Entertainment Desk:

Indian singer Arijit Singh has surpassed global pop icons Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran to become the most followed artist on music streaming platform Spotify, boasting a staggering 151 million followers.

According to data released this week by analytics websites Chartmasters and Volt.fm, American singer Taylor Swift ranks second with 139.6 million followers, while British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran follows in third place with 121 million. Sheeran recently released “Sapphire,” a track inspired by India.

Billie Eilish, with 114 million followers, is fourth on the list, followed by The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye) with 107.3 million. The remainder of the top ten includes Ariana Grande (105.9 million), Eminem (101.7 million), Drake (99.7 million), Bad Bunny (97.3 million), and Justin Bieber (83.1 million).

Arijit Singh’s achievement marks a significant milestone for Indian music on the global stage. Other Indian artists featured in the rankings include A. R. Rahman at 14th position with 65.6 million followers, Pritam at 21st with 53.4 million, and Neha Kakkar at 25th with 48.5 million. Iconic legends Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar also feature, ranking 100th and 144th respectively, with 22 million and 16 million followers.

While Singh leads in follower count, monthly listener data paints a different picture. Spotify reports Arijit Singh has 47.4 million monthly listeners, whereas Swift has 82.3 million, Sheeran 98.4 million, and Eilish 95.1 million. The Weeknd leads this metric with 112.2 million monthly listeners.

Spotify explains the distinction: followers represent users who actively choose to keep up with an artist’s future releases, indicating deeper engagement. In contrast, monthly listeners reflect the number of unique users streaming the artist’s music in a given period, highlighting current popularity.

Arijit Singh, 38, began his musical journey as a contestant on the reality show Fame Gurukul in 2005. He rose to national fame with the 2013 hit “Tum Hi Ho” from Aashiqui 2, which made him a household name. Since then, Singh has become the voice of a generation, delivering numerous chart-toppers including “Channa Mereya”, “Raabta”, “Kesariya”, “Phir Le Aaya Dil”, and “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil”.

His rise to the top of Spotify’s global ranks underscores his widespread appeal and the growing international presence of Indian music.