It has been 10 years since Psy’s “Gangnam Style” became the first YouTube video to reach one billion views. In addition to pushing K-pop into the global stratosphere, the vibrant video (now with more than 4.6 billion views, as of Dec. 2022) kickstarted the video-streaming platform’s official Billion Views Club — which has grown to become a landmark achievement for artists and industry leaders alike.
Over 300 music videos have entered the club since its inception in 2012 and several have surpassed Psy’s history-making visual. Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito” reigns as the most-viewed music video on YouTube, crossing 8 billion views just five years after its release. Also lapping Psy are Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” with 5.8 billion views, Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again” featuring Charlie Puth with 5.7 billion views, and Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk” featuring Bruno Mars with 4.7 billion views, all as of Dec. 2022.
A number of superstar musical acts have had multiple videos surpass a billion views — including Justin Bieber, Adele, Bad Bunny and Taylor Swift. Colombian singer-songwriter J Balvin has entered the Billion Views Club 12 different times, making him the artist with the most videos in the coveted club.
In 2022 alone, more than 50 music videos earned their first billion views. While some musical acts made their triumphant return to the Billion Views Club, others earned their first entries ever. The Weeknd added his fifth video with a billion views thanks to “Save Your Tears,” less than two years after its premiere. On the other hand, Cyndi Lauper reached the milestone for the first time with “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” 39 years after its initial release (though it wasn’t uploaded to YouTube until 2009).
To celebrate a decade of billions, Billboard revisits all 51 music videos to enter YouTube’s Billion Views Club in 2022 below.
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Bad Bunny & Jhay Cortez, “DÁKITI”
Date launched: Oct. 29, 2020
Time to reach 1B: 2 years
Bad Bunny and Jhay Cortez hit the beach in the clip for this single off Bunny’s third studio album, El Último Tour Del Mundo. “DÁKITI” is his seventh (following “Te Bote (Remix),” “Mayores,” “No Me Conoce,” “I Like It,” “Mia,” and “Tu No Vive Asi”) and Cortez’s second visual (the aforementioned “No Me Conoce”) to achieve the milestone. Watch here.
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J Balvin feat. Pharrell Williams, BIA & Sky, “Safari”
Date launched: Sept. 2, 2016
Time to reach 1B: 6 years
J Balvin taps Pharrell Williams, BIA & Sky for the reggae-infused track off his album Energía. The sensual, dimly-lit club visual became the Colombian artist’s 11th video (as a lead, featured artist or collaborator) to reach the YouTube’s Billion Views Club. Watch here.
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Coldplay, “The Scientist”
Date launched: May 27, 2011 (on YouTube, first released 2002)
Time to reach 1B: 11 years
Chris Martin visualizes the line “Take me back to the start” in Coldplay’s reverse narrative video for “The Scientist” — their latest addition to YouTube’s Billion Views Club. The achievement comes nearly 20 years after the band took home three awards for the visual at the MTV Video Music Awards. Watch here.
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Rihanna feat. Mikky Ekko, “Stay”
Date launched: Feb. 12, 2013
Time to reach 1B: 9 years
Rihanna sings longingly from the bathtub in the visual for her 2013 ballad featuring Nashville singer-producer Mikky Ekko. The piano-driven hit isn’t her first entry on YouTube’s Billion Views list — “Diamonds” rocketed to 2 billion views in September 2022. Watch here.
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Guru Randhawa, “Lahore”
Date launched: Dec. 13, 2017
Time to reach 1B: 5 years
Guru Randhawa takes a nighttime drive in the visual for his upbeat 2017 track. Named after the capital of the province of Punjab in Pakistan, “Lahore” marks the Indian singer-songwriter-composer’s second video to reach a billion YouTube views, following “High Rated Gabru.” Watch here.
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Cyndi Lauper, “Girls Just Want To Have Fun”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo Date launched: Oct. 25, 2009 (on YouTube, originally released 1983)
Time to reach 1B: 13 years
Cyndi Lauper’s first entry in YouTube’s Billion Views Club is also one of her biggest Billboard Hot 100 hits. The pop icon dances all around New York City in the video for the dance-ready track off her debut album She’s So Unusual. Watch here.
