https://medium.com/@Joshuagruss1/top-spotify-artists-of-2017-66b60ab92a8f

1. Top Spotify Artists of 2017
Ed Sheeran
Hailing from England, Ed Sheeran first rose to stardom in 2011
with the release of his debut album, titled +. In his music, listeners
will find elements of hip hop, folk, soul, rock and dance, and his
versatility is on full display in major hits like ‘The A Team’ and
‘Thinking Out Loud’. His third studio album, ‘Divide’, was released
in March of 2017, and lead singles ‘Shape of You’ and ‘Castle on
the Hill’ debuted at the top of the charts internationally. With an
astounding 6.3 billion streams, Sheeran was named Spotify’s most
streamed artist off 2017.
Drake
Canadian born rapper Drake is a singer, songwriter, record
producer, entrepreneur and actor who originally received
notoriety as an actor on the teen television series Degrassi: The

2. Next Generation. International stardom, however, came after
being signed to Lil Wayne’s Young Money Entertainment in 2009.
His debut album, Thank Me Later, debuted at Number 1 on the
U.S. Billboard 200, and eventually received platinum status with
such singles as ‘Find Your Love’ and ‘Miss Me’. Drake’s More
Life was released in 2017, and it is his seventh consecutive album
to earn the Number 1 slot on the Billboard 200. ‘Fake Love’ and
‘Passionfruit’ are two of the popular singles from that album, and
Drake currently holds the title for having the most charted songs
in the history of the Billboard Hot 100.
The Weeknd
Canadian born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye goes by the stage name
The Weeknd, and first rose to acclaim after anonymously
uploading songs to YouTube. Following the release of several mix
tapes, his debut studio album was called Kiss Land, and was
released in 2013. In addition to the title track, the album was also
supported by successful singles such as ‘Live For’ and ‘Belong to
the World’. The Weeknd’s third studio album, Starboy, was
released in 2016, and has been certified double platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Singles like
‘Reminder’ and ‘Die For You’ have taken top positions on the
Billboard Hot 100.
Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar began rapping in his native Compton, California
at a very young age, and by the time he was a teenager, he had
already released a popular mix tape. Major success came after the
release of good kid, m.A.A.d city in 2012, with such singles as
‘Swimming Pools (Drank)’ and ‘Poetic Justice’. The album was
certified platinum, and Lamar has experienced international
stardom ever since. His most recent album, Damn, was released in
2017 and singles like ‘Humble’ and ‘Loyalty’ catapulted it to the

3. top of the charts and as well as double platinum status.
The Chainsmokers
Andrew Taggart and Alex Paul make up the production duo, The
Chainsmokers. Their sound is a mix of pop, indie and dance
genres, and they got their start by remixing songs from their
favorite bands. While their chart topping debut single ‘#Selfie’ was
released in 2014, their first studio album, Memories: Do Not
Open, was just released in 2017. It includes such popular singles as
‘Paris’ and ‘Something Just Like This’.
Joshua Gruss — CEO of Round Hill Music