Kanye West’s much-anticipated 10th studio album finally landed Sunday — and quickly broke Apple Music streaming records. Donda saw a staggering 60 million streams during its first 24 hours of availability. It also topped the Apple Music album charts across 152 countries worldwide.
Donda wasn’t actually supposed to make its debut Sunday, according to West. The hip-hop star says Universal Music Group released the album — and “blocked” one of its tracks — without his approval. But fans are glad it’s finally out after a number of lengthy delays.
So glad, in fact, that millions of them rushed to listen to the album soon after it hit Apple Music on August 29.
Donda breaks Apple Music records
Billboard reports that Donda pulled in a whopping 60 million streams during its first 24 hours on Apple Music alone. It is already Apple Music’s third-most-streamed album ever.
That vaulted Donda to the top of Apple Music’s album charts in 152 countries. It took up 19 of the top 20 spots on the service’s Daily Top 100 Global songs chart.
Prior to the album’s release, Apple Music hosted three Donda listening events, which saw the album played to stadiums packed with Kanye fans. The livestreams also gave us a glimpse of his activities while he put the finishing touches on the album inside the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Donda features 27 tracks and runs for almost two hours. It features a long list of high-profile guests, including Jay-Z, Payboi Carti, the Weeknd, Lil Yachty, Chris Brown and DaBaby.
If you’re an Apple Music subscriber, you can listen to Donda in its entirety — with “Jail 2,” the track West says Universal blocked. It’s available in lossless audio, but not Dolby Atmos yet.