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Myke Towers, Farruko, Arcángel, Sech & Zion, “Si Se Da (Remix)”
Date launched: Aug. 1, 2019
Time to reach 1B: 3 years
Myke Towers and Farruko add three artists to their extended remix of “Si Se Da.” With new verses by Arcángel, Sech and Zion, the video for the 2019 dance track broke a billion views while the original has yet to see half of that. Watch here.
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Maluma feat. Trap Capos, Noriel, Bryant Myers & Juhn, “Cuatro Babys”
Date launched: Oct. 14, 2016
Time to reach 1B: 6 years
Maluma enlists reggaeton artists Trap Capos, Noriel, Bryant Myers and Juhn for his 2016 Latin trap track. The billion views milestone didn’t come without controversy — in 2016, a Change.org petition demanded its removal from streaming platforms, citing lyrics and visuals that were “demeaning to women.” Watch here.
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Evanescence, “Bring Me To Life”
Date launched: Dec. 2, 2009 (on YouTube, originally released 2003)
Time to reach 1B: 13 years
Nineteen years after its release, “Bring Me Back To Life” earns Evanescence another milestone achievement. The chilling video for the rock band’s Hot 100 top 5 hit is its first to cross a billion views. Watch here.
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BLACKPINK, “How You Like That” (Dance Performance Video)
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo Date launched: July 5, 2020
Time to reach 1B: 2 years
The choreography video for BLACKPINK’s 2020 hit is the group’s first non-music video to surpass the billion-views mark on YouTube. It joins the official music video for the song, as well as “As If It’s Your Last,” “Kill This Love,” “BOOMBAYAH” and “DDU-DU DDU-DU.” Watch here.
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Justin Timberlake, “Mirrors”
Date launched: Mar. 19, 2013
Time to reach 1B: 9 years
“Mirrors” marks Justin Timberlakes second video to reach a billion views, following his Hot 100-topping Trolls hit, “Can’t Stop The Feeling!” The emotional eight-minute video served as a tribute to his grandparents William and Sadie, and was released shortly after his grandfather passed away. Watch here.
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Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg, “Still D.R.E.”
Date launched: Oct. 27, 2011 (on YouTube, originally released 1999)
Time to reach 1B: 11 years
Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s 1999 collaboration hit a billion views on YouTube following their epic 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show performance. In the video, the young hip-hop legends are living the life, driving in a convertible with their posse alongside that iconic piano hook. Watch here.
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Aqua, “Barbie Girl”
Date launched: Aug. 20, 2010 (on YouTube, originally released 1997)
Time to reach 1B: 12 years
Aqua brings viewers right into Barbie’s dream world in their visual for the iconic bubblegum pop track. The vibrant video surpassed the YouTube milestone just in time for Greta Gerwig’s 2023 Barbie film. Watch here.
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6ix9ine feat. Nicki Minaj & Murda Beatz, “FEFE”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo Date launched: July 22, 2018
Time to reach 1B: 4 years
6ix9ine invites Nicki Minaj and Murda Beatz into his colorful candy land in his “FEFE” video. It rocketed into YouTube’s Billion Views Club four years after it was first uploaded at the height of Tekashi mania, and two years after the rapper was released from prison. Watch here.
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Marshmello & Anne-Marie, “FRIENDS” (Lyric Video)
Date launched: Feb. 8, 2018
Time to reach 1B: 4 years
Doodle versions of Marshmello and Anne-Marie team-up in the lyric video for their self-described “official friendzone anthem.” Four years later, the 2018 collaboration’s lyric video crossed the billion views mark before the official music video, which was also released in 2018. Watch here.
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David Guetta & Showtek feat. Vassy, “Bad” (Lyric Video)
Date launched: April 10, 2014
Time to reach 1B: 8 years
David Guetta, Showtek and Vassy bring a comic book to life for their 2014 “Bad” lyric video. The action-packed visual featuring dancing zombies and a motorcycle-riding heroine is Guetta’s sixth to join the YouTube Billion Views Club. Watch here.
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Sean Paul feat. Dua Lipa, “No Lie”
Date launched: Jan. 10, 2017
Time to reach 1B: 5 years
Sean Paul enlists Dua Lipa to sing an earworm of a hook on his R&B-infused party banger, “No Lie.” The hypnotic video is the Jamaican rapper’s first as a lead artist to enter YouTube’s Billions Club. Watch here.
