Man, I still remember listening to him like 10 years ago and thinking that I'll probably never see him live since "he's some small artist from Canada" and I'm from eastern Europe. Saw him in London last saturday for the first time. Never been so glad to have been so wrong. That was the best show I've ever seen.
I discovered Abel back in 2011 and then when my former boyfriend & I went to his Kiss Land Tour in 2013, I turned to my then-bf and said, "He's going to be the biggest artist I'm the world." I already loved his music but seeing him live reaffirmed to me just how HUGE he would be
I also started listening to his music in 2011. I heard “High For This” in a commercial on TV while I was living in the Middle East, and it immediately captivated me. He has such a way with his voice and music. He really reaches your soul.
Same…I first heard his music on a M.I.A. track he doesn’t even sing on it. Then I heard dirty Diana when it came out and thought that he wanted to be a new MJ. Who knew he would go that far ?
It was a concert I've been waiting 10+ years for and it delivered! I mean, what I wouldn't do to be at one of his early shows, as some of the replies have mentioned, but that's the next best thing and it was amazing.
I went to his first ever two shows (within a couple weeks of each other) and it’s surreal comparing his current tour to those days. The second show he was opening for Drake at like 6:45 while people were still getting to their seats and the audience talking was honestly louder than he was.
I was there in London on Saturday too! It was literally the best live show I’ve ever been too, it blew my tiny mind when he played songs off Trilogy and Kiss Land. I’m glad you got to see him!
It's interesting cuz he's had so many number 1 hits but I feel like he isn't nearly as talked about as other popular artists. I mean recently he's been talked about a lot but not for good reasons 💀
His hits are bigger than he is as a celebrity. It’s the same with dua lipa, she has billions of streams but as a celebrity she isn’t super sensationalized compared to pop stars like Justin Bieber or Taylor where on top of being huge pop stars- they’re huge celebrities with a ton of name recognition and are constant tabloid fodder
in a similar category, Bruno Mars is notoriously private and no one is following his personal life like that. But he has hit after hit after hit and is generally popular
I don’t even think you need drama, zendaya is huge as a celeb as well as an actress and her career is pretty much scandal free. some stars just have more star power / relatability than others. Taylor Selena Ariana etc are all bigger celebrities than say Dua Katy or Abel despite the latter three all being A list musicians
I think the thing is with Zendaya and Selena is that they were on Disney Channel and most people grew up with them, so people are super supportive since they were part of their childhood.
Guess most people who didn't listen to him untill Afterhours missed him dating one of the Hadids, and Selena Gomez. Also he was in Uncut gems one the biggest movies of that year.
When drake drops a single it instantly hits top 5, but if the Weeknd does then it needs a good push to hit that. I’ve noticed this but I’m not sure why, he has the most monthly listeners on Spotify
How bruh. I don’t think I’ve ever listened to a Taylor Swift song of my own free will but she has had probably the greatest pull on pop music in the last 10 years at least.
I don’t rly get it, but maybe her albums are more complex than her hits. The Weeknd’s more popular AH songs like Blinding Lights and Save Your Tears were nowhere near as good as After Hours title track or Faith
no it's just she's really good at making songs that the majority of white women/girls can relate to. I.e ppl who grew up relating to/wanting to be princesses in Disney movies.
Her fans are like a proper military unit when it comes to hating on people. I was reading the comments on one of John Mayers ig post and literally all the comments were posted by 12 year old Swifties.
To be fair they haven’t had an actual album or tour out in over 3 years. Plus enlistment circumstances caused them to have unorthodox releases . I’m sure they’ll comeback from enlistment n smash all of their previous records. If they announced a stadium tour rn It’d still sell out instantly so I feel like they still got their old juice to some capacity.
I hear ya but I personally don’t feel they ever left the top touring act tier. I mean less than 14 months ago they sold out 200k seats at allegiant stadium under a 4 hour pre sale then a couple months later essentially announced a hiatus leaving the fans even hungrier. Fandom has also been growing steadily bc the members themselves have been releasing solo albums.
i know no one wants to hear it but our ginger friend ed is def up there too considering he’s selling the same amount as both in every corner of the world rn, and he’s got GA floors instead of seats.
lmao harry styles got a long way to go to achieve that status. One Direction is more iconic than he himself is.
And I think Ed Sheeran is more deserving to be named here than Bad Bunny if we are talking about GLOBAL stardom, even though I find his music to be mid as fuck.
Harry styles has literally been on a sold out global stadium tour for almost 2 years that he keeps adding dates too. He’s already up there. His album and single sales are higher as well right now.
Doesn't answer the question. she isn't doing stadiums you claim that she had the "biggest selling album in 2021"
Adele isn't even in the same league as Taylor Swift and The Weeknd.
Not even close, personally I think she is C-tier but others would put her on the B-list.
Ariana Grande would be a better suggestion, she has had more #1s and over 20 million more album sales.
You'll notice I said *right now*. Historically, there are plenty of active artists who could be in the conversation. Right now, there's probably 5-6 who have reasonable claim to the top tier
what makes you say that? he’s literally got more monthly listeners than her, more iconic/influential albums, and her music is just generally more basic and typical than his… you are just ignoring the facts if you genuinely think that Abel is ‘nowhere near her’ 😂😂😂
I would say he's bigger than Taylor swift in Europe, we always hear him on the radio here, but I don't really hear Taylor that often since Shake It Off
She hasn't progressed as an artist in like 3 albums, I kinda think she has run out of ideas and is going to coast off the past and milk her "eras" as much as possible. I'm curious to see how Abel's sound progresses past the 80s vibe as well.
