‘Stranger Things’ fame Joe Keery’s ‘End of Beginning’ surpasses Taylor Swift’s reign on Spotify
Joe Keery, the actor behind the fan-favourite character Steve Harrington, has claimed the top spot on global music charts following the Dec. 31, 2025, release of the Stranger Things series finale. Recording under the moniker Djo, Keery’s 2022 synth-pop track "End of Beginning" hit No. 1 on Spotify’s Global chart earlier this week, amassing 6.52 million daily streams.
The surge effectively ended a 78-day dominance by Taylor Swift’s "The Fate of Ophelia," marking the first time the actor-musician has topped the global or U.S. domestic streaming charts.
A Finale-Fueled Resurgence
The track’s return to prominence coincides with the emotional farewell to the Netflix flagship series. The two-hour finale, titled "The Rightside Up," saw Keery's character survive the final stand against the series' antagonist, Vecna.
While "End of Beginning" first gained viral momentum on social media in early 2024, its lyrics about leaving Chicago and the bittersweet nature of life transitions found a new resonance with a global audience, saying goodbye to the show. According to data reported by Headline Planet, the song reappeared on Spotify’s Daily Top 200 in 57 markets and the Viral Top 100 in 58 markets worldwide immediately following the premiere.
The Bowie Connection
Keery’s influence on the show’s final moments extended beyond his on-screen performance. Series co-creator Ross Duffer revealed that it was Keery who suggested the song for the show’s closing credits: David Bowie’s original 1977 recording of "Heroes."
"It was actually Joe Keery who suggested that we do the Bowie version," Duffer told Netflix’s Tudum. "Once Joe made that suggestion, we instantly knew it was the perfect song to conclude the show, as it serves, in many ways, as an anthem for Stranger Things."
The choice has sparked a massive revival for the rock classic. Data from Luminate shows that daily streams for Bowie’s "Heroes" surged by nearly 500%, jumping from a 2025 average of 94,000 to 470,000 daily plays in the first week of 2026.
The Legacy of Hawkins
The finale marks the end of a nine-year run for Stranger Things, which premiered in 2016 and became a global cultural phenomenon. The dual success of Keery’s solo project and the Bowie anthem underscores the series's longstanding reputation for transforming its soundtrack into chart-topping hits, following in the footsteps of previous resurgences for Kate Bush and Metallica.
While Netflix has clarified that the main series is over, a full-length documentary titled "One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5" is scheduled to premiere on Jan. 12.