The IFPI has named Havana by Camila Cabello as the best-selling single globally in 2018.
First released in 2017, the track featuring Young Thug reached No.1 in 95 countries. The lead single from the Cuban-American singer’s debut album was subsequently remixed with Spanish lyrics from Daddy Yankee.
In June 2018, Havana became Spotify's most-streamed song ever by a solo female artist with 888 million streams. Across all providers, it has now been streamed over 2.6 billion times. Using permanent download equivalent units to combine sales and streams, Havana had 19m equivalent sales.
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. Camila Cabello is a perfect example of an artist who has drawn on her musical roots to produce her own unique sound that is capturing the hearts of fans all over the world.”
The second best-selling single, God’s Plan by Drake, was released in January 2018. The track from his Scorpion album broke multiple global streaming records upon release, including first-day streaming records on both Spotify and Apple Music. On Apple Music the track reached over 14m streams in its first day and more than 60m within its first week of release.
Drake was revealed last week as the overall artist of the year, based on sales and streams for his Scorpion album in 2018.
Shape of You by Ed Sheeran was the third best-selling single of 2018, followed by 2017 Christmas No.1 Perfect. Girls Like You by Maroon 5 (feat Cardi B), which performed strongly on video streams, made fifth place.
2017 smash Despacito by Luis Fonsi (feat Daddy Yankee) was still in the Top 10 (No.6) for 2018, followed by Tia Ray’s Be Apart, Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers & Coldplay, Friends by Marshmello & Anne-Marie and Psycho by Post Malone (feat. Ty Dolla $ign).
The IFPI Global Digital Singles Chart captures engagement with tracks across audio streaming, video streaming and permanent downloads on a global basis.
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