Adele's "Hello" fastest to hit 1 billion on YouTube
LOS ANGELES -- Sorry, Psy. Adele has outpaced the South Korean pop star on the race to 1 billion views on YouTube.
The streaming service announced Thursday that her music video for "Hello" greeted its 1 billionth view in 87 days, breaking the 158-day record held by Psy's "Gangnam Style."
"If anyone deserves it, it's Adele and that song," said Susanne Daniels, the head of original programming at YouTube.
YouTube said 17 videos have reached 1 billion views.
Other music videos in the billionaire club include Maroon 5's "Sugar," Major Lazer's "Lean On," OneRepublic's "Counting Stars," LMFAO's "Party Rock" and Sia's "Chandelier."
There are several music videos on the cusp of reaching 1 billion views, including Shakira's "Waka Waka," Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud" and Ellie Goulding's "Love Me Like You Do."
YouTube said the feat is still rare, but newer music videos such as Katy Perry's "Roar" and Taylor Swift's "Blank Space" achieved it at a faster pace than older ones like Justin Bieber's "Baby" and Eminem's "Love The Way You Lie."
"Hello" spent its first 10 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart.