The 10 Most Popular Music Videos of 2016 So Far, According to YouTube
Fifth Harmony, Nicky Jam and Zayn are leading the way
While Drake and Adele have dominated the Billboard charts most of the year, it’s a different story in terms of music videos. Videos from global pop stars like Fifth Harmony, Zayn, Rihanna and Coldplay, as well as Latin artists like Nicky Jam andChino y Nacho have yielded hundreds of millions of views on YouTube so far in 2016.
According to Kevin Allocca, head of culture and trends at YouTube, the top 10 new music videos of the year speak to the global appeal of the artists and, at times, when a new song and video debut simultaneously.
“[Traffic] velocity is often driven by really active fanbases that are excited about new music and visual representations of their artists,” he says.
For example, at No. 1 is Fifth Harmony with their song “Work From Home” – the day their new album “7/27” was announced, Feb. 26, was the same day the new song and new video were released.
Latin American countries are also having a growing influence on the top videos, as shown by Spanish-language songs from Nicky Jam and Chino y Nacho. Nicky Jam’s channel has yielded over 1 billion collective views this year alone, averaging nearly 7 million views per day.
“A lot of people who are into music in the U.S. wouldn’t think of Nicky Jam as the No. 2 music video of the year [so far],” Allocca says. “We often don’t think about that global aspect.”
Rihanna’s video for her single “Work,” which comes in at No. 4, received the most views in its first 24 hours out of any video released this year. Her latest collaboration withCalvin Harris, “This Is What You Came For,” is tracking to be one of the most popular videos of the year – in less than two weeks, it has over 83 million views. That’s not enough to land it in the top 10, but it’s on pace to be one of the year’s biggest.
Other big acts included in the top 10 are Zayn, who struck out on his own after leavingOne Direction. With the launch of his YouTube channel and the “Pillowtalk” video, he gained a million subscribers in a week.
See the top 10 music videos released in 2016 so far on YouTube, with video counts culled from Jan. 1 – June 28.
Fifth Harmony, Nicky Jam and Zayn are leading the way
While Drake and Adele have dominated the Billboard charts most of the year, it’s a different story in terms of music videos. Videos from global pop stars like Fifth Harmony, Zayn, Rihanna and Coldplay, as well as Latin artists like Nicky Jam andChino y Nacho have yielded hundreds of millions of views on YouTube so far in 2016.
According to Kevin Allocca, head of culture and trends at YouTube, the top 10 new music videos of the year speak to the global appeal of the artists and, at times, when a new song and video debut simultaneously.
“[Traffic] velocity is often driven by really active fanbases that are excited about new music and visual representations of their artists,” he says.
For example, at No. 1 is Fifth Harmony with their song “Work From Home” – the day their new album “7/27” was announced, Feb. 26, was the same day the new song and new video were released.
Latin American countries are also having a growing influence on the top videos, as shown by Spanish-language songs from Nicky Jam and Chino y Nacho. Nicky Jam’s channel has yielded over 1 billion collective views this year alone, averaging nearly 7 million views per day.
“A lot of people who are into music in the U.S. wouldn’t think of Nicky Jam as the No. 2 music video of the year [so far],” Allocca says. “We often don’t think about that global aspect.”
Rihanna’s video for her single “Work,” which comes in at No. 4, received the most views in its first 24 hours out of any video released this year. Her latest collaboration withCalvin Harris, “This Is What You Came For,” is tracking to be one of the most popular videos of the year – in less than two weeks, it has over 83 million views. That’s not enough to land it in the top 10, but it’s on pace to be one of the year’s biggest.
Other big acts included in the top 10 are Zayn, who struck out on his own after leavingOne Direction. With the launch of his YouTube channel and the “Pillowtalk” video, he gained a million subscribers in a week.
See the top 10 music videos released in 2016 so far on YouTube, with video counts culled from Jan. 1 – June 28.
1. Fifth Harmony, “Work From Home” featuring Ty Dolla $ign
Date Published: Feb. 26
Views: 591,119,406
2. Nicky Jam, “Hasta el Amanecer”
Date Published: Jan. 14
Views: 558,046,084
3. Zayn, “Pillowtalk”
Date Published: Jan. 28
Views: 539,620,704
4. Rihanna, “Work” featuring Drake
Date Published: Feb. 22
Views: 466,906,164
5. Coldplay, “Hymn for the Weekend”
Date Published: Jan. 29
Views: 425,375,467
6. Mike Posner, “I Took a Pill in Ibiza” (Seeb Remix)
Date Published: Feb. 26
Views: 370,680,990
7. Sia, “Cheap Thrills” featuring Sean Paul
Date Published: Feb. 10
Views: 311,902,809
8. Meghan Trainor, “NO”
Date Published: March 21
Views: 296,355,443
9. One Direction, “History”
Date Published: Jan. 26
Views: 199,869,813
10. Chino y Nacho, “Andas En Mi Cabeza” featuring Daddy Yankee
Date Published: April 20
Views: 184,129,702