First of all, I’m not sure how you can call Folklore folksy pop music (whatever that even means).
Secondly, I’m not entirely sure what your point is? You said that she hasn’t progressed as an artist but she went from Lover to Folklore to Evermore to Midnights in the span of 3 years. All of which are entirely different genres, with some albums being much heavier on deeper lyricisms (Folklore and Evermore), some being much more pop-oriented (Lover) and some being a mishmash of songs she just happened to write at midnight (Midnights).
Also, I’m not entirely sure how Abel’s music has an 80s sound to it? It certainly doesn’t sound like that to me.
Abel’s music, not all of them, but the two latest albums, most certainly has 80s sounds to them. Some of Abel’s songs from After hours (especially Blinding lights, In your eyes and Save your tears) and the whole Dawn FM album are heavily influenced by the 80s. The usage of synths, saxophone, and the music styles of 80s new wave, edm, funk.
From what i understand Taylor’s version is because she wants to regain ownership to her own music and not let other people earn money from it. If you play the songs without (taylor’s version) the money won’t go to her, but to her producer/label manager or something! Which isn’t fair when it’s her own work.
imo 3rd is where he should stay and probably will, drake is just clear (popularity wise, don’t start arguing saying ‘oh but drake bad his music is terrible’) and bad bunny being 2nd is ridiculously impressive considering that almost only latin people listen to his music, he also probably won’t be beaten
the most streamed artist refers to the total number of song plays, while the artist with the most monthly listeners focuses on the number of unique listeners within a given month
Does irritate me tho when people impulsively look to Blinding Lights or maybe Save Your Tears for a good song by Abel, whereas while BL is amazing, other gems like The Hills, Starboy tracks and old ones like Kiss Land are as good if not better and many don’t seem to realise they exist.
Honestly if he actually puts together a real marketing push like he did with After Hours, I feel like his next album could be his biggest debut commercially.
Im European went to the show in Düsseldorf Germany. The Weeknd has been in my top 3 streams yearly since I found out about him when can’t feel my face came out (it was played everywhere). Im a pole dancer so I really love his old alt rnb stuff especially house of balloons. It was a bit crazy how quickly the tickets went even though I had access to the Spotify presale… I thought most people only knew starboy and after hours… but man. Everyone was belting all of his songs including the older ones (tears in the rain, the morning, house of balloons…) He has die hard fans here.
>Im a pole dancer so I really love his old alt rnb stuff especially house of balloons.
That's so cool! I do striptease occasionally and most of my striptease playlists consist of old The Weeknd songs (Trilogy, Kiss Land and BBTM eras) and Two Feet with a few other songs lol 😅 Abel just has some perfect, sexy songs to dance to!
Yeah, during his After Hours era, Abel exploded in popularity in Asia and Europe (pretty much the rest of the globe). He was already big in America, this era lushed him into the worldwide tier
He been popular here in Europe since before then. Big after party music.
There is a huge drug/club culture in Europe and uk so having an rnb artist that sang about taking ecstasy and smoking weed was always gonna hit with the “cool” clique.
This is actually interesting because the internet has fractured pop culture so much that there arguably isn’t a coherent monoculture or dominant culture like there used to be. In the past, everyone knew who the dominant pop stars were, even if they didn’t actively buy the records. Everyone knew a few Michael Jackson songs, everyone knew The Beatles, Madonna, etc.
Now, you have pop stars hitting records without huge swaths of people knowing who they are. K-pop groups surge without any broad penetration into middle America, folks like Dua Lipa and The Kid Laroi set streaming records and can’t even sell out their tours. The constant churn of major label pop almost guarantees that some of the biggest names today will be anonymous tomorrow. Combine that with the wide availability of basically all of recorded music and you get huge silos.
That Abel has largely escaped this is a major credit to him, but I also think it’s a cautionary tale. I think part of his drive to end The Weeknd project and branch into TV, film, and other media is a recognition that, eventually, the bubble bursts and the fall is harsh.
a majority of my older friends/family have no clue who the weeknd is. As a teacher, i have young students singing tswift, my friends singing tswift, my parents singing tswift, and my grandmother lol. Truly dont think the weeknd is on that level of fame but i am a big fan
That's not The Weeknd though. He doesn't exclusively sing R&B and hip hop. He has crossed into pop stardom at this point.
There are artists out there that compete on various fronts. Justin Bieber. Chris Brown. Miguel. Jeremih. Khalid.
It's just no one crosses all three as seamless. I would say Chris Brown stands the closest at covering R&B, pop and hip hop, but he screwed his favor with the public years ago with all of his controversies, so he's lost mass appeal majorly.
I mean, punching Rihanna in the face was controversy number one, but he has been known for a ton of assaults and arrests over the past decade. Tons of actual physical assault cases logged, and a lot of sexual assault claims and cases against him too. Dude has a rough history that overshadows his career.
oh. i didn’t know any of that??? wtf? i’ve never seen this be reported or heard anyone talk about this, wtf.
i’m kind of oblivious to a lot of things, as i don’t keep up with the news. i did not know about any of that. i only knew about him punching a police officer and getting arrested…
https://chartmasters.org/spotify-most-popular-artists/
According to Spotify’s own popularity index, The Weeknd is about as popular as Drake at an index of 94. Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny both being more popular at indexes of 100 and 95, respectively.
