Pakistani singers Ali Sethi and Shae Gill have achieved a major milestone as their global hit Pasoori has crossed one billion views on YouTube.
The achievement makes Pasoori the first Pakistani music video to reach one billion views on the platform. The song hit this milestone around four years and seven months after its release.
Pakistan to a global audience
Pasoori track was released on February 7, 2022, as part of Coke Studio Pakistan Season 14. Ali Sethi and Shae Gill performed the song, while Sethi and Fazal Abbas wrote it. Xulfi and Abdullah Siddiqui were among the major figures behind its production.
The track combines traditional South Asian musical influences with modern pop sounds. Its different style helped it attract listeners in Pakistan and internationally.
The song became a major success on streaming services and social media after its release. It reached top 3 on Spotify’s Global Viral 50 chart and became Spotify’s most streamed Pakistani song of 2022.
The song has continued to perform strongly years after its release. It has accumulated nearly 405 million streams on Spotify and remains the most streamed song on the platform for both Sethi and Gill.
Artists celebrate historic achievement
Coke Studio Pakistan celebrated the one billion view milestone on social media and thanked listeners around the world for supporting the song.
A celebratory video also featured Ali Sethi and Shae Gill alongside producers Xulfi and Abdullah Siddiqui. More than 90 per cent of the song’s audience came from outside Pakistan, while its official video has been watched across more than 60 countries.
Pasoori also gained wider international exposure after appearing in Marvel’s Ms. Marvel. The song inspired several covers and adaptations in Pakistan and other countries.
Its international recognition also included a Coke Studio Africa version that brought together Sethi, Marwan Moussa and Reekado Banks with Afrobeats influences.