17 Years After Death, Michael Jackson Beats Taylor Swift, BTS, Bad Bunny To Become No.1 Streaming Artist

Seventeen years after his passing, Michael Jackson has staged an extraordinary comeback. As the buzz around his biopic Michael has ignited renewed interest, the King of Pop has surged ahead of today’s biggest names, including BTS, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Bad Bunny and more.

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Michael Jackson Reclaims The Top Spot

🚨 Michael Jackson é agora o artista mais ouvido do mundo.

🗞️ Kworb pic.twitter.com/fBnDga8gMU

— 🥀 (@duduwav) May 4, 2026

According to the global analytics platform Kworb, which compiles the monthly Global Digital Artist Ranking, Michael Jackson now sits firmly at number one for May 2026. With a staggering 11,157 points, he has created a significant gap between himself and his closest competitors.

Justin Bieber follows in second place, trailing by nearly 5,000 points. Meanwhile BTS lands in third with 4,397 points, far behind the late icon’s towering lead.

Biopic Sparks Global Music Revival

The surge can lately be traced back to the release of Michael, a biographical film that has reignited interest in Jackson’s timeless catalogue. Tracks such as Beat It, Billie Jean, Bad, and Thriller have found their way back into playlists worldwide, climbing streaming charts across platforms.

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Outperforming Today’s Biggest Stars

What makes this achievement particularly striking is the scale of competition. Jackson isn’t just ahead, he’s outperforming some of the most powerful names in music today. Latin star Bad Bunny takes fourth place, while Taylor Swift rounds out the top five with 3,100 points.

Across platforms, Jackson leads almost everywhere, Apple Music, iTunes, YouTube, Shazam, and Deezer, only narrowly trailing Bieber on Spotify. Even accounting for the usual spikes artists experience around new releases, his figures remain exceptionally strong.

The Global Digital Artist Ranking aggregates streams from platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, YouTube, Shazam, and Deezer to determine an artist’s worldwide standing. In that context, Jackson’s position at the top is impressive and historic.