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Karol G & Anuel AA, “Culpables”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo Date launched: Sept. 13, 2018
Time to reach 1B: 4 years
The black and white “Culpables” video that brought former couple Karol G and Anuel AA together officially crossed a billion views four years after its release. The song off her 2018 album Ocean is both artists’ fourth entry in the Billion Views Club as a lead, featured artist or collaborator. Watch here.
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Karol G, “BICHOTA”
Date launched: Oct. 22, 2020
Time to reach 1B: 2 years
Karol G takes us to church with her sultry vocals and impressive visuals in the video for the single off her Grammy-nominated third studio album KG0516. Though collaborations with Nicki Minaj and Anuel AA already got her into YouTube’s Billion Views Club, “BICHOTA” marks her first entry as a soloist. Watch here.
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Travis Scott feat. Drake, “SICKO MODE”
Date launched: Oct. 19, 2018
Time to reach 1B: 4 years
The trippy visual for the Hot 100-topping Astroworld track marks Travis Scott’s first entry into the Billion Views Club. Drake, the featured artist on “SICKO MODE,” adds his milestone 10th entry on YouTube’s list. Watch here.
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One Direction, “Drag Me Down”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo Date launched: Aug. 20, 2015
Time to reach 1B: 7 years
A post-Zayn One Direction prepares for takeoff in their 2015 video for “Drag Me Down.” It marks the boy band’s second video to reach the big YouTube milestone, following their debut single, “What Makes You Beautiful.” Watch here.
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Justin Bieber feat. Nicki Minaj, “Beauty and a Beat”
Date launched: Oct. 12, 2012
Time to reach 1B: 10 years
Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj share a firsthand account of a truly poppin’ pool party in their 2012 video for “Beauty and a Beat.” The duo has an even better reason to “party like its 3012” as both artists add another YouTube billion to their list of achievements. Watch here.
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Alan Walker, “The Spectre”
Date launched: Sept. 15, 2017
Time to reach 1B: 5 years
The cool-toned concert video for “The Spectre,” off his album of the same name, marks Alan Walker’s fourth entry into YouTube’s Billion Views Club, following “Alone” and “Faded.” The lattermost, released seven years ago, surpassed the three billion views mark in 2021. Watch here.
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LP, “Lost On You” (Live)
Date launched: Jan. 12, 2016
Time to reach 1B: 6 years
LP (Laura Pergolizzi) has written hits for Rihanna, Backstreet Boys, Christina Aguilera and more. But their low-key live video for “Lost On You” is the artist’s first clip of their own to enter YouTube’s Billion Views Club. Watch here.
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Saad Lamjarred, “LM3ALLEM”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo Date launched: May 2, 2015
Time to reach 1B: 7 years
Saad Lamjarred slides into the Billion Views Club with “LM3ALLEM,” which translates to “You Are The Boss.” The upbeat track by the Moroccan singer-songwriter is also the most-viewed Arabic music video on YouTube. Watch here.
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Europe, “The Final Countdown”
Date launched: Oct. 25, 2009 (on YouTube, originally released 1986)
Time to reach 1B: 13 years
The countdown to their first one billion views has come to an end for Europe. The Cold War-era video for “The Final Countdown” features the rock band performing the song around Sweden. Watch here.
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Pharrell Williams, “Happy”
Date launched: Jan. 8, 2014
Time to reach 1B: 8 years
Pharrell’s Grammy-winning upbeat single is the gift that just keeps giving. The producer-rapper-singer-songwriter adds another achievement to his list of accolades with his first music video as a soloist to surpass a billion YouTube views. Watch here.
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The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk, “I Feel It Coming”
Date launched: March 9, 2017
Time to reach 1B: 5 years
The retro video for The Weeknd and Daft Punk’s addictive collaboration “I Feel It Coming” isn’t the duo’s first to cross the big YouTube milestone. Their first team-up, “Starboy,” from the same album, crossed the two billion views mark a few months prior. Watch here.
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Lady Gaga, “Poker Face”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo Date launched: Dec. 19, 2009 (originally released 2008)
Time to reach 1B: 13 years
Lady Gaga cemented her place as a pop superstar with the avant-garde “Poker Face.” The decade-defining Hot 100 No. 1 is Mother Monster’s third video to reach the YouTube milestone, following 2009’s “Bad Romance” and “Shallow” with Bradley Cooper from her 2018 film A Star Is Born. Watch here.
