“Still not selling more records than drake”— Netizens divided as The Weeknd is named most popular Canadian artist worldwide according to Luminate 

According to Luminate, The Weeknd is the most popular global "export" artist from Canada. The report ranks him above artists like Drake and Justin Bieber based on album sales, streams, and other metrics.

Luminate released its 2025 Midyear Music Report on Wednesday, July 16. The report states that The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, is Canada's biggest global "export" artist. He joins the ranks of Taylor Swift from the US and Coldplay from the UK, with rankings based on international popularity, including streaming, sales, tours, and more.

Fans online have reacted to the report, with some supporting The Weeknd while others are surprised that Drake isn't at the top.

"if this is true, why has he never sold more than 500k first? I know a Canadian who did that 5 times," another wrote. "Dawg…yall can’t be serious. Drake is and forever will be the Canadian King," another commented.

Many users also backed Abel, as one wrote:

"abel is lowkey carrying the reputation of canadian artists because the other two are drake and justin bieber." "He keeps giving me music I don’t like, but I’m happy for him, he’s worked his *ss off , and always has something out," another tweeted. "In 2009/2010, The Weeknd was homeless. In 2025, he’s the most popular artist in his country. Never let your current struggle blind you from your future greatness," another wrote.

According to Forbes, Abel Tesfaye's 2015 album, Beauty Behind the Madness, recently reached 350 weeks on the Billboard 200. This is his second album to reach this milestone, with Starboy spending 400 weeks on the Billboard 200.

Also Read: The Weeknd breaks MetLife record as highest-grossing Black male artist with 163K fans—surpassing Gov Ball by 40K

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The Weeknd on the success of Beauty Behind the Madness

Earlier this year, Abel spoke about the success of his 2015 album, Beauty Behind the Madness, and how it inspired him to push himself further. The album received excellent reviews, and the songs Can't Feel My Face and The Hills hit No. 1 in the US. Earned It also received an Oscar nomination.

While promoting his film, Hurry Up Tomorrow, in an interview with The Guardian published on June 28, the singer-songwriter stated:

“I was like: it doesn’t get bigger than this. And naturally, then I’m like: I’ve got to beat this. You don’t want to be known for a song. That’s the advice I give any young artist: if you get a big song, figure out what the next move is, because you don’t want that song to identify who you are.”

When asked about the story behind Starboy, his third studio album released in 2016, he said:

“Starboy, there was no real story. It was just: how do I get bigger than I did last year?”

The Weeknd has released six studio albums, with the most recent one being Hurry Up Tomorrow, which was released in May 2025. He has also won four Grammy Awards and 20 Billboard Music Awards, among other honors.

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Also Read: 2025 Emmy Awards: All music nominations explored

Edited by Shreya Das