“Despacito” has become the most streamed song of all time, having been streamed 4.6 billion times in the six months since it was released.
The song is all in Spanish (the title means “slowly”), sung by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, and is available in the original version and as a remix featuring Justin Bieber. The previous record-holder for most streams was Bieber’s song “Sorry.”
“Despacito” has made it to No. 1 in 35 countries.
Fonsi, the 39-year-old Puerto Rican singer, said he was surprised by the success of the song, but stopped short of calling it an accident.
“What’s happened with this song is just insane,” Fonsi said, according to the BBC. “I don’t want to use the word accident because I was trying to write a hit, but I didn’t plan for it to cross over. I just wanted to make people dance.”
The Bieber remix of the song is now the fourth most-played video of all time on YouTube and is gaining on the top three, which are years old.
Universal Music Group’s Sir Lucian Grainge said “Despacito”’s success shows the democratizing effect of streaming on the music business.
“Streaming has allowed a song with a different beat, from a different culture, to become this juggernaut of success and pleasure,” he said, according to the BBC.
Forbes expects the streaming count to surpass 5 billion in the coming weeks.
Previously, mostly English-speaking artists had created streaming records, but Spanish-speaking populations continue to grow around the world and people are increasingly likely to enjoy a song for its sound even when they can’t understand the words, Grainge thinks.
“Anything and everywhere is up for grabs,” he said, the BBC reported.
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