Story highlights
The song now has more than 4.6 billion streams
It has overtaken Justin Bieber's "Sorry"
“Despacito” means “slowly” in Spanish, but the song’s rise to the top has been anything but slow.
In a mere six months after its release date, the hit song made history on Wednesday for being the most streamed track of all time, according to Universal Music Latin Entertainment.
The song by Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi and reggaetón star Daddy Yankee and its accompanying remix featuring Justin Bieber have combined global streams of more than 4.6 billion plays across leading streaming platforms, the label said.
The song has been reigning at the top of the charts, which is quite the accomplishment for a Spanish-language tune.
Related: ¡Ay bendito! The No. 1 song in America is sung in Spanish
“Streaming is a connector for audiences worldwide and it has helped my music reach every corner of the planet,” Fonsi said in a statement. “It is truly an honor that ‘Despacito’ is now the most streamed song in history.”
Related: The story behind ‘Despacito’s’ rise to the top
This latest accomplishment means Bieber has helped to topple himself.
The previous song to hold the title was Bieber’s single “Sorry” and its associated remixes, which to date have accumulated 4.38 billion plays since 2015.