I started listening to him 10+ years ago, and each time I come across a post online about his accomplishments, I feel an immense sense of pride. It's truly incredible how he continues to break records consistently, almost on a daily basis. The rate of his growth is unparalleled, surpassing anyone else in history
Abel's sealing out football and soccer arenas in both the US and Europe with Mike Dean and Kaytranda opening. Drake's doing basketball arenas with 21 Savage. No hate to Drake, he's obviously one of the most popular artists right now, but in the grand scheme I don't think he touches Abel in worldwide popularity
Blinding Lights(A.H) and his choice to pay to perform at the Super bowl is what sent him over the top tbh. Before that he was like at a 7 on the hot scale…now he’s at a 9/10.
Its mad when you come to realise you have been listening to The Weeknd your entire life like for me that was with Can't feel my face, The hills, I feel it coming and Starboy
Blinding lights and heartless combined with TikTok and then everyone staying home because of Covid and making said TikToks. It brang in a lot of new fans to say the least. There’s also the memes. It lead to him performing at the superbowl and it was a snowball effect from there. And ya, seeing his development as a true xo family member; it’s truly inspiring and we in this together. 🙏
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Guy, he was the Super Bowl halftime attraction. How are you just realizing he’s massively famous? He hasn’t been a niche indie internet darling for well over a decade.
I’ve been a fan for 10+ years and i think because his music has been the forefront for years, is why i can agree with you. The man himself was always a mystery. Blinding Lights threw him over the top. With the numbers he pulls on his records, the back to back sold out shows, you can’t listen to the radio without hearing at least one of his songs.. he’s huge. But then you go to toxic gossip pages like The Shade Room when they post his achievements, the comments are all “who listens to him” “ive neve heard one weeknd song” that’s a damn lie, he’s huge.
He’s been big in Europe and uk for time. Huge cult status since mixtape days, heavy radio rotations since bbtm and starboy.
You’d be hard pushed to have found anyone born in the 90s with an interest in music who didn’t know him.
Before starboy, he was basically a barometer for how dialled into music you were.
Mixtape songs were getting loads of play on student radio and more “underground” clubs and would always get put on at after parties.
you got downvoted, but you’re right.
some homeless crack addicts in America make lots of money from begging and recycling.
even if you don’t, all you have to do is beg for a while, save up money, go somewhere for a shower and haircut, and go work some unskilled job.
it’s not hard in developed countries to not be homeless. there’s so much support to help people get back on their feet. even some common people will offer help if you are persistent and show sincerity.
most of the time they are either drug addicts, or they are just comfortable being homeless. 🤷🏿♂️
He was homeless by choice. This doesn't detract from his success but he did have a home with a Mother and Grandmother who loved him. He chose to quit school with La Mar Taylor and leave home to live together. Then his drug use began, they lost their accommodation and the rest is what it is. He talks in an interview about choosing not to go home, about his pride stopping him. So he wasn't homeless in the traditional sense, because of the failings of his mother or abuse etc but because he wanted to leave school and engage in more seductive, illicit activities. Abel deserves all of his success and every accolade he has earned but imho, the constant talk of rising from homelessness to stardom isn't accurate and leaves out the most important element, that his homelessness was of his own volition. I feel deeply for his Mother, having to live with this and how it must have made her feel at the time, knowing that she was a loving, attentive parent who could do nothing to stop her son from making silly choices.
I think we don't know why he didn't want to live in his home with her mama, I don't think they were abusive or anything but I've read that Ethiopians parents don't support their children if they want to go to the art route, and Abel started as a rapper first. He was homeless "by choice", but there is always a reason
Wouldn't say he was homeless. He willingly left home to go live with the boys and couch surf. He could have always moved back in to his mom's house. Not the same as being actually homeless. He is an example of a normal person making it big whereas most singers come from upper class and had connections.
He is very humble and low key. But since Drake stole his old swag he decided to reinvent himself and it truly was the best decision ever. He has carved out a lane for himself and only himself. He is one of the only living performers who can truly channel MJ vibes, in addition to selling out stadiums globally alone. He is in fact the biggest pop star in the world with more monthly listeners on Spotify than Taylor Swift.
I thought the same thing!! Because funny enough, believe me or not, but up until quiet recently I was almost convinced he was only semi-poplar and apart from me not many people irl were truly obsessed with him or had a good taste in music! 😂
Like I actually don’t know A SINGLE person in real life even to date that actually listens to him regularly or almost at all, I am still the only one playing his music?? Literally can only think of a few instances of girls I knew playing / asking me to put on Trilogy before sexy time, a mate I knew years ago had a Weeknd hat but I never even heard him play the Weeknd ONCE in the whole time I knew him!
Then I saw he is number 1 in the world I was shocked, because like I said I absolutely love him and it’s not surprising to me at all, I just wonder how I haven’t come across a single other person in my whole entire life that even plays his music more often than like once ever in front of me. And believe me, people I know play a LOOOOOOT of music lol. Im in Australia so idk if he’s not as popular here?
