Most played songs on Spotify
Sometimes the pace at which popular music changes seems to move faster than that of a speedy metal guitarist playing scales. New forms of music develop; genres are named; and subgenres get defined and morph into something new before many can even learn the name.
Looking back some might remember when guitar-based music was the most prevalent musical style heard on radio stations. It might have turned up in rock music or even country, but the lead guitar was the star. Disco music was a departure from this style in the 1970s and 1980s, and was everywhere, from radio to dance clubs and in movies like “Saturday Night Fever.” Today, people around the world might define themselves as fans of anything from art rock to doom metal to emo-pop. The music streaming service Spotify is an excellent place to listen to new music and to track the most popular musical genres, based on their listeners.
Stacker has taken a look—and a listen—to the top 25 streaming songs on Spotify in 2019, through April 12, analyzing songs in the top 200 for each week and then summing the total play count to determine the songs with the most number of streams. The top 25 songs in the following list had a combined 6.8 billion streams, and they are each ranked by their respective number of streams.
Some artists are represented several times with different songs or working with different collaborators. Some songs are sung in English, some in Spanish, and some in both. One thing is apparent: Those searching for subgenres like Pagan metal or crust punk probably won't find it on a Spotify top 25 streaming list. Instead, they will find songs that are accompanied by expensively produced videos, performed by entertainers already influencing the next wave of musical innovators.
Read on to find out the top 25 songs on Spotify so far in 2019.
You may also like: Artists that have won the most Billboard Music Awards
#25: ZEZE (feat. Travis Scott & Offset)
- Artist: Kodak Black
- Streams: 179.1 million
- Weeks in 2019 top 200: 15
- Highest week rank: #12
Kodak Black is a hip-hop artist who records on the Atlantic Records label. His song “ZEZE” also features Travis Scott and Offset. These three have worked together in different configurations, but this is the first record on which they collaborated. The lyrics reportedly reference the decadent lifestyle of the performers, who are based in Miami.
#24: Eastside (with Halsey & Khalid)
- Artist: Benny Blanco
- Streams: 182.4 million
- Weeks in 2019 top 200: 15
- Highest week rank: #16
Songwriter Benny Blanco was born Benjamin Levin, in 1988. Through the years he's become one of the most prolific and successful producers and songwriters in the contemporary music landscape. Although he recorded the song with artists Halsey and Khalid, “Eastside” was his first release as a standalone artist on his own label.
#23: Baila Baila Baila
- Artist: Ozuna
- Streams: 187 million
- Weeks in 2019 top 200: 13
- Highest week rank: #12
In English, the title of this Spanish-language song translates to “Dance Dance Dance.” Ozuna's musical style comes from the Puerto Rican music scene in which he came up. Now he creates music in a diverse range of styles. He's also a lyricist writing in both Spanish and English.
#22: When the Party's Over
- Artist: Billie Eilish
- Streams: 187.6 million
- Weeks in 2019 top 200: 15
- Highest week rank: #9
Unlike some current pop divas, 17-year-old Billie Eilish wasn't groomed for the job from early childhood. She did it the new-fashioned way, putting her music out on SoundCloud. That sharing and distribution platform put her in the earbuds of some young listeners who love teen pop stars, even the unconventional ones like she is. It also earned her commercial and critical success with her first album.
#21: Secreto
- Artist: Anuel AA
- Streams: 208.9 million
- Weeks in 2019 top 200: 12
- Highest week rank: #11
Recorded with girlfriend Karol G., some suspect that Anuel AA's song “Secreto” is in line for earworm of the year. The video for “Secreto” shows the couple in playful lovey-dovey domestic scenes. The love theme is said to underscore how he's moved his life forward since being released from prison after serving time for gun charges.
#20: SICKO MODE
- Artist: Travis Scott
- Streams: 214.2 million
- Weeks in 2019 top 200: 15
- Highest week rank: #8
Part concept album and part rap opera, what Travis Scott and his collaborative partners have created is entirely original. So far in his career, Scott has released three studio albums, one collaborative album, and two mix tapes. He's been nominated for several Grammy awards and has started his own label, Cactus Jack Records.
