Alka Yagnik, a renowned Indian playback singer, was recently listed as the most streamed artist of 2022 by the Guinness Book of World Records, leaving behind global stars such as BTS and Taylor Swift. However, it was revealed in a recent interview that she had no prior knowledge about BTS, a popular Korean pop group, until her daughter Syesha Kapoor informed her about them after the announcement was made.
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For three consecutive years, Alka Yagnik has secured a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records with an outstanding achievement of 15.3 billion streams recorded in 2022. This feat is particularly impressive given that she surpassed the likes of Drake, Beyoncé, BTS, and Taylor Swift. Despite her monumental achievement, Alka Yagnik admitted that she had no idea about BTS until her daughter told her about them. During an interview with Radio Nasha, she revealed, “I was unaware of BTS. It was my daughter who enlightened me about these global pop icons and clarified what it means to surpass them in numbers.”
When Alka Yagnik asked her daughter Syesha about BTS, she was surprised to find out that her mother was not familiar with the group. Syesha Kapoor told her mother, “Ma, you are a wonder!” and proceeded to explain who BTS was. However, Alka Yagnik was not particularly affected by the news and did not display much excitement about the fact that she surpassed BTS and other popular artists.
According to a report by the Guinness Book of World Records, Alka Yagnik’s songs were streamed a total of 15.3 billion times, averaging around 42 million streams per day. This is not the first time that Alka Yagnik has been included in the Guinness Book of World Records for her exceptional musical accomplishments. She was also listed in the previous two years, with 17 billion streams in 2021 and 16.6 billion streams in 2020.
Apart from Alka Yagnik, other artists who made it to the top 10 list of most streamed artists in 2022 included BTS with 7.95 billion streams and BLACKPINK with 7.03 billion streams. Taylor Swift, a prominent name in the global music industry, recorded 4.33 billion streams and was featured at the 26th spot, while Drake was placed at the 50th spot with 2.9 billion streams. Bad Bunny, a Puerto Rican rapper, secured the second spot on the list with 14.7 billion streams.
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It is noteworthy that apart from Alka Yagnik, the other four artists who featured in the top 5 list of most streamed artists in 2022 were all Indian singers. Udit Narayan, Arijit Singh, and Kumar Sanu secured the third, fourth, and fifth spots on the list with 10.8 billion, 10.7 billion, and 9.09 billion streams respectively. This highlights the immense popularity of Indian music, both domestically and internationally.