In a year that saw new albums from Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, HAIM, and Lorde, Ed Sheeran’s Divide has somehow nabbed the title of most-streamed Spotify album of 2017. As MTV News reports, Sheeran also beat Drake, The Weeknd, Calvin Harris, and The Chainsmokers, but it looks like it was mostly on the strength of one track. That would be “Shape Of You,” which has garnered an astounding 1.3 billion streams since its release, surpassing the previous record holder, Drake’s “One Dance.” The song previously bested 2017's other ubiquitous track, “Despacito,” which placed third in most-streamed tunes. If nothing else, this proves the power of the single, we guess.
The other big winners were Rihanna, who was the most-streamed female artist of the year for the third year in a row, and melodic power metal, which was “the year’s top emerging genre.”