Arijit Singh, the Indian artist known for his extensive musical contributions to Bollywood films, has officially become the most-followed artist on Spotify in the world, surpassing Taylor Swift. This week, the singer crossed the threshold of 118.8 million followers on the streaming platform, with Swift following closely behind at 118.78 million at the time of publishing.
According to The Indian Express, Singh first surpassed Swift in Spotify followers this same time last year, but Swift quickly regained her No. 1 position on the list. The gap then widened during the release of Swift’s 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department. However, Singh — who previously made headlines as the first Indian artist to accrue 100 million listeners on Spotify — has some serious traction. He has been the most-followed Indian artist on Spotify for four consecutive years now.
Singh and Swift sit together above other recognizable names, like Ed Sheeran, Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, and BTS. A.R. Rahman is the only other Indian artist in the top 20 of the list, coming in right at No. 20.
Singh is known as “the king of sad love hits,” according to Spotify. His 2020 compilation album, Ultimate Love Songs, boasts millions of streams on each track, with beloved cut “Tum Hi Ho” rising to the top as the standout track.
Singh will be performing throughout the UK and Netherlands in September in a string of rescheduled dates. Grab tickets to see him live here.
Meanwhile, Swift recently wrapped a string of shows in London as part of her ongoing “Eras Tour,” which will resume in October in the US after a short break for the artist (grab tickets here). The closing UK show featured Swift welcoming collaborator Florence Welch to the stage for their debut performance of “Florida!!!”