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The Weeknd’s ‘Blinding Lights’ Becomes First Song to Hit 5 Billion Streams on Spotify

The song recently topped Billboard's Top Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs of the 21st Century chart.

The Weeknd’s ‘Blinding Lights’ Becomes First Song to Hit 5 Billion Streams on Spotify

Abel Tesfaye attends Lionsgate's "Hurry Up Tomorrow" World Premiere on May 13, 2025 in New York City.

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” continues to make history.

On Sunday (Aug. 31), Spotify announced on Instagram that the 2020 megahit has officially become the first song in the streaming platform’s history to hit five billion streams. Shortly after, The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye) took to his Instagram Story to share the news with his 78 million followers.


The new Spotify record follows another recent honor for the track. Just days earlier, “Blinding Lights” landed No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs of the 21st Century chart, which measures performance on the weekly Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart from the start of 2000 through the end of 2024.

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Originally released in November 2019 as the second single from The Weeknd’s fourth studio album, After Hours, “Blinding Lights” dominated the Billboard Hot 100 chart for four weeks and became the first song to remain in the top 10 for an entire year. In November 2021, it made history once again by surpassing Chubby Checker’s “The Twist” to top Billboard’s Greatest of All Time Hot 100 chart.

In January 2024, “Blinding Lights” became the first to reach four billion streams on Spotify.

“I’ll never stop being humbled by anything I create making its way to millions of people let alone billions!” The Weeknd said in an exclusive statement at the time. “I’m so thankful this song makes people feel a way that they keep going back to listen.”

“Blinding Lights” is one of 28 songs by The Weeknd in Spotify’s Billions Club, more than any other artist. He also performed during Spotify’s first-ever Billions Club: Live concert in December.

Check out Spotify’s “Blinding Lights” announcement on Instagram below.

This article was first published by Billboard U.S.

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Oskar Graf
Frontenac News

Oskar Graf

FYI

Obituaries: Canadian Luthier Oskar Graf, Austin Music Scene Veteran Chris Gage

This week we also acknowledge the passing of Laughing Hyenas/Jesus Lizard drummer Jim Kimball and Sigue Sigue Sputnik drummer Ray Mayhew.

Oskar Graf, a renowned Canadian luthier and co-founder of the Blue Skies Music Festival, died on August 26 at the age of 81.

A 2014 profile in Frontenac News noted that "a celebrated 40-year career as one of Canada's top-notch luthiers [guitarmakers] was not the career that Oskar Graf originally planned for but he affirms that it is one that he is very grateful for. Trained in his native Germany as a cabinet maker and industrial/furniture designer, Graf, who was born in Berlin, came to Canada in 1968. He worked briefly in his trained field upon his arrival in Toronto before purchasing land not far east of Clarendon Station, where he designed and built the home and workshop that he has lived and worked in ever since.

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