Selena Gomez Named Instagram’s Most Popular Celebrity Of 2016

Instagram shared data and insights today that showed what was popular, what trended and who ruled the platform in 2016. Selena Gomez has been hailed as the Instagram’s most popular celebrity.

Gomez has won the title of most popular artist on the photo-focused social network for the second year in a row, accounting more than 103 million followers, as well as eight of the top 10 most-liked celebrity photos in 2016.

The “Revival” singer’s most-liked picture is a portrait of herself sipping a Coca-Cola bottle adorned with one of her songs’ lyrics, which has racked up 5.9 million likes so far.

Gomez also picked up the most new followers this year. According to Instagram, the songstress collected 50 million new fans on the site in just this year, which is about half of her entire following.

Taylor Swift’s happy birthday message to Gomez has thus far accrued 3.2 million faves, while a photo of Lady Gaga and the Instagram female dominator at the American Music Awards has collected one million likes.

The 24-year-old pop star returned to the photo-sharing application last week with a touching tribute to her fans who’ve supported her through the year.

“I have a lot to be thankful for this year.. My year has been the hardest yet most rewarding one yet,” she captioned under the post. “I’ve finally fought the fight of not ‘being enough.’ I have only wanted to reflect the love you guys have given me for years and show how important it is to take care of YOU. By grace through faith. Kindness always wins. I love you guys. God bless.”

Gomez is one of several under-40 female entertainers who dominate Instagram. She is joined at the top by Taylor Swift, as well as Ariana Grande, Beyonce and Kim Kardashian. Whereas, the most popular male on Instagram is soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo, who is ranked sixth.

The teenage pop star easily managed to access the title, even though she didn’t post at all for over three months this fall, while taking a break from spotlight due to a high level of stress. In October, she reportedly checked into a rehab facility to deal with mental health issues stemming from her recent lupus diagnosis.

“I recently took 90 days off. During that time I did not have my cellphone,” she told Thrive Global in a recent interview. “Now I rarely pick up my phone, and only limited people have access to me.”

The former Disney Channel actress also got into a feud with ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber on Instagram this year. The Canadian singer eventually left the social network in August. “Instagram is for the devil. I think hell is Instagram,” Bieber said this week.