'Despacito' most streamed song ever

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Europe

Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi's song "Despacito," was named the most streamed song of all time on Wednesday.

His label, Universal Music Latin Entertainment, said "Despacito" in its original and remixed versions had reached 4.6 billion streams across platforms including YouTube and Spotify.

Luis Fonsi presents his 'Love + Dance World Tour' and receives an award from the hands of Narcis Rebollo for 'Despacito' on June 30, 2017 in Madrid, Spain. /VCG Photo

"Despacito" - a racy track full of sexual innuendo which features Puerto Rican rapper Daddy Yankee - went viral soon after its release in January and reached an even wider audience in April when Justin Bieber appeared on a remix.

The song dethroned Bieber's own track "Sorry" to top the streaming charts which, at at 4.38 billion plays, previously held the title.

"Despacito", which means "slowly" in Spanish, has spent 10 weeks at number one on the US singles chart, the first Spanish-language song to reach the top spot since "Macarena" in 1996.

Justin Bieber (R) and Luis Fonsi (L) /VCG Photo‍

"Streaming is a connector for audiences worldwide and it has helped my music reach every corner of the planet," Fonsi said in a statement.

Lucian Grainge, chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, the world's largest label conglomerate, called "Despacito" the biggest hit of 2017.

"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," he said in a statement.

No central body combines streaming data across all platforms, giving leeway to labels to announce figures and feats.

"Despacito" has exploded on YouTube where it is already the fourth most watched video ever at 2.66 billion views.

While popular on Spotify, it was in 39th place on the all-time list Wednesday.

(Source: AFP)