Drake Sets New Spotify Streaming Record For 2026 In A Single Day

Drake has officially scored the biggest streaming day on Spotify in 2026 so far.

The rapper dropped his ninth studio album, ICEMAN, on Friday (15.05.26), marking his first solo release since 2023’s For All the Dogs. Following its release, both the album and its lead track “Make Them Cry” shattered streaming records on the platform, becoming the most streamed album and song in a single day this year.

Spotify shared the news on Instagram, writing: “On May 15th, Drake became Spotify’s most-streamed artist of 2026 in a single day, ICEMAN became the most-streamed album of 2026 in a single day, and Make Them Cry became the most-streamed song in a single day in 2026 so far.”

The emotional track “Make Them Cry” also revealed a deeply personal moment in Drake’s life. The five time Grammy winner shared that his father, Dennis Graham, is currently battling cancer. The song arrived Friday alongside surprise projects Maid of Honour and Habibti.

On the track, Drake raps: “My dad got cancer right now, we battlin’ stages. Trust me when I say there’s plenty things I’d rather be facing (For real)/And this time, ask me to dig deeper, I’ll gladly explain it.”

Drake, whose real name is Aubrey Graham, later reflects on both of his parents in the song, including his mother, Sandi Graham, who is 66 years old.

The artist continues: “I know for sure that my parents, they look at me and see an overcomer/I’m looking back at them and these days, I see an older couple.”

Elsewhere on the record, Drake opens up about getting older and the pressure surrounding his music career.

He raps: “I’m ‘bout to turn forty, dog, I’m battlin’ ageing.

“I’m battlin’ the fact that the album ain’t even drop and already they a**** complainin’/F*** it, I’ll battle the label/F*** it, I’ll battle the majors.

“I’ll battle the stations 'til my a** is back in rotation/Shout out to the real fans that knew what I had in the basement/Shout out to the fake fans, I thought we had an arrangement.”

To promote ICEMAN, Drake’s team installed a giant ice block structure in a downtown Toronto parking lot. The massive display was reportedly around 15 feet high, 20 feet long, and 15 feet wide, with the album’s release date hidden inside for fans to discover.

The creative campaign followed Drake’s recent comments to Complex, where he admitted he had grown tired of traditional album rollouts and wanted to approach this release differently with more of a challenge.