YouTube's new top-viewed video waves 'Gangnam Style' goodbye

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South Korean rapper Psy’s 2012 smash “Gangnam Style” has been dethroned as the most watched YouTube video on Monday by US rapper Wiz Khalifa's "See You Again" featuring Charlie Puth.

Psy's quirky equestrian-style dance moves swept the global market in 2012. His music video almost broke YouTube's system when the views exceeded 2.1 billion two years after its release, a feat which previously considered impossible.

The video has now stepped down to the second place after nearly five years with 2.895 billion views on YouTube as of early Tuesday US time, lower than "See You Again" with 2.896 billion views.

Charlie Puth (L) and Wiz Khalifa attend the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards in US on January 10, 2016. /VCG Photo

"See You Again" was featured in the 2015 action movie "Fast and Furious 7." The song was a heartfelt ode to “Fast and the Furious” star Paul Walker who died in a car wreck in 2013.

In this year alone, the song averaged over three million views daily.

Paul Walker (L) and Vin Diesael, stars of Fast and Furious franchise, arrived for the movie's Europe premiere on March 17, 2009 in Germany. Walker passed away in a car accident on November 30, 2013 in Santa Clarita in US state of California. /VCG Photo

"I’m super excited and grateful to everyone who supported the song and video on YouTube, and happy to inspire and impact so many lives," Khalifa said in a press release.

Puth reacted with surprise on Twitter, saying that he joined YouTube in 2007 hoping to "make a video that would hit 10,000 views."

Charlie Puth reacts to “See You Again” hitting the most watched video on YouTube. /Screenshot from Twitter

South Korean singer Psy was little known outside of South Korea before "Gangnam Style" became a sudden global ascent in 2012. The video was the first to reach one billion views on YouTube.

The song satirized the rich residents of the Seoul's Gangnam district and was praised for breaking the dominance of English-language music on global charts.