#19: Adan y Eva
- Artist: Paulo Londra
- Streams: 214.5 million
- Weeks in 2019 top 200: 15
- Highest week rank: #11
Paulo Londra is an Argentinian hip-hop and rap artist who is getting noticed in the MTV Europe Music awards, in digital media, and in the live performance scene. Some of his appeal is the message of his songs, which emphasize a positive viewpoint. He usually works with collaborators, but “Adan y Eva” is a solo composition.
#18: MIDDLE CHILD
- Artist: J. Cole
- Streams: 222.3 million
- Weeks in 2019 top 200: 12
- Highest week rank: #2
American rap artist J. Cole is known for his rhyming style and confessional story telling. His first album, “Coleworld: The Sideline Story,” was released in 2011, and he's had consistent output since, including HBO films documenting the making of his records. A native of North Carolina, Cole was the halftime act for the 2019 NBA All Star game in Charlotte, N.C.
#17: High Hopes
- Artist: Panic! At The Disco
- Streams: 225.9 million
- Weeks in 2019 top 200: 15
- Highest week rank: #9
Panic! At The Disco is an American rock band formed in 2004 by a loose collective of friends in Las Vegas. Members have come and gone, recording and touring in various configurations. The song title “High Hopes” is also the name of a foundation the band launched in 2018. Its purpose is to help nonprofit organizations that work for human rights.
#16: Going Bad (feat. Drake)
- Artist: Meek Mill
- Streams: 230.1 million
- Weeks in 2019 top 200: 15
- Highest week rank: #12
Meek Mill is an American rapper with a full career recording and performing. A Philadelphia native, he's interested in social justice reform in Philly and across the state. His REFORM Alliance is working to make changes in the criminal justice system.
#15: Bury a Friend
- Artist: Billie Eilish
- Streams: 234.3 million
- Weeks in 2019 top 200: 11
- Highest week rank: #2
Billie Eilish appears in #22 in this Stacker list with her song “when the party's over.” Video viewers on YouTube describe “bury a friend” as creepy, disturbing, dark, creative, and did we mention dark? Eilish, who works primarily with her brother Finneas O'Connell, says the song started as a series of questions, set to a beat.
#14: MIA (feat. Drake)
- Artist: Bad Bunny
- Streams: 238 million
- Weeks in 2019 top 200: 15
- Highest week rank: #6
This song invites listeners to dance, which at a minimum must involve hip swaying, toe bouncing, and fist pumping. The lyrics are sung in Spanish by Bad Bunny and collaborator Drake. They both want “the girl,” but listeners are left to wonder which one will get her.
#13: Taki Taki (with Selena Gomez, Ozuna & Cardi B)
- Artist: DJ Snake
- Streams: 256.4 million
- Weeks in 2019 top 200: 15
- Highest week rank: #4
French record producer DJ Snake has teamed up with a power trio for this song, comprised of Cardi B, Selena Gomez, and Ozuna. The visually lush video, set in a tropical volcanic landscape, has passed more than 100 million YouTube views.
#12: Dancing With A Stranger (with Normani)
- Artist: Sam Smith
- Streams: 260.7 million
- Weeks in 2019 top 200: 13
- Highest week rank: #7
Sam Smith is a British singer and songwriter working in R&B, pop, and soul. On “Dancing With A Stranger,” Smith collaborated with American singer and dancer Normani. She is known in part for being a finalist on “Dancing with the Stars.”
#11: Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored
- Artist: Ariana Grande
- Streams: 264.5 million
- Weeks in 2019 top 200: 9
- Highest week rank: #2
Fans have found countless reasons to watch the video for this song to the end. The music is smooth and catchy, the production values rich and evocative. But spoiler implications here, does Grande leave with the guy, or maybe with the other woman?
