Nearly two decades after it was pushed as a single, Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music” lives on three Billboard charts — and it hits new peaks on all of them this week. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 1: In this image released on October 1, Rihanna attends the second press day for Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 2 presented by Amazon Prime Video at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California; and broadcast on October 2, 2020. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 2 Presented by Amazon Prime Video)
Getty Images for Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 2 Presented by Amazon Prime Video
Rihanna has recorded music that can be classified under many different genres throughout her career, but it’s worth remembering that she began her run on the Billboard charts with a dance track. “Pon de Replay” introduced Rihanna to the masses more than 20 years ago, and it was an immediate smash, soaring all the way to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
For her second full-length, A Girl Like Me, the Barbadian singer chose “SOS,” another dance-floor filler. That track became her first ruler on the most competitive songs tally in America.
Rihanna’s third album, Good Girl Gone Bad – perhaps her most successful when it comes to singles – reflected her diverse taste in music, but of course, electronic dance-pop was still front and center. “Don’t Stop the Music,” the fourth single from that project, nearly netted Rihanna another champion on the Billboard Hot 100, but instead it stopped short at No. 3.
Nearly two decades after “Don’t Stop the Music” became a radio staple, the cut appears on multiple Billboard charts, and this frame it rises to a new peak on each and every one of them simultaneously.
Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music” Rises to New Peaks
This time around, “Don’t Stop the Music” improves on both of Billboard‘s worldwide tallies. On the Billboard Global 200, the smash advances 10 spaces to No. 96, entering the highest half of the ranking. On the Billboard Global Excl. U.S., which is very similar to its companion list, although sales and streams from American consumers are purposefully ignored, “Don’t Stop the Music” pushes from No. 120 to No. 111. Stateside, the cut improves by just one rung to No. 6 on the Dance Streaming Songs chart. All of those positions mark new highs for “Don’t Stop the Music.”
“Don’t Stop the Music” Passes Two Rihanna Hits
As “Don’t Stop the Music” climbs on the Billboard Global 200, it pushes past two of Rihanna’s most popular songs. “Where Have You Been” topped out at No. 97, while “Work,” one of her collaborations with Canadian hip-hop talent Drake, stalled at No. 100 several years ago. Now, “Don’t Stop the Music” has bested both of those wins.
Even as it surges on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S., “Don’t Stop the Music” does not manage to pass any other Rihanna tunes, though. If it continues to grow in popularity all around the planet – which has happened multiple times in 2026 alone – the song might soon advance again within the Grammy winner’s discography.
“Don’t Stop the Music” Ties “Where Have You Been” and “Friend of Mine”
“Don’t Stop the Music” may only step up one space on the Dance Streaming Songs chart, Billboard‘s weekly rundown of the most-played dance cuts on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music throughout the United States, but that is enough to tie it with several other dance-leaning smashes by Rihanna. “Don’t Stop the Music” is now on the same level as both “Where Have You Been” and “Friend of Mine,” which she wrote and recorded for the most recent Smurfs movie.
Of the 10 tunes Rihanna has sent to the Dance Streaming Songs tally, nine, including “Don’t Stop the Music,” have spent at least one frame inside the top 10. Only “SOS” has failed to do so, as it launched at No. 19 in February 2023 and has not managed to perform well enough to return to the list since then.
Rihanna Charts Several Dance Hits Globally
“Don’t Stop the Music” is Rihanna’s only hit on this week’s Dance Streaming Songs chart, but she fills multiple spaces on the worldwide lists. Several other electronic dance-pop smashes, such as “We Found Love” with Calvin Harris, “S&M” and “Only Girl (In the World),” also appear, with the latter only managing to find space on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. – and not the Billboard Global 200 – as it returns at No. 200.