Tones and I becomes first female artist in the world to achieve three billion song streams

An Australian singer and songwriter has made history on Spotify, beating global superstar Taylor Swift. See who it is.

Australian chart slayer Tones and I has beaten Taylor Swift to a mega streaming milestone.

The colourful pop star has become the first female artist in the world to crash through the three billion streams ceiling on Spotify, with her global smash Dance Monkey joining an elite clutch of male singers to achieve that feat.

Tones was ecstatic to join the three billion streams club, posting the news on social media with the caption: “The first female in the WORLD”.

“I wrote this song while I lived in my van on the street, playing music on the street with a broken keyboard for my friends that lived at a hostel with me,” she said.

“I never thought in my wildest dreams it would amount to this. I am eternally grateful for everyone that has streamed my music in support of my journey this far. This is only the beginning!”

Tones is the first female artist in the world to achieve three billion streams for a song via Spotify plays. Picture: Supplied / Giulia McGauran.

The streaming feat comes as the Australian artist plays to massive hometown crowds as the opening act for P!nk’s Summer Carnival.

Dance Monkey, which was released in 2019 and reached two billion streams by the end of 2020.

It has been reported that Spotify pays artists between $0.003 and $0.005 per stream on average which means Tones has made up to $15 million for Dance Monkey plays on just that one platform.

Swift’s biggest hit on Spotify is Cruel Summer, which was released in June last year, and already is her most streamed song with 1.7 billion plays.

Swift’s biggest track on Spotify is Cruel Summer. Picture: AFP.

The most streamed song on Spotify is Blinding Lights by The Weeknd which has an astonishing 4.092 billion streams, followed by Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You with 3.796 billion plays.

The much-loved Scottish singer songwriter Lewis Capaldi who has been forced to take time out from his pop career to deal with ongoing health issues is at No. 3 with his anthem Someone You Loved at 3.239 billion streams.

Sunflower by recent Aussie tourist Post Malone, featuring Swae Lee, is at No. 4 with 3.181 billion streams, Starboy by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk follows with 3.068 streams and then at No. 6 is As It Was by Harry Styles with 3.049 streams.

One Dance by Drake is just in front of Dance Monkey with 3.016 billion streams and just behind Tones and I is another Aussie pop champion.

The Kid Laroi should hit the three billion mark soon with his song Stay, alongside Justin Bieber, the ninth most streamed track on Spotify with 2.968 billion plays.

Originally published as Tones and I becomes first female artist in the world to achieve three billion song streams