The Celebrity Scandals That Made Artists Millions on Spotify 

Some of the biggest artists in the world don’t need to rely on celebrity scandals to drive up streams on Spotify. According to new research, though, it certainly doesn’t hurt. Here are ten songs that have raked in millions, possibly because of their controversy-laden backstories. 

Celebrity scandals could have led to higher streams on Spotify, according to new analysis 

New data from PlayFame looks into popular songs with backstories rooted in controversy to find the most profitable celebrity drama. The study assumed a 16% payout to artists based on Spotify streams.

At the top of the list was Olivia Rodrigo’s “drivers license.” Many listeners speculated that the song was about her breakup with Joshua Bassett and his new relationship with Sabrina Carpenter. This relationship drama dominated the coverage of the song, which has 2,751,869,668 plays on Spotify, which means millions in royalties for Rodrigo.

Other scandal-inspired songs that dominate on Spotify include Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” which is a brutal diss track about Drake. Megan Thee Stallion’s “HISS,” which incensed Nicki Minaj, has also received millions of streams on Spotify.

Two sides of the same drama also appear on the list. Kanye West’s “Famous” famously includes the line “I made that b**** famous” in reference to Taylor Swift. After a very public feud with Ye and Kim Kardashian, Swift briefly stepped back from the spotlight. She returned with “Look What You Made Me Do,” which has over a billion streams on Spotify.