Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee’s ‘Despacito’ has officially become the most streamed track of all time.
The track, signed to Universal Music Latin Entertainment, has racked up 4.6bn plays in its first six months, across its original version and official remix featuring Justin Bieber (UMLE/RBMG/Def Jam/Republic Records).
By appearing on ‘Despacito’, Bieber surpasses his own global record that he previously set with ‘Sorry’ and its associated remixes – which to date have accumulated 4.38 billion plays.
The two versions of ‘Despacito’ currently have more than 1.1bn plays on Spotify, and over 3bn streams on official YouTube channels.
Commenting on the 4.6bn milestone, Luis Fonsi said: “Streaming is a connector for audiences worldwide and it has helped my music reach every corner of the planet. It is truly an honor that ‘Despacito’ is now the most streamed song in history.”
“Luis Fonsi already had the undisputed, biggest song of the year – and now he’s setting even bigger records.”
Sir Lucian Grainge, Chairman & CEO, Universal Music Group, said: “Luis Fonsi already had the undisputed, biggest song of the year – and now he’s setting even bigger records. 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.
“My congratulations to Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber, as well as everyone at Universal Music Latin Entertainment, Republic Records and Def Jam, on this tremendous accomplishment.”
“Streaming has democratized music consumption, it has made Latin music increasingly relevant on the charts and it has amplified our songs and videos to a world stage,” said Jesús Lopez, Chairman & CEO of Universal Music Latin America & Iberian Peninsula.
“‘Despacito’ has broken every record thanks to Luis Fonsi’s talent and creativity, which have positioned him as a pillar of Latin music for the past 20 years. I also congratulate Erika Ender, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber for their valuable contributions, as well as the different teams involved in the success of this song.”
‘Despacito’ in numbers
Original version: 2.66bn streams on YouTube, 563m streams on Spotify
Bieber remix: 427m streams on YouTube, 619m streams on Spotify
4.6 Billion streams since January 13, 2017
“Despacito” has topped the charts in 35 countries around the world
10 consecutive weeks at #1 on US Billboard Hot 100 chart
9 weeks at #1 on UK Official Charts
17 consecutive weeks at #1 in Spain
Fastest ever music video to 2 Billion views
First Spanish-language song to reach No. 1 on Spotify’s Global 50 Chart
24 weeks at No. on the Billboard U.S. Hot Latin Songs Chart
First time Spanish song reached No. 1 on Billboard Radio Songs Chart