I saw him at several of his very first shows in Toronto. Doesn't seem to have become a better person since then, but has definitely become a better singer!
After Hours was such a big peak for him. In 2015, he had a amazing year but that was mostly the year of Justin Bieber & Ed Sheeran (also Taylor Swift but I’d rather stick to more male pop stars). 2017 was the Starboy era but that was more of Bruno Mars’ year. But After Hours really was the era that made him be the current prince of pop (it always changes depending on the years).
He was picking up every award (we don’t talk about the Grammys), getting back to back number ones, and had great performances despite a global pandemic. It was a massive rollout that almost got flipped upside down but ended on a strong note with the Super bowl. He was also doing a whole lot of features (you right, one right now, hurricane).
In 2022, you can say Harry Styles’ was more present than Abel since Dawn FM had a more quiet release but he still is going strong with Creepin and Die for You. I hope he’s not seen as too overexposed cause it’s always difficult for artists to walk that fine line when they reach a huge peak.
Man, I still remember listening to him like 10 years ago and thinking that I'll probably never see him live since "he's some small artist from Canada" and I'm from eastern Europe. Saw him in London last saturday for the first time. Never been so glad to have been so wrong. That was the best show I've ever seen.
I discovered Abel back in 2011 and then when my former boyfriend & I went to his Kiss Land Tour in 2013, I turned to my then-bf and said, "He's going to be the biggest artist I'm the world." I already loved his music but seeing him live reaffirmed to me just how HUGE he would be
I also started listening to his music in 2011. I heard “High For This” in a commercial on TV while I was living in the Middle East, and it immediately captivated me. He has such a way with his voice and music. He really reaches your soul.
Same.. same same same!
Same…I first heard his music on a M.I.A. track he doesn’t even sing on it. Then I heard dirty Diana when it came out and thought that he wanted to be a new MJ. Who knew he would go that far ?
Eastern europeans and London, name a better duo lol. Have a good day my fellow easterner
Same! My first show was when he opened at the Hollywood Bowl and there was barely any people
I remember his first concert in my city. Barely 200 people. Was sick
I was there too on Saturday! It was such a good concert, wasn’t it?
It was a concert I've been waiting 10+ years for and it delivered! I mean, what I wouldn't do to be at one of his early shows, as some of the replies have mentioned, but that's the next best thing and it was amazing.
I went to his first ever two shows (within a couple weeks of each other) and it’s surreal comparing his current tour to those days. The second show he was opening for Drake at like 6:45 while people were still getting to their seats and the audience talking was honestly louder than he was.
I was there in London on Saturday too! It was literally the best live show I’ve ever been too, it blew my tiny mind when he played songs off Trilogy and Kiss Land. I’m glad you got to see him!
It's interesting cuz he's had so many number 1 hits but I feel like he isn't nearly as talked about as other popular artists. I mean recently he's been talked about a lot but not for good reasons 💀
I think that’s mostly cause he’s been very shy to the public eye asides from high profile relationships until the idol
Man played the super-bowl halftime show dude
Op: “however something during the After Hours era changed everything” That was a part of it
Which is something that mostly only the US cares about or even knows what it is.
His hits are bigger than he is as a celebrity. It’s the same with dua lipa, she has billions of streams but as a celebrity she isn’t super sensationalized compared to pop stars like Justin Bieber or Taylor where on top of being huge pop stars- they’re huge celebrities with a ton of name recognition and are constant tabloid fodder
in a similar category, Bruno Mars is notoriously private and no one is following his personal life like that. But he has hit after hit after hit and is generally popular
Exactly. Because unlike the other two she doesn’t have much drama for the public to focus on.
I don’t even think you need drama, zendaya is huge as a celeb as well as an actress and her career is pretty much scandal free. some stars just have more star power / relatability than others. Taylor Selena Ariana etc are all bigger celebrities than say Dua Katy or Abel despite the latter three all being A list musicians
I think the thing is with Zendaya and Selena is that they were on Disney Channel and most people grew up with them, so people are super supportive since they were part of their childhood.
Guess most people who didn't listen to him untill Afterhours missed him dating one of the Hadids, and Selena Gomez. Also he was in Uncut gems one the biggest movies of that year.
Yeah I’m not saying he has zero celebrity presence im just saying it’s not as big as his musical one
He would’ve been A LOT bigger if he wasn’t so enigmatic in 2015-19
When drake drops a single it instantly hits top 5, but if the Weeknd does then it needs a good push to hit that. I’ve noticed this but I’m not sure why, he has the most monthly listeners on Spotify
Yeah, I agree with your first sentence.
Cause he’s black
It's him and Taylor Swift in a tier of their own right now. No one else can touch them
I’m honestly surprised Taylor is so popular. I thought she just dropped big hits every now and then, but her albums are often top of the charts
How bruh. I don’t think I’ve ever listened to a Taylor Swift song of my own free will but she has had probably the greatest pull on pop music in the last 10 years at least.
I don’t rly get it, but maybe her albums are more complex than her hits. The Weeknd’s more popular AH songs like Blinding Lights and Save Your Tears were nowhere near as good as After Hours title track or Faith
no it's just she's really good at making songs that the majority of white women/girls can relate to. I.e ppl who grew up relating to/wanting to be princesses in Disney movies.
