigo’s first album to cross the threshold, cementing the extraordinary longevity of a debut that helped establish her as one of pop’s defining voices of the decade. The album now trails Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti, which leads with 24.4 billion streams, The Weeknd’s Starboy with 20 billion, and Ed Sheeran’s Divide with 18.7 billion.
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Originally planned as an EP, SOUR expanded into a full-length album after the explosive reception of her debut single, “Drivers License,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 2021.
Olivia Rodrigo followed that breakthrough with “Deja Vu” and “Good 4 U,” the latter also debuting atop the Hot 100. SOUR became the first debut album in the chart’s history to produce two No. 1 debuts, while “Traitor” further extended its run of top 10 hits. Its combination of commercial dominance and diaristic songwriting made the record a defining release of 2021.
The album’s impact extended beyond Spotify. SOUR debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and set a then-record for the biggest opening week on global Spotify for an album by a female artist, collecting 385 million streams during its first seven days. At the 64th Annual Grammy Awards in 2022, Olivia Rodrigo won Best New Artist, while SOUR took home Best Pop Vocal Album and “Drivers License” won Best Pop Solo Performance.
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