Lorde’s ‘Royals’ Hits One Billion Streams On Digital Platforms

Lorde has reached a milestone with her 2013 debut single “Royals” reaching one billion streams.

The Auckland, New Zealand artist is the latest Australasian artist recognised by the region’s ‘The 1,000,000,000 List’, as organized by APRA AMCOS. Other artists who’ve previously made the list include Kevin Parker (Tame Impala) and Gotye.

The data accounts for streams across all major digital platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, YouTube Music, Vevo and Amazon Music, among others.

Billboard reports that Lorde was presented with her latest award at the APRA AMCOS NZ offices in her hometown by CEO Dean Ormston and Anthony Healey, head of APRA AMCOS NZ operations.

“Royals” was Lorde’s debut single, included in her debut extended play (EP) ‘The Love Club’ EP (2012) and debut studio album Pure Heroine (2013). Lorde wrote the song with producer Joel Little. “Royals” is a minimalist art pop and electropop song with influences of hip hop, R&B, and indie pop. The track’s lyrics express disapproval with the sumptuous lifestyle presented in songs and music videos by pop and hip hop-influenced artists.

Her publisher, Kobalt Music Publishing, also received an award for the song’s landmark achievement.

She’s one of four New Zealand songwriters officially added to ‘The 1,000,000,000 List’ in recent days. Kiwi producer Joel Little, one of the producers of Taylor Swift’s ‘Lover‘, landed his fourth award – this time for Swift’s hit ‘ME!‘ from her 2019 album.

‘The 1,000,000,000 List’ is promoted as being the first award of its kind to acknowledge a songwriter’s achievement.

Past recipients include Kevin Parker (for Tame Impala’s “The Less I Know The Better”), Dean Lewis and Jon Hume (for “Be Alright”), Flume (for “Never Be Like You”), and Gotye (for “Somebody That I Used to Know”).

In other Lorde news, the singer took on Bruce Springsteen‘s “Tougher Than the Rest” in New Zealand in March, performing a duet with Marlon Williams.