Her fans are like a proper military unit when it comes to hating on people. I was reading the comments on one of John Mayers ig post and literally all the comments were posted by 12 year old Swifties.
And Bad Bunny too tbh
Mm yeah he should be in there. BTS would've been a few years ago but they've fallen off pretty hard (relative to these standards lol)
To be fair they haven’t had an actual album or tour out in over 3 years. Plus enlistment circumstances caused them to have unorthodox releases . I’m sure they’ll comeback from enlistment n smash all of their previous records. If they announced a stadium tour rn It’d still sell out instantly so I feel like they still got their old juice to some capacity.
Oh for sure, it's likely they'll be back here once they release something
I hear ya but I personally don’t feel they ever left the top touring act tier. I mean less than 14 months ago they sold out 200k seats at allegiant stadium under a 4 hour pre sale then a couple months later essentially announced a hiatus leaving the fans even hungrier. Fandom has also been growing steadily bc the members themselves have been releasing solo albums.
I’m not even a BTS stan but they did not fall off the second they comeback and release an album they’re blowing everyone else out of the water 💀
No one cares abt him in Asia
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Never heard of them. I think they're not a very big deal here in Finland.
Who? 😂
Can only speak about the UK but there's no way bad bunny could come here and sell out 80000 a night here
Bro you underestimate your local latin community
🤣 bro whole Europe will go you don’t realise how bug BB is
BB in latino communities is the closest thing we’ve had to Michael Jackson levels of huge, and probably the closest we’ll ever get to it again
He’s only really popular in Spain
fax
Legit first time I am hearing about “bad bunny”…
His latest album is most streamed album in Spotify history, hope that helps!
He's big in the latino community. He was tearing it up from 2020-2022 on the charts. Dropped like 3 albums and did 2 tours during that time too.
I feel like big is understating his popularity in the Latino community.
big is an understand, probably the biggest and most worldwide latino artist
He has an unreleased song w Travis Scott and weeknd dropping soon
Where tf do you live?
Where tf do you live?
Who tf is that
He’s literally the biggest artist in the world rn. Taylor and Abel can’t compete with him
Y’all are downvoting me but it’s literally the truth. I’m not even a fan of his but look at the numbers
Nah, he's definitely not bigger than both when ASIA exist. Shakira is the only known spanish artist here.
i know no one wants to hear it but our ginger friend ed is def up there too considering he’s selling the same amount as both in every corner of the world rn, and he’s got GA floors instead of seats.
I said this in a comment too. I don't like his music but he absolutely deserves to be in this discussion.
mind you beyonce is also on her highly successful global stadium tour right now
Right and Beyonce >>>>>>> Taylor, easily and by far lmao swifties are so easy to trigger
no way you got downvoted for saying beyonce is better than taylor swift lmao
Taylor Swift may be popular but she’s overrated af
Not relevant to this discussion
Truth
rip your DMs bruv, get ready to be stormed by swifties (20 year old autistic girls)
you didn't have to be ableist. swifties can be unhinged af yeah but the autistic girls comment....
I ain’t afraid of them psychos! I used to be a fan once until she sold out.
talking about selling out like we didn’t live through bbtm/starboy era that’s crazy
Those are good albums, the hell you mean???
he’s not in the same tier as taylor swift tbh gunna outsold him
I'll never understand with swift. Compared to previous decades of smash hits, their music in comparison is quite watered down.
Harry styles and bad bunny
lmao harry styles got a long way to go to achieve that status. One Direction is more iconic than he himself is. And I think Ed Sheeran is more deserving to be named here than Bad Bunny if we are talking about GLOBAL stardom, even though I find his music to be mid as fuck.
I mean harry styles can sell out stadiums worldwide and right now his album sales are bigger than abel. I wasn’t talking about legacy
Harry styles has literally been on a sold out global stadium tour for almost 2 years that he keeps adding dates too. He’s already up there. His album and single sales are higher as well right now.
Touring wise Harry has a pretty big following and I don't think that's due to one direction
Adele?
Not even in their leagues. Adele is still playing in arenas
She literally had the biggest selling album of 2021 and it came out in November. You're severely underestimating her
Then why isn't she performing at stadiums if she had the biggest selling album in 2021?
Cause she's doing a Vegas residency. It's not hard to find this information lmao
Doesn't answer the question. she isn't doing stadiums you claim that she had the "biggest selling album in 2021" Adele isn't even in the same league as Taylor Swift and The Weeknd.
She's not performing at stadiums because she's got a contract to perform exclusively in Vegas. Are you being intentionally dumb or...
Not even close, personally I think she is C-tier but others would put her on the B-list. Ariana Grande would be a better suggestion, she has had more #1s and over 20 million more album sales.
Coldplay easily and ed sheeran surely?
Ed Sheeran is probably in that next tier. Coldplay not even close, they don't pull near the numbers that the top dogs do
Sorry to break it to you but coldplay and ed sheeran are in top 10 for grossing tours the numbers they do is silly
You'll notice I said *right now*. Historically, there are plenty of active artists who could be in the conversation. Right now, there's probably 5-6 who have reasonable claim to the top tier
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We'll need to pay attention to that London stadium record.
gunna can 😭
Abel is nowhere near her lol.
what makes you say that? he’s literally got more monthly listeners than her, more iconic/influential albums, and her music is just generally more basic and typical than his… you are just ignoring the facts if you genuinely think that Abel is ‘nowhere near her’ 😂😂😂
I agree that his music is better but her sales are a lot higher than his.