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Post Malone feat. 21 Savage, “rockstar”
Date launched: Nov. 21, 2017
Time to reach 1B: 5 years
Rock star life turns violent in the video for Post Malone and 21 Savage’s “Rockstar.” The YouTube achievement isn’t the first accolade for the Beerbongs & Bentleys anthem — it also topped the Hot 100 for eight weeks in 2017. Watch here.
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Coolio feat. L.V., “Gangsta’s Paradise”
Date launched: Aug. 1, 2017 (on YouTube, originally released 1995)
Time to reach 1B: 5 years
A young Michelle Pfeiffer is brought in for questioning in the video for Coolio and L.V.’s iconic collaboration. “Gangsta’s Paradise” crossed a billion YouTube views 27 years after it was first released — and just months before Coolio’s sudden death at age 59. Watch here.
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Imagine Dragons, “Demons”
Date launched: May 7, 2013
Time to reach 1B: 9 years
Imagine Dragons visits the YouTube Billion Views Club for the fourth time thanks to “Demons.” The music video, which mainly takes place at one of the rock band’s concerts, also served as a tribute to one of their young fans who died of cancer, Tyler Robinson. Watch here.
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Harry Styles, “Sign of the Times”
Date launched: May 8, 2017
Time to reach 1B: 5 years
Harry Styles flies into YouTube’s Billion Views Club for the first time as a soloist with his debut single, “Sign of the Times.” Both Styles himself and his angelic vocals soar in the picturesque music video. Watch here.
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Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus, “Old Town Road”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo Date launched: July 18, 2019
Time to reach 1B: 3 years
Unlikely duo Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus gallop around town in the Western-meets-21st-century video for the rapper’s breakout single. Before crossing the coveted YouTube billion views mark, the hip-hop/country crossover broke the record for the most weeks spent at No. 1 on the Hot 100, eventually topping the chart for 19 weeks. Watch here.
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fun. feat. Janelle Monáe, “We Are Young”
Date launched: Dec. 27, 2012
Time to reach 1B: 10 years
All three members of fun. and Janelle Monáe get suited up to perform “We Are Young” amidst a bar brawl in the music video for their 2012 breakout smash. The Some Nights single joins YouTube’s Billion Views Club 10 years after topping the Hot 100 for six weeks and winning the Grammy for song of the year. Watch here.
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Marshmello feat. Bastille, “Happier”
Date launched: Sept. 24, 2018
Time to reach 1B: 4 years
Miranda Cosgrove and a couple of adorable golden retrievers star in Marshmello and Bastille’s bright “Happier” video. Their collaborative effort marks the British rock band’s first video to cross the billion views mark on YouTube — while the American DJ secures his third entry into the club. Watch here.
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Sean Kingston, “Beautiful Girls”
Date launched: Oct. 2, 2009
Time to reach 1B: 13 years
Sean Kingston bounces between the 1950s and the then-modern-day 2000s in his reggae-infused breakout “Beautiful Girls.” In addition to securing a spot in YouTube’s Billion Views Club, the track, which samples Ben E. King‘s classic “Stand by Me,” earned Kingston his only Hot 100 No. 1. Watch here.
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Black Eyed Peas & J Balvin, “RITMO (Bad Boys For Life)”
Date launched: Oct. 10, 2019
Time to reach 1B: 3 years
Neon lights and flashy cars takeover the music video for J Balvin’s collaboration with the Black Eyed Peas. This marks the Colombian singer’s 12th video to reach a billion views on the platform, six years after becoming the first Latin urban artist to reach 10 digits with “Ay Vamos.” Watch here.
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Bad Bunny, “AMORFODA”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo Date launched: Feb. 14, 2018
Time to reach 1B: 4 years
In addition to being Billboard’s biggest artist of 2022, Bad Bunny is officially an eight-time member of YouTube’s Billion Views Club. The music video matches the song’s straightforward production, as Bunny goes from making out with to leaving his girlfriend on a sunset-lit beach in one continuous shot. Watch here.
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R.E.M., “Losing My Religion”
Date launched: July 1, 2011 (on YouTube, originally released 1991)
Time to reach 1B: 11 years
Thirty years after winning the best music video Grammy for “Losing My Religion,” R.E.M.’s moody, avant-garde visual surpasses the one billion views mark on YouTube. The visual, which references Christianity and Hinduism as a metaphor for love, also took home six MTV VMAs, including video of the year. Watch here.
