Rihanna has reached another historic milestone in her career, officially claiming the 10th highest peak monthly listeners for an artist on Spotify. With 103.5 million monthly listeners, she has now surpassed Ed Sheeran, cementing her position among the most-streamed artists the platform has ever seen.

The achievement is particularly striking given the context. Rihanna has not released a full studio album in recent years and is not currently on a major world tour. Yet her streaming numbers continue to climb, driven largely by the enduring popularity of her catalog and renewed global interest in her music.

Spotify monthly listeners reflect how many unique users stream an artist’s music within a 28-day period. Reaching a peak of over 100 million listeners places an artist in extremely rare territory, reserved for global superstars with multi-generational appeal.

Rihanna’s rise to the 10th spot highlights the longevity of her discography. Songs spanning different eras of her career continue to perform strongly across playlists, radio-style streams, and algorithmic recommendations. From early hits to later chart-toppers, her music remains deeply embedded in global listening habits.

Surpassing Ed Sheeran is notable given his consistent presence at the top of streaming charts for much of the past decade. Known for frequent releases, extensive touring, and global appeal, Sheeran has long been considered one of Spotify’s most dominant artists. Rihanna’s ability to overtake him without new material underscores the strength of her cultural footprint.

Industry analysts often point to multiple factors behind such streaming surges. These include playlist placement, viral moments, seasonal listening trends, and renewed interest from younger audiences discovering older music for the first time. Rihanna’s catalog benefits from all of these elements, making her streaming performance remarkably resilient.

Another factor is Rihanna’s continued relevance beyond music. Her visibility in fashion, beauty, and pop culture keeps her name consistently in public conversation. While she may not be actively promoting new songs, her brand presence helps sustain interest in her music across platforms.

The milestone also reflects changing patterns in how audiences consume music. Rather than focusing solely on new releases, listeners increasingly return to established catalogs, favoring artists whose music feels timeless and adaptable to different moods and moments.

For Spotify, milestones like this reinforce the platform’s role as a historical record of listening behavior. Monthly listener peaks capture moments when an artist’s reach extends beyond core fans and into broader, more casual audiences.

Rihanna now sits among a select group of artists who have crossed the 100-million-listener threshold, a benchmark that continues to symbolize global dominance in the streaming era. While rankings fluctuate, reaching such a peak places her firmly in the upper tier of Spotify history.

Whether this surge will hold or shift in the coming months remains to be seen. What is clear, however, is that Rihanna’s influence shows no signs of fading. Even without a traditional release cycle, her music continues to connect with listeners worldwide at an extraordinary scale.