Lewis Capaldi overtakes Ed Sheeran as the ‘king of streaming’ in the UK
‘I feel huge, I feel massive,’ Scottish artist says
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Your support makes all the difference.Lewis Capaldi’s “Someone You Loved” has become the most streamed song in the UK, overtaking Ed Sheeran’s hit single “Shape of You”.
The news was announced by the Official Charts Company as part of a list of the UK’s all-time most streamed songs, compiled to celebrate 70 years of the Official Singles Chart.
Capaldi, 26, receved a special matte black No 1 award and an inflatable crown after amassing 562 million audio and video streams combined.
“I’m the streaming king in the UK on this particular song!” he said in a statement. “I feel huge, I feel massive, I feel my loins expanding as I become more and more aware of the reality of my coronation as the king of music.
“Thank you. A very large accolade that I will now shoulder for the rest of my life, or until Ed Sheeran releases his next album.”
Sheeran, 31, co-wrote track “Pointless” with Capaldi, which will appear on the Scottish artist’s forthcoming second album, Broken By Desire to be Heavenly Sent, which is scheduled for release on 19 May 2023.
“Ed’s a man who is like a brother to me, he’s been a mentor, he’s put his arm round me and said don’t worry everything’s going to be OK,” Capaldi said.
“He gave us the honour of supporting him on the closing shows of the Divide tour, he’s been nothing but kind and gracious and beautiful, a good friend in an ever-changing industry.
“So to Ed I say ‘EAT MY S***’! That’s what happens, nice guys finish last. You snooze you lose, kiddo. Keep up!”
“Shape Of You” and “Perfect” by Sheeran and Capaldi’s “Someone You Loved” are the only tracks to have topped 500 million lifetime streams, with only seven tracks topping 400 million lifetime streams in total, the Official Charts Company said.
Capaldi’s critically acclaimed 2019 debut album, Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent, was named the biggest selling UK album of both 2019 and 2020.
Additional reporting by Press Association
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