The Weeknd has added another historic benchmark to one of streaming’s most durable catalogs. Starboy has officially surpassed 19 billion streams on Spotify, becoming the first album by a Black artist to reach the milestone, the first English-language album ever to do so, and only the second project overall after Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti (22.8B).
Nearly a decade after its November 25, 2016 release, Starboy continues to amass millions of streams daily. In particular, the title track, crafted with Daft Punk, ranks among the top 100 most-streamed songs on Spotify’s Daily Global chart dated April 26, having racked up nearly 1.7 million streams.
At release, Starboy became an instant hit. Debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 348,000 album-equivalent units, including 209,000 pure sales, it delivered The Weeknd’s second consecutive chart-topper and one of 2016’s largest opening weeks. Yet its deeper significance has emerged over time. Rather than peaking strictly within its original cycle, the album has continued to expand culturally through a remarkably broad singles ecosystem.
The title track with Daft Punk became an immediate Billboard Hot 100 No. 1. Years later, “Die for You” achieved one of modern pop’s rarest second lives, eventually reaching No. 1 after its Ariana Grande remix, effectively giving a 2016 album a renewed chart-topping moment in a completely different consumption era.
That multigenerational replay value helps explain the new Spotify record. Featuring collaborators including Lana Del Rey, Kendrick Lamar, and Future, Starboy was architected at the intersection of pop maximalism, R&B darkness, and mainstream experimentation.
Almost ten years later, Starboy is not only the second most streamed album in history but also stands as a true 21st-century classic.
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