Luis Fonsi’s Despacito declared most streamed song ever
Rican singer Luis Fonsi’s Despacito, whose reggaeton beat has swept the globe, on Wednesday was named the most streamed song of all time.
Universal Music Latin Entertainment said Despacito in its original and remixed versions had reached 4.6 billion streams across platforms including YouTube and Spotify. Despacito, which features Puerto Rican rapper Daddy Yankee, went viral soon after its release in January and found an even wider audience in April when Justin Bieber appeared in a remix. It dethroned the Canadian singer’s 2015 song Sorry, which has 4.38 billion plays, according to Universal.
Despacito, which means “slowly” in Spanish, has spent 10 weeks at number one on the US singles chart, the first Spanish-language song to reach the top spot since Macarena in 1996. “Streaming is a connector for audiences worldwide and it has helped my music reach every corner of the planet,” Fonsi said.
Lucian Grainge, chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, world’s largest label conglomerate, called Despacito the biggest hit of 2017.
“Streaming has opened up the possibility of a song with a different beat, from a different culture and in a different language to become a juggernaut of success around the world,” Grainge said. Reggaeton, which has roots in Jamaican dance hall and hip-hop, has historically provided a voice to black Puerto Ricans and has been shunned by the US elite.