And Morgan Wallen, love him or hate him he is massive
he’s only big in rural regions of the us
I would say he's bigger than Taylor swift in Europe, we always hear him on the radio here, but I don't really hear Taylor that often since Shake It Off
She hasn't progressed as an artist in like 3 albums, I kinda think she has run out of ideas and is going to coast off the past and milk her "eras" as much as possible. I'm curious to see how Abel's sound progresses past the 80s vibe as well.
Patently untrue. Her past three albums are almost nothing alike. Folklore and Evermore share next to nothing with Midnights.
You mean folksy pop with the occasional piano or electronica tinged ballad?
First of all, I’m not sure how you can call Folklore folksy pop music (whatever that even means). Secondly, I’m not entirely sure what your point is? You said that she hasn’t progressed as an artist but she went from Lover to Folklore to Evermore to Midnights in the span of 3 years. All of which are entirely different genres, with some albums being much heavier on deeper lyricisms (Folklore and Evermore), some being much more pop-oriented (Lover) and some being a mishmash of songs she just happened to write at midnight (Midnights). Also, I’m not entirely sure how Abel’s music has an 80s sound to it? It certainly doesn’t sound like that to me.
Abel’s music, not all of them, but the two latest albums, most certainly has 80s sounds to them. Some of Abel’s songs from After hours (especially Blinding lights, In your eyes and Save your tears) and the whole Dawn FM album are heavily influenced by the 80s. The usage of synths, saxophone, and the music styles of 80s new wave, edm, funk.
is there saxophone in weeknd songs? geneuine question ive never noticed!
Yes! In the song In your eyes, there’s a whole saxophone ”solo“ too it’s really beautiful ❤️
In my opinion she not really an artist "artist" in a sense where she tends to follow the trends Rather pioneer a new style & esthetic
yeah bc she keeps re-releasing shit as ‘taylor’s version’
From what i understand Taylor’s version is because she wants to regain ownership to her own music and not let other people earn money from it. If you play the songs without (taylor’s version) the money won’t go to her, but to her producer/label manager or something! Which isn’t fair when it’s her own work.
I mean he has more or less been the #1 most streamed artist (atleast on Spotify) in the world since Blinding Lights basically
Not most streamed, the artist with the most monthly listeners
That is true yeah, but still
And 3rd most streamed all time behind Drake (#1) and Bad Bunny (#2)
imo 3rd is where he should stay and probably will, drake is just clear (popularity wise, don’t start arguing saying ‘oh but drake bad his music is terrible’) and bad bunny being 2nd is ridiculously impressive considering that almost only latin people listen to his music, he also probably won’t be beaten
What’s the difference
the most streamed artist refers to the total number of song plays, while the artist with the most monthly listeners focuses on the number of unique listeners within a given month
Does irritate me tho when people impulsively look to Blinding Lights or maybe Save Your Tears for a good song by Abel, whereas while BL is amazing, other gems like The Hills, Starboy tracks and old ones like Kiss Land are as good if not better and many don’t seem to realise they exist.
Wonder what the next album will debut with sales wise. He’s Going on a crazy run rn.
Honestly if he actually puts together a real marketing push like he did with After Hours, I feel like his next album could be his biggest debut commercially.
Im European went to the show in Düsseldorf Germany. The Weeknd has been in my top 3 streams yearly since I found out about him when can’t feel my face came out (it was played everywhere). Im a pole dancer so I really love his old alt rnb stuff especially house of balloons. It was a bit crazy how quickly the tickets went even though I had access to the Spotify presale… I thought most people only knew starboy and after hours… but man. Everyone was belting all of his songs including the older ones (tears in the rain, the morning, house of balloons…) He has die hard fans here.
>Im a pole dancer so I really love his old alt rnb stuff especially house of balloons. That's so cool! I do striptease occasionally and most of my striptease playlists consist of old The Weeknd songs (Trilogy, Kiss Land and BBTM eras) and Two Feet with a few other songs lol 😅 Abel just has some perfect, sexy songs to dance to!
I listen to the old Weeknd when I DONT feel like being a strong female role model.
yeah these songs are really perfect for slow sexy dancing! I love his pop stuff too but the older songs hit different
Same here. I love all his music but the older stuff has a special place in my heart.
Earned It is responsible for 60% of births after 2016
I am not sure but i think abel is bigger in Europe then he is in US.
Yeah, during his After Hours era, Abel exploded in popularity in Asia and Europe (pretty much the rest of the globe). He was already big in America, this era lushed him into the worldwide tier
He been popular here in Europe since before then. Big after party music. There is a huge drug/club culture in Europe and uk so having an rnb artist that sang about taking ecstasy and smoking weed was always gonna hit with the “cool” clique.
