Ahead of ‘Swag II,’ Justin Bieber Scores His First Music Video With 4 Billion Views on YouTube
Justin Bieber is no stranger to making history on YouTube, and now the pop superstar has scored his first music video to rack up 4 billion views on the platform.
On Thursday (Sept. 4), YouTube announced that Bieber’s “Sorry” music video had surpassed 4 billion views. Ironically, Bieber himself is nowhere to be found in the 2015 clip, which features a series of dancers in bright-colored clothes performing choreography from dance star Parris Goebel.
“Sorry” is one of only 15 music videos to have crossed the 4 billion mark — led by Luis Fonsi’s “Despacito,” featuring Daddy Yankee, with 8.8 billion views. While Bieber hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with the Latin music duo thanks to their “Despacito” remix, his version is not in the blockbuster music video.
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“Sorry,” from Bieber’s 2015 album Purpose, marked the singer’s second-ever No. 1 hit on the Hot 100 (following “What Do You Mean?” reaching the summit in September 2015). Bieber co-wrote the song with Justin Tranter and Julia Michaels, along with the song’s co-producers Skrillex and Bloodpop.
In 2010, Bieber set the record for the most-watched YouTube video ever, when his “Baby” video surpassed Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance.” He held the record until November 2012, when Psy’s “Gangnam Style” took the crown (and eventually became the first YouTube video to surpass 1 billion views).
Beyond “Sorry,” Bieber has five other videos in the Billion Views Club: 2010’s “Baby” (3.4 billion views), 2015’s “What Do You Mean?” (2.2 billion views), 2015’s “Love Yourself” (1.7 billion views), 2010’s “Never Say Never” featuring Jaden Smith (1.2 billion views) and 2012’s “Beauty and a Beat” featuring Nicki Minaj (1.1 billion views).
Also on Thursday, Bieber surprise-announced a second 2025 album, with Swag II set to be released at midnight tonight, following the July 11 release of Swag.
Revisit the “Sorry” dance video below:
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