Canadian artists are connecting with fans beyond their home country.
Spotify has revealed its newest Canadian Global Impact List, which highlights homegrown acts whose songs were in heavy rotation among listeners across the globe. This list covers the second half of 2025.
Justin Bieber is at the top of the list, while the ranking also highlights songs by Tate McRae, Daniel Caesar, Punjabi stars Karan Aujla and his longtime collaborator Ikky and popular independent rapper bbno$.
Spotify's Global Impact List for Canada
- “DAISIES” by Justin Bieber
- “YUKON” by Justin Bieber
- “TIT FOR TAT” by Tate McRae
- “For A Reason” by Karan Aujla, Ikky
- “Which One (feat. Central Cee)” by Drake, Central Cee
- “What Did I Miss?” by Drake
- “GO BABY” by Justin Bieber
- “Who Knows” by Daniel Caesar
- “Boyfriend” by Karan Aujla, Ikky
- “WALKING AWAY” by Justin Bieber
- “MF Gabhru!” by Karan Aujla, Ikky
- “ALL I CAN TAKE” by Justin Bieber
- “THINGS YOU DO” by Justin Bieber
- “WAY IT IS” by Justin Bieber, Gunna
- “DEVOTION” by Justin Bieber, Dijon
- “I Really Do…” by Karan Aujla, Ikky
- “SPEED DEMON” by Justin Bieber
- “NOBODY’s GIRL” by Tate McRae
- “gigolo” by bbno$
- “BUTTERFLIES” by Justin Bieber
It’s a nice feat for the Ontario native, who surprise-dropped his seventh studio album, Swag, last July. The record made a splash on the charts, hitting No. 1 on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart and notching 17 entries on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100. Bieber rode the momentum of the record’s success — or just had more to say — and released Swag II in September. From child pop idol to brooding R&B singer, Bieber is an example of a Canadian artist who has successfully exported their talents stateside and beyond and continues to do so in his more independent new era.
Last August, the streaming platform shared its ranking for the first half of 2025, and Tate McRae nabbed the No. 1 spot with the Y2K-tinged pop hit “Sports Car.” She's back on this list with So Close to What deluxe tracks, “Tit for Tat” at No. 3, and “Nobody’s Girl” at No. 18. In 2025, the inaugural Rolling Stone Canada cover star captured the attention of listeners around the world, hitting a new career high with nearly $111 million gross on her Miss Possessive tour.
Again showing the growing influence of Punjabi-Canadian artists on the world stage, hitmakers Karan Aujla and Ikky score three spots among those household pop names. Their collabs are all over the list, with “For A Reason” at No. 4, “MF Gabhru!” at No. 11 and “I Really Do…” at No. 16. Last year, streams for Aujla’s P-Pop Culture marked the highest debut for a Punjabi-language album in Canadian history, while the album peaked at No. 3 on the Canadian Albums chart. They're also major stars in India and around the world, as the Global Impact list shows.
Though Drake has accused Spotify of juicing streams to promote Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” he's still a hit on the streaming service. The Toronto rapper — who was the platform's most-streamed artist of 2025 — has two songs on the Global Impact list, with “Which One” featuring Central Cee at No. 5 and “What Did I Miss?” at No. 6.
Elsewhere in the top 10, Daniel Caesar’s “Who Knows” ranks at No. 8. The Toronto-born R&B singer-songwriter made his return to NPR’s Tiny Desk last month, performing an acoustic-driven version of the track from his 2025 release, Son of Spergy, in which he launched a new chapter of his career. Addressing the transition, he told Billboard and Billboard Canada: “I almost feel like I’m starting again — and I love it.”
Vancouver it-boy bbno$ secures a spot on the list with "Gigolo" at No. 19, following the release of his acclaimed self-titled album back in October. The west coast rapper weaves plenty of humour and genre-bending hits onto the album's 21 eclectic tracks, with "Gigolo" making a global impact.
Canadian artists have made an impact on listeners globally, with four of the top 20 most-streamed international artists hailing from Canada — proving the country’s strength as a global cultural exporter. Last June, Spotify reported that nearly 15 million hours of Canadian music are streamed globally every day, and Canadian artists are featured on 2.4 billion user playlists worldwide.
“This list proves that Canadian music doesn’t just travel — it sets the tone worldwide. We’ve got everything here from Punjabi-Canadian artists to huge pop records, and that mix is exactly what makes the Canadian scene so exciting right now,” says Elizabeth Phipps, artist and label partnerships lead at Spotify Canada.
Spotify unleashed its first-ever Canadian Global Impact List which featured featured emerging Toronto singer Chris Grey and Punjabi-Canadian artists Shubh and Raghav among heavyweights like Drake and The Weeknd.
