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Unless you've been hiding in a soundproof underground shelter, the catchy, sensual sound of "Despacito" has surely reached your ears at least once.

Well, now Luis Fonsi's hit single has become the most streamed song of all time, with 4.6bn streams globally, according to Universal Music Latin Entertainment.

While that means "Sorry" by Justin Bieber has now been relegated to second place, Bieber has reasons to rejoice as his version of the song "Despacito (Remix)" helped the track become a worldwide hit.

"Streaming has opened up the possibility of a song with a different beat, from a different culture and in a different language to become a juggernaut of success around the world," Universal CEO Lucian Grainge said.

The 39-year-old author, Luis Fonsi, said the accomplishment is "just insane." "I don't want to use the word accident because I was trying to write a hit, but I didn't plan for it to cross over. I just wanted to make people dance."

He suggested the song's success has important political implications: "I come from Puerto Rico and I live in Miami. We're living in an interesting time right now when people want to divide us. They want to build walls," he said. "And for a song to bring people and cultures together, that's what makes me proud."

Latin pop hits such as "Despacito" have become a phenomenon thanks to streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music that have "democratized music consumption", according to Jesús Lopez, Chairman & CEO of Universal Music Latin America & Iberian Peninsula.

Some reports even say the track has helped boost the Puerto Rico economy.

The song has spent nine of the past 10 weeks at the top of the UK charts and is currently at the top of the US Billboard charts.

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