It was a long run of ten weeks at the top for The Chainsmokers' smash pop hit "Closer," but that feat was just officially put to bed by the latest big song to dominate the charts, "Starboy" by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk. Things could change next week, however, as the two tracks remain extremely close in total number of plays on the streamer.
It was quite a ride for the Chainsmokers, who first shot to the top of the U.S. Spotify streaming charts back in mid-August with their latest release "Closer," but that reign has ended for now, as the lead single from the upcoming album by The Weeknd has officially beaten out "Closer" to earn the current crown.
"Starboy" beat out "Closer" by less than 100,000 streams, earning 10,745,459 plays on the world's most popular streaming service compared to The Chainsmokers 10,647,202 for the measured week between Oct. 14 and Oct. 20. That leaves plenty of room for a comeback for "Closer" in the coming week or two if interest in "Starboy" begins to wane slightly.
Meanwhile, The Chainsmokers have already released their follow-up to "Closer" entitled "All We Know," which has already made an impressive showing on the Spotify streaming charts, where it now ranks at number 8 for the week with over 5 million streams. It's likely that some of those streams would have gone to their former hit had they not just released a new song, hypothetically giving the duo another week at the top. Spotify now lists "All We Know" as trending downward, however, so it may not achieve the popularity or staying power of its predecessor. As radio play for the new single increases, however, it could reverse its current trend.
Meanwhile as The Weeknd gears up for the release of the Starboy album at the end of November, despite the fact that the "Starboy" song sits firmly within the confines of his electronic R&B pop style, the single is surprisingly receiving support from an unexpected source: alternative rock radio. The song is being played on numerous stations in the format, which could to The Weeknd's first ever entry on that format's chart.
"When you see the crowds at his festival appearances like Coachella and Lollapalooza or at his sold-out arena shows, it is a cross-section of all types of listeners. Forward-thinking alternative PDs have taken notice and are tapping into it," said Mike DePippa, Senior VP promotion and artist development, rock formats at The Weeknd's label, Republic Records.
That extra exposure may have helped The Weeknd garner the relatively small number of additional streams that helped him top the Spotify chart this week and could mean the difference between another week at the top and a fall back to second place as "Closer" lives up to its name and still continues to nip at "Starboy" heels.
