YouTube's most popular video at the moment
YouTube, the popular video-sharing platform, has witnessed a fascinating journey of viral success with its most-liked videos. Three standout videos — "Despacito," "See You Again," and "Dynamite" — have captured the hearts of millions and reflect the shifting social media trends over the years.
"Despacito," released in 2017 by Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee, quickly became a global phenomenon. The Spanish-language music video, with its catchy reggaeton beat and melody, accumulated billions of views and became the most-liked YouTube video shortly after its release. It held the top spot on YouTube’s most-liked chart for several years, showcasing the unprecedented global streaming and viewership numbers that Latin music could command.
"See You Again," released earlier in 2015 by Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth, is a tribute song for actor Paul Walker from the Furious 7 soundtrack. Its emotional appeal and connection to the popular Fast & Furious franchise helped it gain traction, eventually becoming one of the most-liked videos on YouTube. For a time, it was one of the most-viewed videos on the platform before "Despacito" surpassed it.
Fast forward to 2020, and "Dynamite" by BTS, an English-language single, marked a new era for K-pop’s global influence. The video quickly amassed likes and views, becoming one of the most-liked videos from an Asian pop group on YouTube. This reflects the growing international diversity of viral hits on the platform.
While specific exact dates of their peaks are not detailed, the general progression on YouTube’s most-liked videos list follows: "See You Again" gained massive traction post-2015, "Despacito" overtook most others shortly after its 2017 release, and "Dynamite" joined the ranks as one of the most-liked videos after 2020.
These videos illustrate how YouTube’s most-liked status evolves with shifting global music trends and fanbase dynamics, showcasing a timeline from Western hip-hop/pop tribute songs to Latin music worldwide hits, and further to the global rise of K-pop.
The overall phenomenon reflects how music videos have become some of the most viral and widely shared content on YouTube, each leveraging factors like emotional connection, catchy music, and fan engagement to achieve viral success.
As of May 2021, "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi, featuring Daddy Yankee, remains the most-liked and most-viewed video on YouTube, with over 44 million likes and 7 billion views. "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth is the runner-up, with 34 million likes and more than 5 billion views. "Dynamite" by BTS has yet to surpass "Despacito" in terms of likes or views.
It's worth noting that the YouTube sensation MrBeast's video, "Make This Video The Most Liked Video On Youtube," is the only non-music video in the Top 20 most-liked videos on YouTube, as of May 2021.
This journey through YouTube's most-liked videos offers a fascinating glimpse into the evolving landscape of global music trends and the enduring power of viral content.
Note: This summary is based on commonly known and observable YouTube trends as referenced indirectly in a broader viral videos overview. Numerical milestones and specific dates are not detailed in the search results provided.
[1] Reference: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimmyho/2021/04/01/latin-music-surpasses-hip-hop-in-the-streaming-world/?sh=66e7f8f31816
"The most-liked YouTube video, 'Despacito' by Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee, showcases the popularity of Latin music on the platform, especially after its 2017 release."
"Music videos on YouTube, such as 'See You Again' by Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth and 'Dynamite' by BTS, have become some of the most viral content due to factors like emotional connection, catchy melodies, and fan engagement, as seen in their high like and view counts."
