Ed Sheeran has reached another unprecedented streaming milestone. His global smash “Shape of You” has officially surpassed 5 billion streams on Spotify, becoming just the second song in the platform’s history to reach the landmark. The achievement further cements the 2017 hit as one of the most successful songs ever released in the streaming era.
The record marks Ed Sheeran’s first song to cross the 5 billion-stream threshold. Only The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” had previously accomplished the feat, placing Sheeran in an exclusive club of just two artists with a track above the milestone.
The latest accomplishment arrives only weeks after Sheeran made another piece of Spotify history. In June, “Perfect” surpassed 4 billion streams, making it the ninth song ever to do so. With both “Perfect” and “Shape of You” now sitting above 4 billion plays, Sheeran became only the second artist to own multiple songs beyond that mark, matching another record held by The Weeknd.
Released in 2017, “Shape of You” served as one of the double lead singles from Sheeran’s blockbuster album ÷ (Divide) alongside “Castle on the Hill.” Blending dancehall and R&B influences, the song was written by Sheeran, Steve Mac and Johnny McDaid, while Kandi Burruss, Tameka “Tiny” Cottle and Kevin Briggs also received songwriting credits due to its interpolation of TLC’s “No Scrubs.”
“Shape of You” topped the charts in 34 countries, including the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, where it spent 12 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1. The single also dominated the UK Singles Chart for 14 non-consecutive weeks and tied the record for the longest-running No. 1 on Canada’s Hot 100 with 16 consecutive weeks.
Commercial success extended well beyond its initial release. The Recording Industry Association of America has certified “Shape of You” 13-times Platinum, while the song also earned the Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards after receiving nominations at the 2018 BRIT Awards.
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