A Stranger Things Star Dethroned Taylor Swift With A Number One Song On Spotify

The "Stranger Things" series finale is in the rearview mirror, meaning that the show's cast is now free to move onto other ventures. For Joe Keery, who played Steve Harrington on the Netflix hit, if he decided he wanted to quit acting, he could move right into doing music full time successfully. For those who may not know, Keery fronts the band Djo, and they are currently having a big moment on Spotify, with their song "End of Beginning" having barely dethroned Taylor Swift on the streaming service.

As of this writing, the 2022 track is sitting at number one on Spotify's daily charts above Swift's "The Fate of Ophelia," which has largely occupied the top spot since her album "The Life of a Showgirl" debuted in October. "End of Beginning" has been number one since January 2, 2026, perhaps not coincidentally right after the "Stranger Things" finale debuted on Netflix. It's nothing shy of impressive, especially for a song that is coming up on four years old.

For Keery, it's the culmination of a lot of hard work. Having been a part of "Stranger Things" for nearly a decade, he had to squeeze his music career into his breaks from filming the show. It's all pretty impressive, especially considering that Steve was nearly killed off early in the series' run. Instead, he got to be a big part of the biggest show on Netflix right up until the very end, which dovetailed directly into having a number one song above the biggest pop star on the planet. It's the sort of thing that can cement someone as a super star, not just an actor/musician.

Keery is currently at the center of the biggest things in pop culture. The "Stranger Things" finale was a huge hit in movie theaters, in addition to dominating Netflix. Looking at the bigger picture, that means there was a brief moment where Keery was dominating the big screen, television, and the music charts. To say that's impressive would be a bit of an understatement. It's also not the first time that this song has had its moment in the sun.

"It's really cool, but I almost feel like I don't have the perspective to really appreciate what's going on in a way," Keery told Billboard in April 2024, back when "End of Beginning" hit number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot Alternative Songs chart. "I think that in time, it'll come to me even more. They're cool milestones to hit, but at the end of the day, the greatest thing is being able to go into the studio and work."

As for what's next for Keery? It's unlikely that he will be a part of the "Stranger Things" spin-off, meaning he'll be free to pursue other things. Maybe now he can lean a little more into music and try to capitalize on the momentum Djo has at the moment. He's also certainly going to act more. He has a new movie called "Cold Storage" set to arrive in February of this year. Beyond that? It would appear the man has no shortage of options before him.

"Stranger Things" season 5 is currently streaming on Netflix.