In Canada: Drake Dominates 80% of Spotify’s Global Impact List for the First Half of 2026
Categoria: Musica
Also up north this week: Montreal's LASSO country festival sees rapid growth and Drizzy celebrates the opening of Ottowa's newest music hub.
Por Billboard | 21/08/2026
Drake continues to rule streaming. After being crowned Spotify’s most-streamed artist in Canada last year, the streaming service has released its Global Impact List for the first half of 2026, revealing the 50 most-played songs by Canadian artists outside of their home country. To no one’s surprise, the Toronto rapper has 40 of the 50 spots, including the top 12. Thanks to the rapper’s historic Iceman release — which included a triple-album drop with Maid of Honour and Habibti — Drake commands a whopping 80% of the list, led by his chart-topping hit, “Janice SFTU,” which the streaming platform already tapped as one of its song-of-the-summer contenders . It’s followed by “National Treasures,” “Shabang,” “Whisper My Name” and “Ran To Atlanta,” featuring Future and Molly Santana, to round out the top 5. He wraps up the list, too, with “Rust Intro” at No. 50. Related Here’s Why Drake Fans Think New Music Could Be on the Way HYBE Pledges Over $300k for Colombia Earthquake Recovery BE:FIRST Is Ready for the World: Inside the J-Pop Superstars' Long-Planned U.S. Breakthrough The remaining artists on the list boast a diverse lineup of homegrown acts, spanning genres including country, indie rock, Punjabi, hip-hop and electronic. Cameron Whitcomb is the highest-ranking act after Drake, landing at No. 13 with his viral track “Kingdom of Fear,” another track that the streaming service listed as a song-of-the-summer contender. It has become a big moment for the B.C. artist, securing his first top 3 hit on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 chart dated Aug. 22. Whitcomb earns a second entry on the Spotify list at No. 49 with “You and Me.” In recent years, the growing influence of Punjabi-Canadian artists on the world stage has become a major force. While the second half of 2025’s list featured multiple tracks by Karan Aujla and Ikky, they’re passing the torch to Shubh , who claims two entries on the 2026 list. He arrives at No. 23 with “Moves” and “Bounce” at No. 35. It’s a welcome return for the Punjabi-Canadian act, who was on Spotify’s first-ever Global Impact List in 2025 . Viral act bbno$ lands at No. 41 with “diamonds are forever.” It’s been a year of transformation for the Vancouver-based artist, born Alex Gumuchian, who has found success with his independent project over the past couple of years. At No. 43, viral Quebec duo Angine de Poitrine makes their first and only appearance on the list with “Fabienk,” arguably the group’s biggest hit from their album, Vol. II . The buzzy math rock group has made a global breakthrough with their polka-dot ensembles and unique sound. Rounding out the list is what Spotify calls “a diverse cross-section of Canadian talent,” including: Toronto indie-rockers Good Kid with “Cicada” (No. 29), producer Murda Beatz’s Prospa-featuring track “Baby” (No. 33), Korean-Canadian rapper OXYNOVA’s “SSSAK” (No. 34) and Vancouver-based producer Asad K