Drake, Ed Sheeran, and Post Malone Were the Most-Streamed Spotify Artists of the 2010s
Every decade is defined by its artists—from The Beatles who set the foundations of rock and roll in the ‘60s, to Nirvana and the grunge years of the ‘90s.
So, what exactly did the world listen to from 2010 to 2019? According to Spotify’s latest data dump called “A Decade Wrapped,” pop and hip-hop were the reigning genres of the decade. Drake, Ed Sheeran, and Post Malone were the most-streamed artists of the 2010s across the entire globe, followed by Ariana Grande and Eminem who closed the top five list.
The most-streamed male artists of the decade were Drake, Ed Sheeran, Post Malone, Eminem, and The Weeknd—four of which dabble in both R&B and hip-hop. As for the most-streamed female artists, they were Ariana Grande, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Sia, and Beyonce. Grande was the only female artist to break into Spotify’s top five artists of the decade.
Sheeran was the only artist to have two songs on Spotify’s list of most-streamed tracks of the decade: “Shape of You” was the most-streamed song of the decade, with “Thinking out Loud” closing the top five list. Drake’s “One Dance” with Kyla and WizKid came in second, followed by “rockstar” by Post Malone and 21 Savage. “Closer” by Halsey and The Chainsmokers was the only song to appear on the most-streamed tracks list from musicians outside Spotify’s top artists of the decade.
There you have it—the sounds and musicians that defined the decade. Spotify has also created “the ultimate playlist of the decade” featuring the biggest songs from the past 10 years. Take a trip down memory lane with this (unranked) playlist.
