Pasoori becomes first Pakistani music video to reach one billion YouTube views

The Pakistani song ‘Pasoori’ has become the first music video produced in Pakistan to surpass one billion views on YouTube. The duet, performed by Ali Sethi and Shae Gill, reached this milestone nearly four years and seven months after its initial release on February 7, 2022.

Coke Studio announced the achievement via social media, celebrating the track alongside producers Zulfiqar Khan (Xulfi) and Abdullah Siddiqui. The song has been a significant musical export, previously serving as Spotify’s most-streamed Pakistani song during its release year and maintaining nearly 405 million streams on the platform.

The track gained widespread international recognition, appearing on the soundtrack of the Disney series ‘Ms. Marvel’. Its global reach also included a remix by Coke Studio Africa, which blended the original with Nigerian Afrobeats through a collaboration with Marwan Moussa and Reekado Banks. While the song inspired numerous covers globally, it also faced controversy when Indian singer Arijit Singh released a version that drew criticism regarding cultural appropriation.