The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organization that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide according to them a large proportion of those were “equivalent” sales made up of streams on audio and video platforms. Latino-inspired hit song ‘Havana’ by former Fifth Harmony member Camila Cabello, 22, was first released in August 2017 but sold 19 million copies worldwide last year, the IFPI said. In total, five of the top 10 biggest worldwide songs of 2018 were released the previous year. Singles by Ed Sheeran, Coldplay and Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee all made the top 10 in their second year of release.
Frances Moore, chief executive of IFPI, said: “Havana truly was the stand-out hit of the year. Momentum behind the track continued to build and build at an extraordinary rate as it consistently topped charts and leading playlists.”Cuban American singer Camila also broke other records with her song, including Spotify’s Most Streamed song ever by a solo female artist. It’s been played 888 million times on the service and 2.6 billion times in total worldwide.
Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape of You’ and ‘Perfect’ came in at third and fourth. Other songs riding on their second year of success include ‘Despacito’, by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee and ‘Something Just Like This’ by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay. Both Despacito and Perfect were boosted by having multiple versions available. Sheeran recorded several versions of Perfect, including duets with Beyonce and Andrea Bocelli, while Despacito was given a boost by a remix featuring Justin Bieber.
Here is the full top 10 list.
1. Camila Cabello (feat. Young Thug) – Havana – 19 million sales
2. Drake – God’s Plan – 15.3m
3. Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You – 14.9m
4. Ed Sheeran – Perfect – 13.5m
5. Maroon 5 (feat. Cardi B) – Girls Like You – 11.9m
6. Luis Fonsi (feat. Daddy Yankee) – Despacito – 11.8m
7. Tia Ray – Be Apart – 10.9m
8. The Chainsmokers & Coldplay – Something Just Like This – 10m
9. Marshmello & Anne-Marie – FRIENDS – 9.6m
10. Post Malone (feat. Ty Dolla $ign) – Psycho – 9.2m
What is your favourite from the list?