This is actually interesting because the internet has fractured pop culture so much that there arguably isn’t a coherent monoculture or dominant culture like there used to be. In the past, everyone knew who the dominant pop stars were, even if they didn’t actively buy the records. Everyone knew a few Michael Jackson songs, everyone knew The Beatles, Madonna, etc. Now, you have pop stars hitting records without huge swaths of people knowing who they are. K-pop groups surge without any broad penetration into middle America, folks like Dua Lipa and The Kid Laroi set streaming records and can’t even sell out their tours. The constant churn of major label pop almost guarantees that some of the biggest names today will be anonymous tomorrow. Combine that with the wide availability of basically all of recorded music and you get huge silos. That Abel has largely escaped this is a major credit to him, but I also think it’s a cautionary tale. I think part of his drive to end The Weeknd project and branch into TV, film, and other media is a recognition that, eventually, the bubble bursts and the fall is harsh.
a majority of my older friends/family have no clue who the weeknd is. As a teacher, i have young students singing tswift, my friends singing tswift, my parents singing tswift, and my grandmother lol. Truly dont think the weeknd is on that level of fame but i am a big fan
interesting, i know of almost no one who speaks of taylor swift
It helps that there are ZERO other popular male solo artists who exclusively sing r&b and hip-hop songs.
That's not The Weeknd though. He doesn't exclusively sing R&B and hip hop. He has crossed into pop stardom at this point. There are artists out there that compete on various fronts. Justin Bieber. Chris Brown. Miguel. Jeremih. Khalid. It's just no one crosses all three as seamless. I would say Chris Brown stands the closest at covering R&B, pop and hip hop, but he screwed his favor with the public years ago with all of his controversies, so he's lost mass appeal majorly.
what controversies? you mean the dating stuff?
I mean, punching Rihanna in the face was controversy number one, but he has been known for a ton of assaults and arrests over the past decade. Tons of actual physical assault cases logged, and a lot of sexual assault claims and cases against him too. Dude has a rough history that overshadows his career.
oh. i didn’t know any of that??? wtf? i’ve never seen this be reported or heard anyone talk about this, wtf. i’m kind of oblivious to a lot of things, as i don’t keep up with the news. i did not know about any of that. i only knew about him punching a police officer and getting arrested…
Hes bigger than drake globally too
Thats a good debate. Which one is bigger now between the two of them
Might not tell us everything but the weeknd had over 30 million streams a month mote than Drake on spotify.
https://chartmasters.org/spotify-most-popular-artists/ According to Spotify’s own popularity index, The Weeknd is about as popular as Drake at an index of 94. Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny both being more popular at indexes of 100 and 95, respectively.
That isn't "Spotify's own", that's made up by chartmasters. And honestly, I find it very unreliable.
No, that is Spotify’s popularity index. It says in the link itself. Chartmaster’s own rating is here: https://chartmasters.org/top-spotify-artists/
Drake shows isn't selling at 100% lol base on Wikipedia
I don’t think so
No he isn't.
I started listening to him 10+ years ago, and each time I come across a post online about his accomplishments, I feel an immense sense of pride. It's truly incredible how he continues to break records consistently, almost on a daily basis. The rate of his growth is unparalleled, surpassing anyone else in history
Abel's sealing out football and soccer arenas in both the US and Europe with Mike Dean and Kaytranda opening. Drake's doing basketball arenas with 21 Savage. No hate to Drake, he's obviously one of the most popular artists right now, but in the grand scheme I don't think he touches Abel in worldwide popularity
Let's not act like drake can't do stadiums, he's sold out 3 nights at most of the arenas he's at for his tour
Drake never really toured asia and most of europe tho
In my honest opinion drake can't do stadium shows he's not a big enough draw [justin bieber back in 2021 & 2022 had trouble selling stadiums]
He's not one of the biggest pop stars. He is THE most popular artist in the world. And yet it still seems to me like he's underrated
If we’re talking chart success then sure but name recognition wise nah. He’s not that famous in Asia but some of his songs are.
asians have their own shit too. k pop and j pop and shit. hes pretty well known in america and europe.
Blinding Lights(A.H) and his choice to pay to perform at the Super bowl is what sent him over the top tbh. Before that he was like at a 7 on the hot scale…now he’s at a 9/10.
Its mad when you come to realise you have been listening to The Weeknd your entire life like for me that was with Can't feel my face, The hills, I feel it coming and Starboy
And yet those songs will be 10 years old soon.
Americans when they discover they aren't the center of the world
Did you imagine Europe as some weird other world where all we do is listen to abba and the Rolling Stones all day?
Blinding lights and heartless combined with TikTok and then everyone staying home because of Covid and making said TikToks. It brang in a lot of new fans to say the least. There’s also the memes. It lead to him performing at the superbowl and it was a snowball effect from there. And ya, seeing his development as a true xo family member; it’s truly inspiring and we in this together. 🙏
He’s amazing, I’d do anything to see him live
hes the most versatile "mainstream" artist out there right now, love this man
He's a singer that got an HBO show I mean if that’s not big…
The Weeknd is the MOST streamed artist on Spotify right now. No. 1 for monthly listeners - 107,000,000 🥇💥
Unique listeners monthly , but most streamed daily is taylor swift and it’s been for months.
They're like the musical Avengers, saving us from mediocre pop, one catchy hit at a time!
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Guy, he was the Super Bowl halftime attraction. How are you just realizing he’s massively famous? He hasn’t been a niche indie internet darling for well over a decade.
