Despacito smashes global records

Within a time span of just 6 months, Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s hit original “Despacito” and its remix featuring Justin Bieber have accumulated more than 4.6 billion streams across all platforms since its release in January and became the most streamed song of all time. According to a report of Universal Music Group, the track has clocked up more than 4.38 billion combined plays, surpassing the previous record holder, Justin Bieber’s “Sorry” (and its various remixes). “Despacito” is currently the top track in the US, UK and Australia. [arve url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJQP7kiw5Fk"/] The upbeat track “Despacito,” which means “slowly” in Spanish, was released on January 13. The Latin collaboration has instantly set a new record on Vevo by becoming the Spanish-language video with the most views in 24 hours, collecting a 5.4 million hits. Within the 22 days of release, it has created yet another record and become the fastest Spanish-language video to reach 200 million views. It’s also the fastest ever music video to reach 2 billion views. “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,” Fonsi said on his record-smashing track. Lucian Grainge, chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, congratulated Fonsi and the collaborators who helped make the record a hit. “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,” Lucian said. However, released under the banner of Universal Music Latin, “Despacito” is just the 35th single to top the Billboard Hot 100 for at least 10 weeks. The record for the longest stint at No. 1 is owned by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day,” which had stayed on top of the list for 16 weeks in 1995-96.