NEW YORK: Rap superstar Drake has dominated Spotify for the second straight year, ending 2016 as the most streamed artist and with both the most heard album and song. Drake was followed by fellow Canadian star Justin Bieber, with Rihanna coming in third for the year. The popularity of Drake on Sweden-based Spotify comes even though he enjoys a close business relationship with rival Apple, which carried “Views” exclusively for its first week. Spotify said that Zayn – the former One Direction heartthrob who released his first solo album this year – was the leading new artist. Zayn was followed on the breakout artist list by electronic duo Frenship, who had a viral Spotify hit with “Capsize,” and the English singer Anne-Marie.

Source: New Strait Times December 01, 2016 07:33 UTC