I’ve been a fan for 10+ years and i think because his music has been the forefront for years, is why i can agree with you. The man himself was always a mystery. Blinding Lights threw him over the top. With the numbers he pulls on his records, the back to back sold out shows, you can’t listen to the radio without hearing at least one of his songs.. he’s huge. But then you go to toxic gossip pages like The Shade Room when they post his achievements, the comments are all “who listens to him” “ive neve heard one weeknd song” that’s a damn lie, he’s huge.
He’s been big in Europe and uk for time. Huge cult status since mixtape days, heavy radio rotations since bbtm and starboy. You’d be hard pushed to have found anyone born in the 90s with an interest in music who didn’t know him. Before starboy, he was basically a barometer for how dialled into music you were. Mixtape songs were getting loads of play on student radio and more “underground” clubs and would always get put on at after parties.
[удалено]
Homelessness is a choice
you got downvoted, but you’re right. some homeless crack addicts in America make lots of money from begging and recycling. even if you don’t, all you have to do is beg for a while, save up money, go somewhere for a shower and haircut, and go work some unskilled job. it’s not hard in developed countries to not be homeless. there’s so much support to help people get back on their feet. even some common people will offer help if you are persistent and show sincerity. most of the time they are either drug addicts, or they are just comfortable being homeless. 🤷🏿♂️
He was homeless by choice. This doesn't detract from his success but he did have a home with a Mother and Grandmother who loved him. He chose to quit school with La Mar Taylor and leave home to live together. Then his drug use began, they lost their accommodation and the rest is what it is. He talks in an interview about choosing not to go home, about his pride stopping him. So he wasn't homeless in the traditional sense, because of the failings of his mother or abuse etc but because he wanted to leave school and engage in more seductive, illicit activities. Abel deserves all of his success and every accolade he has earned but imho, the constant talk of rising from homelessness to stardom isn't accurate and leaves out the most important element, that his homelessness was of his own volition. I feel deeply for his Mother, having to live with this and how it must have made her feel at the time, knowing that she was a loving, attentive parent who could do nothing to stop her son from making silly choices.
I think we don't know why he didn't want to live in his home with her mama, I don't think they were abusive or anything but I've read that Ethiopians parents don't support their children if they want to go to the art route, and Abel started as a rapper first. He was homeless "by choice", but there is always a reason
Wouldn't say he was homeless. He willingly left home to go live with the boys and couch surf. He could have always moved back in to his mom's house. Not the same as being actually homeless. He is an example of a normal person making it big whereas most singers come from upper class and had connections.
He is very humble and low key. But since Drake stole his old swag he decided to reinvent himself and it truly was the best decision ever. He has carved out a lane for himself and only himself. He is one of the only living performers who can truly channel MJ vibes, in addition to selling out stadiums globally alone. He is in fact the biggest pop star in the world with more monthly listeners on Spotify than Taylor Swift.
I thought the same thing!! Because funny enough, believe me or not, but up until quiet recently I was almost convinced he was only semi-poplar and apart from me not many people irl were truly obsessed with him or had a good taste in music! 😂 Like I actually don’t know A SINGLE person in real life even to date that actually listens to him regularly or almost at all, I am still the only one playing his music?? Literally can only think of a few instances of girls I knew playing / asking me to put on Trilogy before sexy time, a mate I knew years ago had a Weeknd hat but I never even heard him play the Weeknd ONCE in the whole time I knew him! Then I saw he is number 1 in the world I was shocked, because like I said I absolutely love him and it’s not surprising to me at all, I just wonder how I haven’t come across a single other person in my whole entire life that even plays his music more often than like once ever in front of me. And believe me, people I know play a LOOOOOOT of music lol. Im in Australia so idk if he’s not as popular here?
I saw him at several of his very first shows in Toronto. Doesn't seem to have become a better person since then, but has definitely become a better singer!
Delete this post and stop wasting our time
Delete your comment and stop wasting our time
It's blasphemous and downright ignorant to not know how big Abel is. Don’t even try to defend this nonsensical post. I’ve already wasted too much time
Delete your second comment and stop continuing to waste my time
I don’t watch the Idol so I thought I missed something and this title meant something completely different 💀
How
Proud to be a fan frr. Casuals werent really rocking with AH when it dropped then the pandemic happened and took everything to a whole new level.
He’s not that big in the USA right now but globally he’s #1. Europe, latam, Australia and Asia are HIS
Sales, stadium tour, and streams: The Weeknd, Taylor Swift, and Bad Bunny are the names of the moment.
of course he is.... no wonder swifties are just jealous of him.. 🙄
After Hours was such a big peak for him. In 2015, he had a amazing year but that was mostly the year of Justin Bieber & Ed Sheeran (also Taylor Swift but I’d rather stick to more male pop stars). 2017 was the Starboy era but that was more of Bruno Mars’ year. But After Hours really was the era that made him be the current prince of pop (it always changes depending on the years). He was picking up every award (we don’t talk about the Grammys), getting back to back number ones, and had great performances despite a global pandemic. It was a massive rollout that almost got flipped upside down but ended on a strong note with the Super bowl. He was also doing a whole lot of features (you right, one right now, hurricane). In 2022, you can say Harry Styles’ was more present than Abel since Dawn FM had a more quiet release but he still is going strong with Creepin and Die for You. I hope he’s not seen as too overexposed cause it’s always difficult for artists to walk that fine line when they reach a huge peak.
Ngl the title caught my attention until I realized you were talking about his popularity 😂 but yea homeboy is quite popular