Drake set a new Spotify streaming record for 2026 as his new album Iceman pulled in 140.2 million streams in the first 24 hours after its release on Friday.
That impressive figure makes it the second biggest hip-hop debut ever on the streaming service, behind Drake's own 2021 release Certified Lover Boy, which was streamed 153 million times in its first 24 hours.
By contrast, Drake's longtime rival Kendrick Lamar's most recent album, GNX, was surprise-released midway through a day in November 2024 and was streamed 44 million times in its initial 7 hours. During its first full 24-hour tracking period, it was streamed 75 million times.
Both albums lag some way behind Spotify's overall record, which was set in April 2024 when Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department was streamed 313.7 million times in 24 hours.
The success of Iceman, along with the release of two further albums, Maid of Honour and Habibti, helped Drake become the most-streamed artist on Spotify in a single day this year, with over 250 million total streams on Friday.
It was initially reported that Drake's song "Make Them Cry" had become Spotify's most-streamed song in a single day of 2026, but the streaming service later admitted to an error. In a statement to Billboard, Spotify said: "The initial streams review process was completed manually, resulting in streams from two different album tracks being combined. Drake continues to hold the record for most-streamed artist and album in a single day in 2026. We apologize for the error and have implemented updated review procedures to prevent similar issues in the future."
The most-streamed song in a single day of 2026 remains "Swim" by BTS, which recorded 14.64 million streams in 24 hours. The K-pop group's album Arirang, released in March, previously held the record for the biggest album debut of 2026 with 110 million streams.
Critical reaction to Drake's three new albums has been mixed. In a review, music editor Roisin O'Connor wrote: "For years now, one of the biggest of Drake's myriad issues has been his inability to self-edit. Bloat plagued 2018's Scorpion and 2023's For All the Dogs, both of which contained no fewer than 23 songs. It didn't help that the material was severely lacking, too. And now we have not just Iceman – promoted via silly immersive stunts like a giant block of ice dumped in the centre of Toronto – but also Maid of Honour and Habibti."
