Wizkid to share $5 million for Spotify’s most streamed song

According to Spotify, ‘One Dance’ is the most played song in 2016 and has amassed an estimated 4.8 million dollars as streaming royalties. It enjoyed a stay at the top of the US charts, and clung to the UK singles chart for 15 weeks, the longest reign in the British charts since 1991’s ‘Everything I Do (I Do It For You)’ by Bryan Adams.

The success of ‘One Dance’ comes as a part of the overall success of Views, the April 2016 album by Drake. Views is the year’s most streamed album on Spotify globally. Along with Drake, who again tops the list, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Twenty One Pilots, and Kanye West make the top 5 most streamed artists.

For Wizkid, the success of ‘One Dance’ has meant exposure to a wider global audience.

The song is Spotify’s most streamed song in the history of the platform as it has been played 4.7 billion times. Besides earning a share of the $4.8m in royalties, for co-writing the song with 8 others including Drake, Wizkid also has production credit. Like Wizkid, South African artist DJ Maphorisa is reportedly both co-producer and co-writer. The pair collaborated on 'Soweto Baby,' which was rewarded with an MTV Africa Music award. The pair recently debuted the video for a new single 'Good Loving'.

2016 has been kind to Wizkid who without releasing an album and only a handful of hit solo songs has dominated the African award season. Perhaps the only sore spot for the singer was the withdrawal of the MTV Europe Music Award for Best African Act which was handed to Tanzania’s Ali Kiba.

The disappointment at losing that award after been announced winner might be erased now that Wizkid has received a nomination for Best Album at the forthcoming Grammy Awards, even as 'One Dance' was snubbed by the Recording Academy. 

A video for ‘One Dance’ was produced in South Africa and included in the short film ‘Please Forgive Me’ released in September by Drake.