Drake is most-streamed artist – racked up 4.7 billion streams this year

Drake has been named Spotify’s most-streamed artist of 2016, with his single One Dance the site’s biggest song of the year.

The Canadian star racked up 4.7 billion streams this year, more than half of which were for his album Views.

That’s despite the album being withheld from Spotify for two weeks as part of a deal with Apple Music.

One Dance alone was streamed 960 million times. Played consecutively, that would take more than 5,200 years.

The song’s popularity on streaming services – including Deezer and Google Play as well as Spotify and Apple – helped it spend 15 weeks on top of the official UK singles chart, the longest run since Bryan Adams Everything I Do (I Do It For You) in 1991.

It is now Spotify’s most-streamed song of all time, earning Drake and his co-writers an estimated US$4.8m (£3.9m) in royalties.

Rihanna – who counts Drake as a collaborator and boyfriend – was Spotify’s most-streamed female artist of 2016, while former One Direction star Zayn Malik was the biggest new act of the year.

David Bowie became the most listened-to “alternative” artist, following his death in January. The Beatles, who only released their albums to streaming services last December, quickly became the biggest classic rock act.

Spotify’s most-streamed 2016

Most streamed artists in the UK

1. Drake
2. Justin Bieber
3. Rihanna
4. Kanye West
5. Coldplay

Most streamed artists worldwide

1. Drake
2. Justin Bieber
3. Rihanna
4. Twenty One Pilots
5. Kanye West

Most streamed female artists in the UK

1. Rihanna
2. Sia
3. Adele
4. Ariana Grande
5. Beyonce

Most streamed male artists in the UK

1. Drake
2. Justin Bieber
3. Kanye West
4. Coldplay
5. Twenty One Pilots

Top five breakout artists (global)

1. Zayn
2. Frenship
3. Anne-Marie
4. Madeintyo
5. Rob $tone

Most streamed tracks in the UK

1. One Dance (feat WizKid and Kyla) – Drake
2. Cheap Thrills – Sia
3. I Took A Pill in Ibiza (Seeb remix) – Mike Posner
4. 7 Years – Lukas Graham
5. This Is What You Came For – Calvin Harris

Most streamed tracks worldwide

1. One Dance (feat WizKid and Kyla) – Drake
2. I Took A Pill in Ibiza (Seeb remix) – Mike Posner
3. Don’t Let Me Down (feat Daya) – The Chainsmokers
4. Work (feat Drake) – Rihanna
5. Cheap Thrills – Sia

Most streamed albums (UK and worldwide are the same)

1. Views – Drake
2. Purpose – Justin Bieber
3. Anti – Rihanna
4. Blurryface – Twenty One Pilots
5. Beauty Behind The Madness – The Weeknd