Katrina Rees
Less than a month after Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s ‘See You Again’ overtook Psy’s ‘Gangnam Style’ to become the most-watched YouTube video of all time, we have a brand new champion.
As of August 4, the music video for ‘Despacito’ by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee is officially the most-watched on YouTube. At the time of writing, it has surpassed 3.036 billion views, which is an incredible feat.
When ‘See You Again’ first reigned as the most-watched video, ‘Despacito’ was only the fifth most-watched, meaning that it’s overtaken the likes of Justin Bieber’s ‘Sorry’, and Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ ‘Uptown Funk’ in just a few short weeks.
Alongside being the most-watched video on YouTube, ‘Despacito’ is the site’s most liked video with over 17.5 million likes. It also holds the record for being the fastest video to reach two billion views, achieving the milestone in a mere 154 days. After its release on January 12, 2017, it is also the second-fastest video to reach a billion views in just 97 days.
Check out the music video for ‘Despacito’ below.
Ever since its release, ‘Despacito’ has become a global success and stands as the song of the summer, and the year, for many. Its popularity grew thanks to a remix featuring Justin Bieber, which has helped the track to break numerous records across the world. The track is currently celebrating its 11th week at the top of the UK singles chart, reaching platinum status. It’s also spent 12 consecutive weeks at the top of the US Hot 100.
Sir Lucian Grainge, chairman & CEO of Universal Music Group, congratulated the artists on the song’s success. “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.
“Luis Fonsi already had the undisputed, biggest song of the year – and now he’s setting even bigger records. 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.”
Speaking about the video’s success, Daddy Yankee took to Instagram to post a video. “Thank you YouTube for ‘Despacito”s success. I recognise the influence that the platform has. The music industry has changed. The rules of music have changed. And YouTube has a big responsibility, and I recognise it. Breaking the record is overwhelming, and I’m happy to keep [inspiring] others to do the same.”
Whilst ‘Despacito’ shows no signs of slowing down, can Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth reclaim the title of most-watched YouTube video of all time? As it stands, both videos are the only ones with over three billion views, so nothing’s impossible.
What do you think of the music video for ‘Despacito’? Let us know on Twitter @CelebMix
