Sick of ‘Despacito’? Apparently billions are not, because it just set a new record

Luis Fonsi’s hit reggaeton/Latin pop song “Despacito (Featuring Daddy Yankee)” was already the most viewed video in YouTube’s 13-year history when it topped 3 billion views in August 2017.

Since then, the inescapable hit by the Puerto Rican star has now surpassed 5 billion views on YouTube, becoming the first video in YouTube history to do so, according to veteran Los Angeles publicity firm Rogers & Cowan.

YouTube has become a widely popular platform for streaming music and its figures are incorporated in Billboard’s formula for ranking its Hot 100 singles every week.

Though “Despacito” was snubbed in the major categories at the Grammy Awards in January, the song fueled interest in Puerto Rico as a tourist destination last summer, months before Hurricane Maria battered the island.

After the song’s release in April 2017, searches for Puerto Rico soared 45 percent compared to the same time in 2016, according to an analysis from Hotels.com.

“Despacito” is now padding its lead by nearly 2 billion views over the runner-up, Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s “See You Again.”

Fonsi wrote the song with Panamanian composer and Miami resident Erika Ender.

Here are the 10 most viewed music videos on YouTube (19 have currently passed the 2 billion mark):

1. Luis Fonsi – “Despacito ft. Daddy Yankee,” 5,002,555,850.

2. Wiz Khalifa – “See You Again ft. Charlie Puth,” 3,490,117,877.

3. Ed Sheeran – “Shape of You,” 3,414,913,827.

4. PSY – “Gangnam Style (강남스타일),” 3,133,271,721.

5. Mark Ronson – “Uptown Funk ft. Bruno Mars,” 3,004,333,110.

6. Justin Bieber – “Sorry (Purpose: The Movement),” 2,910,061,856.

7. Maroon 5 – “Sugar,” 2,541,953,421.

8. Taylor Swift – “Shake It Off,” 2,532,465,410.

9. Enrique Iglesias – “Bailando (Español) ft. Descemer Bueno, Gente De Zona,” 2,487,726,190.

10. Katy Perry – “Roar,” 2,463,202,569.

Did you somehow miss seeing it? Watch the “Despacito” video here.

This story was originally published April 9, 2018 at 7:04 AM with the headline "Sick of ‘Despacito’? Apparently billions are not, because it just set a new record."