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Hip-Hop Lives Here
Ed Sheeran is closing out 2021 with a major achievement under his belt. On Wednesday (Dec. 22), the singer posted a video to his Instagram announcing that his 2017 hit “Shape of You” has become the first song in Spotify’s history to reach 3 billion streams.
“I’ve just heard ‘Shape of You’ has reached 3 billion streams on Spotify, which is absolutely insane. I remember this song hitting a billion and thinking that that was weird,” Sheeran said. “The first song to hit 3 billion streams and I’m really, really chuffed with it. Thank you, Spotify, for your support over the years. We’ve had a great 10 years together and hopefully, we have a great 10 years more.”
The 30-year-old also took a brief moment to share some backstory on how the track became a single in the first place, revealing that he went back and forth with Ben Cook — former president of Atlantic Records UK who signed Sheeran — about making “Shape of You” the first single from his 2017 album, ÷ (Divide).
“The song wasn’t meant to make the album … the album wasn’t done, and when I finished the song, Ben Cook from my record label was basically saying, ‘You have to put this on the album, it has to be a single.’ I said to him, ‘I want ‘Castle on the Hill’ to be the first single, that’s going to be bigger,'” Sheeran explained. “We agreed to disagree and put both songs out at once, and I have to say that Ben, I was wrong and you were very much right.”
“Shape of You” would go on to spend a total of 59 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart; the tracked stayed at the No. 1 spot for 12 weeks. (“Castle on the Hill,” in comparison, peaked at No. 6 on the chart and enjoyed 33 weeks on the Hot 100.) The success of “Shape of You” — alongside “Castle on the Hill” and “Perfect” — helped ÷ become Sheeran’s second longest charting album to date, spending a total of 250 weeks on the Billboard 200.
Watch Sheeran celebrate his Spotify milestone below.
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Shania Twain has shared her admiration for Sabrina Carpenter, praising the pop star for remaining grounded and gracious despite her soaring popularity.
The 59 year old country pop icon teamed up with the 26 year old singer for a festive rendition of "Santa Baby" on Sabrina's 2024 Netflix holiday special, A Nonsense Christmas. Sabrina later paid tribute to Twain by performing a cover of the country legend's 1998 hit "That Don't Impress Me Much" during the Toronto stop of her Short n' Sweet Tour.
Speaking with EtalkCTV, Twain said she was impressed not only by Carpenter's talent but also by her genuine personality and work ethic.
“She’s [Sabrina] so beautiful and she’s so popular.
“She’s almost too popular to have to be nice. But she’s nice anyway, and I really love that about her. And she’s super talented, you know? We were singing and doing rehearsals, and she’s just got this beautiful voice, she can sing anything. And she’s a great actress, she takes her career very seriously.”
Twain had previously praised Carpenter's decision to perform "That Don't Impress Me Much" during her Toronto concert, describing it as a meaningful compliment.
Speaking with ET, she said: “It’s just a huge compliment. I mean she is such a talented person. You know, she really does have a clue about what’s going on behind the scenes. She’s smart. It’s a compliment to have her, I mean, not that she’s paying homage, she’s just a fan of music, and she’s displaying it and expressing it. So, that’s great.”
Elsewhere, Twain recently opened up about her own approach to her career, explaining that she has never wanted to feel limited by expectations or labels.
The singer, who has sold more than 100 million records worldwide and is known for classics including "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" and "You’re Still the One," admitted she becomes uncomfortable whenever she feels creatively restricted.
Speaking to People earlier this year, Twain explained: "If I feel like I'm being put in a box, I start to panic.
"I run in any direction I can because I don't want to be contained. I have to be able to find my own way.
"Sometimes I'm not even sure where I'm going myself. How can somebody else tell me that, right? So I need the freedom to explore and to land wherever that exploration takes me."
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