#10: Con Calma
- Artist: Daddy Yankee
- Streams: 264.8 million
- Weeks in 2019 top 200: 11
- Highest week rank: #2
A sampling of Daddy Yankee's achievements include becoming the first Latin artist to reach #1 on Spotify, as well as being influenced worldwide by CNN and Time Magazine. He is also a spokesperson for a recycling campaign in Puerto Rico.
#9: Happier
- Artist: Marshmello
- Streams: 283.8 million
- Weeks in 2019 top 200: 15
- Highest week rank: #7
Marshmello is not the only pseudonym Christopher Comstock has used as a masked DJ and producer. When he left Philadelphia for Los Angeles, he became known as Dotcom. The video for “Happier” features a little girl and a puppy, growing up and on; tissues recommended.
#8: Sweet but Psycho
- Artist: Ava Max
- Streams: 293 million
- Weeks in 2019 top 200: 15
- Highest week rank: #6
Ava Max was born in Milwaukee to Albanian immigrant parents, and was known as Amanda Koci. Pursuing a music career, she spent a few years in Los Angeles as a teen, then left there for a time before returning to establish herself as a singer and songwriter. “Sweet but Psycho” was co-written by Max, Madison Love, and Cirkut.
#7: Calma - Remix
- Artist: Pedro Capó
- Streams: 295.4 million
- Weeks in 2019 top 200: 15
- Highest week rank: #5
Pedro Capó is a Latin pop singer-songwriter. He's worked as a solo artist and at other times collaborated with performers like Thalia and co-writers like Kany Garcia. The song “Calma” appealed enough to Alicia Keys that she's working on a remix version.
#6: Without Me
- Artist: Halsey
- Streams: 313.9 million
- Weeks in 2019 top 200: 15
- Highest week rank: #4
Halsey was an internet presence before she ever released serious musical content—but her fan base was ready and waiting when she wrote a breakup song and uploaded it to SoundCloud. Her song “Without Me” is also a breakup song, and in an interview with Billboard, Halsey confirms the identity of the ex in question: rapper G-Eazy.
#5: Shallow
- Artist: Lady Gaga
- Streams: 317.2 million
- Weeks in 2019 top 200: 15
- Highest week rank: #3
Lady Gaga's career defies summary, but highlights must include the accolades she received for “Shallow.” She wrote it for the film “A Star is Born” and performed it live at the 2019 Grammy awards, with co-star and film director Bradley Cooper. Between the song and her performance in the film, she's the first person to win a Golden Globe, a Grammy, a BAFTA, and an Oscar in one year.
#4: thank u, next
- Artist: Ariana Grande
- Streams: 338.2 million
- Weeks in 2019 top 200: 15
- Highest week rank: #1
Ariana Grande also appears in the #16 position for this listing, but her song “thank u, next” stands out for its matter of fact lyrics. She lists, then disses, a series of exes, after first finding one good quality each possessed. But it's the girlfriends in her life, and her mother, that are the stars of this song.
#3: Wow.
- Artist: Post Malone
- Streams: 400.0 million
- Weeks in 2019 top 200: 15
- Highest week rank: #2
Post Malone has been known for blending musical styles, while also being criticized for appropriating African American culture as a white rapper. The video for “Wow” has generated comments in large part because of the dancing fan onstage, grooving to the beat.
#2: Sunflower - Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
- Artist: Post Malone
- Streams: 411.2 million
- Weeks in 2019 top 200: 15
- Highest week rank: #1
Post Malone outdid himself, literally, by having this song hit the #1 slot on Spotify. Whether the song helped boost the movie or the movie helped the song doesn't matter. Critics and fans are talking about the 2018 animated "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" film as the best comic book movie of all time.
#1: 7 rings
- Artist: Ariana Grande
- Streams: 530.9 million
- Weeks in 2019 top 200: 12
- Highest week rank: #1
There is a familiar name in this #1 slot, and the song might seem familiar to some, too. Ariana Grande's “7 Rings” samples Rodgers and Hammerstein's tune from “Sound of Music” titled “My Favorite Things.” Because of this, Grande has reportedly signed away 90% of the royalties from this song to the estates of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein
