Musicians dominated Instagram in 2015. The photo-sharing app’s newly released stats for the year show young artists, fueled by their fan armies, dominating the most mentions, likes, and song mentions categories.
One Direction was the most mentioned act on Instagram, beating out runners-up Ariana Grande, 5 Seconds of Summer, Justin Bieber, and Taylor Swift — all of whom made the top five.
It’s a common sight on social networks to see fans of groups and of solo acts banding together to make a topic or artist trend online. Consequently, the artists with the most vocal followers won the Instagram charts. The most active “fan armies” on Instagram were Bieber’s “Beliebers,” Selena Gomez’s “Selenators,” and One Direction’s “Directioners.”
The most mentioned songs on the app were again dominated by younger acts. Although the likes of 5 Seconds of Summer or Gomez may not appeal to older listeners, their presence in the most mentioned song category (appearing in second and fourth place, respectively) is further evidence of Instagram’s millennial-driven user base. Bieber’s “What do You Mean?” was number one on the list, while Adele’s smash-hit single “Hello” and Taylor Swift’s ever-popular “Blank Space” also made the top five.
The most used hashtags on Instagram took things global with #kpop (Korean pop) appearing on the list. References to the song-making process were also ubiquitous, with #lyrics, #beats, and #producer making the cut.
Check out all the categories, including the most-Instagrammed U.S. music festivals, below.
Music artists with the most mentions on Instagram in 2015:
- One Direction (@onedirection)
- Ariana Grande (@arianagrande)
- 5 Seconds of Summer (@5sos)
- Justin Bieber (@justinbieber)
- Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)
- Selena Gomez (@selenagomez)
- Beyoncé (@beyonce)
- Rihanna (@badgalriri)
- Demi Lovato (@ddlovato)
- Miley Cyrus (@mileycyrus)
- Drake (@champagnepapi)
- Chris Brown (@chrisbrownofficial)
- Fall Out Boy (@falloutboy)
- Ed Sheeran (@teddysphotos)
- Madonna (@madonna)
Songs with the most mentions on Instagram in 2015:
- What do You Mean? – Justin Bieber
- Good for You – Selena Gomez, A$AP Rocky
- Hello – Adele
- She’s Kinda Hot – 5 Seconds of Summer
- Blank Space – Taylor Swift
- Bad Blood – Taylor Swift
- Focus – Ariana Grande
- Worth it – Fifth Harmony
- Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran
- 100 – The Game, Drake
- Cool for the Summer – Demi Lovato
- Hotline Bling – Drake
- Suga” – Maroon 5
- Photograph – Ed Sheeran
- Chandelier – Sia
- Bitch Better Have My Money – Rihanna
- Infinity – One Direction
- I Want you to Know – Zedd, Selena Gomez
- Wildest Dreams – Taylor Swift
- Can’t Feel My Face – The Weeknd
- See You Again – Wiz Khalifa
- Black Magic – Little Mix
- Trap Queen – Fetty Wap
- Back to Back – Drake
- Jealous – Nick Jonas
Most active fan armies on Instagram in 2015:
- Beliebers (Justin Bieber)
- Selenators (Selena Gomez)
- Arianators (Ariana Grande)
- Swifties (Taylor Swift)
- Directioners (One Direction)
- Lovatics (Demi Lovato)
- Barbz (Nicki Minaj)
- Little Monsters (Lady Gaga)
- Beyhive (Beyoncé)
- Harmonizers (Fifth Harmony)
Most-Instagrammed music festivals in 2015:
- Coachella
- Austin City Limits
- Outside Lands
- Made in America Los Angeles
- Governor’s Ball
- Lollapalooza
- Ultra Music Festival
- Bonnaroo
- Electric Zoo
- Stagecoach Country Music Festival
Most-used Instagram music hashtags in 2015:
- #music
- #hiphop
- #dj
- #kpop
- #flawless
- #singer
- #producer
- #indie
- #beats
- #lyrics
- #band
- #soundcloud
- #newmusic
- #livemusic
- #musician
- #musicvideo
- #radio
- #musicislife
- #freestyle
- #iwokeuplikethis
- #mtv
- #tupac
- #jayz
- #yeezy
- #northwest