Most Successful Break Up Songs

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On The Table Read Magazine, “the best entertainment eBook magazine UK“, discover how Halsey and Olivia Rodrigo turned their celebrity break ups into millions with the most lucrative break up songs ever.

2025 has kicked off with a whirlwind of celebrity breakups, from Zoë Kravitz and Channing Tatum to Kaia Gerber and Austin Butler, proving no A-list romance is safe. While the tabloids feast on the drama, musicians have a unique way of turning heartbreak into gold—through chart-topping breakup songs.

Thanks to a revealing study by GIGAcalculator, we now know which celebrity splits inspired the most profitable breakup anthems. From Halsey’s chart-dominating hit to Olivia Rodrigo’s teenage heartbreak, here’s a deep dive into the top five most lucrative breakup songs, the celebrities behind them, and the jaw-dropping financial success they’ve amassed.

Most Successful Break Up Songs

1. Halsey’s “Without Me” – The Breakup Anthem That Broke the Bank

Profit Score: 9.75/10

Topping the list as the most profitable breakup song is Halsey’s 2018 smash hit “Without Me,” inspired by her tumultuous relationship with rapper G-Eazy. The song’s raw emotion and catchy hooks resonated with fans worldwide, but the tea was truly spilled when Halsey cast a G-Eazy lookalike for the music video, leaving little doubt about the song’s muse. The track’s success is staggering: with 14 million units sold, 2.2 billion streams on Spotify, and estimated royalties of $3.6 million worldwide, “Without Me” turned Halsey’s heartbreak into a financial empire. Scoring an impressive 9.75 out of 10 in GIGAcalculator’s study, this breakup song proves that spilling the tea can be incredibly lucrative.

2. Olivia Rodrigo’s “drivers license” – A Teen Heartbreak Heard ‘Round the World

Profit Score: 9.74/10

Coming in at a close second is Olivia Rodrigo’s 2021 breakout hit “drivers license,” a song that sent the internet into a frenzy upon its release. The track, born from a messy love triangle involving Rodrigo, her High School Musical: The Series co-star Joshua Bassett, and singer Sabrina Carpenter, captured the raw pain of teenage heartbreak. Fans dissected every lyric, fueling its viral success. With 9.5 million units sold, 2.4 billion streams on Spotify, and $4 million in estimated worldwide royalties, “drivers license” is a financial juggernaut. Scoring 9.74 out of 10, Rodrigo’s debut single not only launched her into superstardom but also made her breakup one of the most profitable in music history.

3. Olivia Rodrigo’s “good 4 u” – Doubling Down on Heartache and Hits

Profit Score: 9.61/10

Olivia Rodrigo secures the third spot with another banger from her debut album, “good 4 u,” also inspired by her split from Joshua Bassett. This pop-punk anthem, with its angsty energy and biting lyrics, became an instant fan favorite. However, the song faced some controversy when Rodrigo had to retroactively credit Paramore’s Hayley Williams as a co-writer due to similarities with Paramore’s “Misery Business.” Despite the legal hiccup, “good 4 u” was a massive success, racking up 9 million units sold, 2.3 billion streams on Spotify, and $3.9 million in estimated royalties. With a profit score of 9.61 out of 10, Rodrigo’s second entry on this list solidifies her as the queen of turning heartbreak into chart-topping, money-making hits.

4. Ed Sheeran’s “Don’t” – A Subtle Jab at a Rumored Romance

Profit Score: 9.23/10

Ed Sheeran’s “Don’t,” released in 2014 as part of his album Multiply (×), is widely believed to chronicle his brief and turbulent romantic entanglement with fellow singer Ellie Goulding. While Sheeran has never explicitly confirmed Goulding as the song’s muse, fans and media speculated heavily due to the song’s pointed lyrics about infidelity and betrayal, rumored to reference Goulding’s alleged involvement with another celebrity during their time together. The track’s upbeat tempo and catchy melody mask its raw emotion, making it a radio staple and a fan favorite. According to GIGAcalculator’s study, “Don’t” has achieved remarkable success, with 1.8 million units sold, 7.15 million equivalent album units, 798.8 million streams on Spotify, and estimated worldwide royalties of $1.33 million. Scoring 9.23 out of 10, “Don’t” stands as a testament to Sheeran’s ability to turn personal pain into a global hit, raking in both streams and cash.

5. The Weeknd’s “Call Out My Name” – A Raw Ode to a Lost Love

Profit Score: 9.14/10

Released in 2018 as part of The Weeknd’s My Dear Melancholy EP, “Call Out My Name” is a hauntingly emotional track widely believed to be about his on-again, off-again relationship with Selena Gomez. The pair’s highly publicized romance, which unfolded in 2017, ended abruptly, and The Weeknd poured his pain into this raw, atmospheric ballad. Fans connected deeply with its vulnerable lyrics, which hint at the toll the breakup took on the artist, especially amidst Gomez’s health struggles and her subsequent reconciliation with Justin Bieber. The song’s success is undeniable: it has amassed 1.2 million units sold, 4.62 million equivalent album units, an astonishing 2.03 billion streams on Spotify, and estimated worldwide royalties of $3.39 million. With a profit score of 9.14 out of 10, “Call Out My Name” showcases The Weeknd’s ability to transform personal devastation into a global phenomenon, both emotionally and financially.

Heartbreak Pays, Literally

From Halsey’s raw reflections on her rocky romance with G-Eazy to Olivia Rodrigo’s double-dose of teenage angst over Joshua Bassett, these break up songs prove that heartbreak can be a goldmine. The GIGAcalculator study highlights not just the emotional weight of these tracks but their massive financial impact, with millions in royalties and billions of streams.

As 2025 continues to deliver celebrity splits, one thing is clear: when musicians pour their pain into their art, the results are both cathartic and incredibly profitable. Who’s next to turn their breakup into a chart-topping payday? Only time—and the charts—will tell.

Methodology

1. Gigacalculator sought to find out which of the celebrity break ups was the most lucrative.
2. To do this, a seed list of songs written after a break up was created using a combination of sources: Billboard, Business Insider, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, and BuzzFeed.
3. Once the list of songs was finalized, the data of each Spotify play count (streams) and royalties were collected (using a royalties calculator), as well as the number of copies sold in the US, UK, and Australia. Note: Even though the number of certified units is equal to zero, it does not mean that there were no copies sold. The number of sold units is based on the certificate of a given country which defines success in the recorded music industry. If the number is equal to zero it means that it did not reach enough copies sold to be awarded.
4. All data was collected in March 2025 and is accurate as of then. If you would like to see the full dataset you can find here.

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