The Weeknd’s 'Blinding Lights' Becomes First Song to Reach 5 Billion Spotify Streams

The Weeknd’s 2019 single “Blinding Lights” became the first song in Spotify history to surpass 5 billion streams, the streaming service announced on Aug. 31, 2025.

Spotify posted the milestone over the long weekend, writing, “On August 31st, 2025, The Weeknd’s ‘Blinding Lights’ became the first song to reach 5 billion streams on Spotify.” The song’s publisher and the artist’s team celebrated the achievement on social media, and The Weeknd, 35, whose given name is Abel Tesfaye, acknowledged the milestone with posts to his Instagram Stories.

“Blinding Lights,” released as a single from The Weeknd’s 2020 album After Hours campaign and originally issued in 2019, has enjoyed sustained popularity since its debut, receiving widespread radio play, placement on playlists and continued digital engagement. Just days before the Spotify announcement, the song was named to Billboard’s list of Top Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs of the 21st Century, further underscoring its commercial and cultural impact.

The milestone represents an unprecedented streaming benchmark for a single track on Spotify, which regularly reports listening figures for individual songs and artists. Industry observers have pointed to the song’s crossover appeal and ubiquity across media formats as drivers of its long-term performance, a pattern mirrored by its presence in charts and on touring setlists.

The Weeknd has remained active on stage and screen in recent years. He has performed dates on his After Hours Til Dawn Tour and made public appearances, including film-premiere events in 2025, maintaining a visible profile as the song continued to accumulate streams.

“Blinding Lights” has also been a frequent presence in year-end tallies and streaming roundups since its release, and the new Spotify figure cements its status among the most-consumed songs in the streaming era. Spotify did not immediately provide a breakdown of how the 5 billion streams were distributed over time or across regions.

Representatives for The Weeknd and for Spotify did not immediately respond to requests for additional comment. The achievement adds to a series of industry recognitions for the track and highlights the continued commercial staying power of recordings released in the late 2010s as streaming has matured.

The Weeknd’s career includes multiple chart-topping singles and albums, and “Blinding Lights” remains a central touchpoint in assessments of his commercial and artistic reach. The record is now both a streaming landmark for Spotify and a defining hit in contemporary pop and R&B catalogues.