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The Police, “Every Breath You Take”
Date launched: Feb. 23, 2010 (on YouTube, originally released 1983)
Time to reach 1B: 12 years
The Police nab their first entry into YouTube’s Billion Views Club with their remastered music video for Hot 100-topping ballad “Every Breath You Take” 39 years after its initial release. The Synchronicity single is also a two-time Grammy winner, for song of the year and best pop performance by a duo or group with vocals. Watch here.
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Audioslave, “Like a Stone”
Date launched: Oct. 25, 2009 (on YouTube, originally released 2002)
Time to reach 1B: 13 years
Audioslave are official members of YouTube’s Billion Views Club as their moody “Like A Slave” music video hits 10 digits. The Chris Cornell-led supergroup rocks out from an empty, Spanish-style mansion in the visual for the single from their eponymous debut album. Watch here.
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Maroon 5, “One More Night”
Date launched: June 26, 2012
Time to reach 1B: 10 years
Maroon 5 has added “one more” accomplishment to their list of accolades thanks to “One More Night.” The video, which follows a relationship to its breaking point, is the Adam Levine-led band’s third to reach the YouTube milestone, following “Sugar” and “Girls Like You.” Watch here.
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XXXTentacion, “Moonlight”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo Date launched: Sept. 30, 2018
Time to reach 1B: 4 years
Four years after XXXTentacion’s fatal shooting, the rapper is still reaching milestones. His posthumous video for “Moonlight” from ?, his final album before his death, marks his first entry into YouTube’s Billion Views Club. Watch here.
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Avicii, “Waiting For Love”
Date launched: June 26, 2015
Time to reach 1B: 7 years
Four years after his death, Avicii’s hopeful “Waiting For Love” rockets into YouTube’s Billion Views Club. The visual, which follows an older gentleman on an exciting journey to find his love, is the Swedish DJ’s second to reach the milestone. Watch here.
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Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton, “Can’t Hold Us”
Date launched: April 13, 2013
Time to reach 1B: 9 years
Macklemore opts for a life of adventure whilst carrying a flag that reads the title of his Grammy-winning album The Heist. The music video for “Can’t Hold Us” marks the rapper-producer duo’s second to slide into YouTube’s Billion Views Club, following “Thrift Shop.” Watch here.
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Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Californication”
Date launched: Oct. 26, 2009 (on YouTube, originally released 1999)
Time to reach 1B: 13 years
The Red Hot Chili Peppers (sans shirts) shuffle between the real world and a video game fantasy in their video for “Californication.” The chill track off their 1999 album of the same name marks the L.A. band’s first entry into YouTube’s Billion Views Club. Watch here.
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The Weeknd, “Save Your Tears”
Date launched: Jan 5, 2021
Time to reach 1B: 1 year and 11 months
A plastic-surgery stricken The Weeknd performs for a masked audience in his video for “Save Your Tears.” The creepy After Hours visual joins YouTube’s Billion Views Club less than two years after its release, following “Starboy,” “The Hills,” “Can’t Feel My Face” and “I Feel It Coming.” Watch here.
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Post Malone, “White Iverson”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo Date launched: July 19, 2015
Time to reach 1B: 7 years
A pre-tatted Post Malone hits the desert in a Rolls Royce in his “White Iverson” visual. The rapper’s debut single follows “Rockstar,” “Sunflower” with Swae Lee and “Congratulations” featuring Quavo into YouTube’s Billion Views Club. Watch here.
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Bad Bunny, “Callaíta”
Date launched: May 31, 2019
Time to reach 1B: 3 years
In the first single off his record-breaking 2022 album Un Verano Sin Ti, Bad Bunny sings about a seemingly shy girl who actually lives life to the fullest. The vibey video for “Callaíta” is the Puerto Rican artist’s ninth to reach the YouTube milestone. Watch here.
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Tove Lo, “Habits (Stay High)” (Hippie Sabotage Remix)
Date launched: April 4, 2014
Time to reach 1B: 8 years
Eight years after becoming her biggest Hot 100 hit, Tove Lo earns her first entry into YouTube’s Billion Views Club with “Habits (Stay High).” The visual, featuring Hippie Sabotage’s remix of the track, hits the milestone before the original, which has yet to cross the 500 million views mark. Watch here.