The Weeknd Rules Billboard Artist 100, BTS Blasts to No. 2

The Weeknd returns to No. 1 on the Billboard Artist 100 chart (dated April 14) for a 15th total week on top, and for the first time since February 2017, as his new set My Dear Melancholy launches atop the Billboard 200 with 169,000 equivalent album units, according to Nielsen Music.

The Artist 100, which launched in July 2014, measures artist activity across key metrics of music consumption, blending album and track sales, radio airplay, streaming and social media fan interaction to provide a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity.

The Weeknd also lands seven songs on the Billboard Hot 100, including all six tracks from Melancholy. “Call Out My Name” places highest, debuting at No. 4, while his Black Panther soundtrack hit “Pray for Me,” with Kendrick Lamar, follows at No. 15 (after previously reaching No. 7).

In the nearly four-year history of the Artist 100, only Taylor Swift and Drake have spent more weeks at No. 1 than The Weeknd:

Most Weeks at No. 1 on the Artist 100
36, Taylor Swift
25, Drake
15, The Weeknd
11, Justin Bieber
10, Adele
10, Ed Sheeran

BTS vaults from No. 31 to No. 2 on the Artist 100, a new peak, as the K-pop kings’ new set Face Yourself debuts at No. 1 on World Albums and No. 43 on the Billboard 200, with 12,000 equivalent album units.

Related

BTS Send Japanese Album 'Face Yourself' to the Billboard 200

04/09/2018

BTS bests its prior No. 5 Artist 100 high, the previous top rank for any K-pop act.

Rounding out the chart’s top five, Imagine Dragons holds at No. 3, Drake is steady at No. 4 and Ed Sheeran drops 2-4.

Also in the top 10, Kacey Musgraves re-enters at No. 9, matching her peak 2015 peak, as her third studio album Golden Hour arrives at No. 1 on Top Country Albums and Americana/Folk Albums and No. 4 on the Billboard 200 with 49,000 units.

Check out this week’s full Artist 100 here.