Taylor Swift has been battling Indian superstar Arijit Singh for the much-coveted title of most-followed artist on Spotify — and she’s fighting to stay ahead. With a stunning 117.2 million followers, Singh took the crown from Swift last week with a difference of 21,000 followers. But by Monday, both artists had surpassed 117.7 million followers, with Swift leading by a handsome 50,000.
The two musicians are so close to each other’s follower count that the No. 1 spot continues to shift day to day. But when it comes to monthly listeners, Swift continues to maintain an impressive lead. In this, she ranks third, behind The Weeknd and more recently, Billie Eilish. Interestingly, Singh doesn’t appear on the monthly listeners global chart until No. 80.
In terms of the most followers, Billie Eilish — who recently surpassed Swift in monthly listeners — ranks at No. 5, behind Ariana Grande, Ed Sheeran, Singh, and Swift. Drake trails behind in the sixth spot, rounding out the top ten with Eminem, The Weeknd, Bad Bunny, and Justin Bieber.
Arijit Singh made headlines last year when he became the first Indian musician to cross the 100 million followers threshold on Spotify. The only other Indian artist in the Top 20 remains A.R. Rahman. Singh has continually seen back-to-back hits with Bollywood releases, including “Sajni” from Laapataa Ladies, “Satyanaas” and “Tu Hai Champion” from Chandu Champion, and “Tainu Khabar Nahi” from Munjya.
Meanwhile, the success of Swift’s latest studio album,The Tortured Poets Department, with its many bonus tracks and exclusive releases, has helped her maintain a strong lead — even against up-and-comers like Sabrina Carpenter, who recently took the No. 9 spot in the most monthly listeners category.
It remains to be seen whether the numbers will even out and a clear winner between Swift and Singh will be determined. Despite Swift’s global star power, Singh may be able to maintain an advantage due to the sheer number of people in India who know his music from Bollywood films. But even then, Singh can’t hold a candle to Swift’s monthly listener count, something the Swifties know all too well.
