It’s official that The Weeknd is the most popular artist in the world. The singer-songwriter, whose real name is Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, is statistically the most popular musician on the planet, according to Guinness World Records (GWR). The Canadian singer, 33, has set two new Guinness World Record titles. He currently has the most monthly listeners on Spotify, with 111.4 million as of March 20. He also became the first artist to reach 100 million monthly listeners. According to GWR, The Weeknd’s surge was fueled in part by TikTok, after his “Die for You” remix with Grande went viral on the platform. The track went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 – The Weeknd’s seventh time at the top spot.
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Harry Belafonte dies at the age of 96
American singer, Harry Belafonte has died of congestive heart failure at the age of 96. He was pronounced deceased at his home in the Upper West Side of Manhattan with his wife Pamela by his side on Tuesday. Harry Belafonte was one of the most successful African-American pop stars in history. He scored hits with Island In The Sun, Mary’s Boy Child and the UK number one Day-O (The Banana Boat Song).
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Beyoncé Becomes First Black Woman to Lead Top Country Albums Chart
Beyoncé is busy sweeping the Billboard charts. According to Billboard, the singer’s new country-inspired album has taken the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, making the global superstar the first Black woman to lead the list.
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Today in Music’s History
American jazz trumpeter, singer and bandleader, Louis Armstrong died on July 6th 1971. Had many hits including the 1964 US No.1 ‘Hello Dolly!’, 1968 UK No.1 ‘What A Wonderful World’ plus ‘When The Saints Go Marching In’, ‘Ain’t Misbehavin’, and ‘We Have All the Time in the World.’ He made frequent use of laxatives as a means of controlling his weight, resulting in Armstrong appearing in humorous, advertisements for laxative product Swiss Kriss; the ads bore a picture of him sitting on a toilet, as viewed through a keyhole, with the slogan “Satch says, ‘Leave it all behind ya!”
