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your-hurricane · 4 years

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neon moon || chapter 1 - broadcast me a joyful noise unto the times

A/N: Disclaimer, I haven’t written fanfic since I was fourteen so please be gentle with me, friends

AO3 link

Fair warning that the only editing this has gone through has been proofreading!

Also, the first two chapters are largely exposition and setting up the various connections between Frankie and the MC (Natalia), but they will finally get to meet in chapter three!

Neon Moon summary: [starts three years after the events of the movie]

Single dad Francisco "Frankie" Morales and former Ph.D candidate Natalia Yevstigneyev-Diaz are trying their best.

Alternatively: Frankie and the woman about to change his life keep missing each other, until they don't.

“Whoo-wee! Nice one, Diaz!” Benny said from where he’d just been knocked onto his back atop the sparring mats.

At her instructor’s praise, Natalia Diaz preened, making a show of taking her long dark wavy-curls out of her workout ponytail and flipping her hair over her shoulder. “Thank you, thank you, always happy to hear my badassery is increasing.”

“I’d say perfecting. That was solid.”

“Yeah, haven’t seen him go down that unexpectedly probably ever,” piped up a man with big, kind brown eyes whose name Natalia swore was Frankie. She’d only ever heard him called by his real name once or twice --- Benny usually greeted him as Fish.

If Frankie was here, that meant the rest of Benny Miller’s military buddies would be trickling into the gym. Pity they seemed to be on time today— flipping Benny was fun, maybe he’d’ve given her a window to do it again. Sometimes if his buddies ran late he’d keep sparring with her past the self-defense session she’d paid for.

“It’s thanks to him and his lessons! Wouldn’t know where to begin without him.” Natalia hi-fived Benny from where he was on the floor, now sitting. “Thanks as always, Benny. See you Friday afternoon?”

“Hell yeah!”

“Awesome. Well, I’ll get out of your hair before the rest of the guys show up. Later Benny!” She nodded politely to Frankie just as she spotted the man she knew to be Benny’s older brother and...Pope? Santiago? again, she’d only run into these men in passing.

~.*~.*~.*~.*

Natalia Diaz’s early life read like an adventure, and in many ways, it had been. Her mother, Anna Diaz, was a first generation Mexican-American of Spanish, Mixtec, and Chinese background who met her father, then in medical school, while studying abroad in Russia. Her father, Gavril Yevstigneyev, was from Yakutsk of mixed Russian, Yakut, and Chuvash background. He was a doctor who gave up the possibility of an ultra-lucrative career to spend most of his life working as a medical officer in human rights organizations, and she was a research assistant in those same organizations.

Born while her father was practicing in St. Petersburg, Natalia Gavrilovna Yevstigneyeva Diaz didn’t spend too long in one place. She may have been a dual citizen of the United States and Russia but she didn’t set foot in the United States until she was twelve years old, and her earliest concept of ‘home’ was Pakse, Laos. She was educated at international schools across Southeast Asia, and spoke Lao, Khmer, and Vietnamese in daily life depending on where the Yevstigneyev family was living, Russian at home, learned English and French at school, and her mother taught her enough Spanish to understand her abuela’s English-Spanish mix on birthday and Christmas phone calls.

When it came time to graduate from secondary school - she graduated in Laos, ultimately - she even applied to universities across Laos, Canada, Cambodia, France, The United States, Switzerland, China, Singapore, Australia, and Russia. At her parents’ insistence she cast her net far and wide. Except, with twenty-two acceptance letters and zero rejections, she almost wished she hadn’t.

She studied at McGill University and through a combination of scholarships, her parents’ help, and her “waitressing” job (stripping job actually, and Natalia was damn proud of it and the crazy money it made, but knew her parents would flip out on her so she lied), she earned her B.A.s in linguistics with a minor in translation and interpretation, and anthropology.

She had her pick of the litter as far as where she could settle post-grad: her dual citizenship made the US and Russia wide open to her, Canadian employers were offering to keep her in Canada, her parents still lived in Laos - six years in one place? That was a record for her folks! - and the NGO they were working for straight up offered her a job without her even sending an application.

There wasn’t a grad school on planet Earth that would’ve rejected her application.

Natalia’s life should have been set forever. For a while, it was.

After a gap year traveling Bhutan, Thailand, Indonesia, Mongolia, and completing the Trans-Siberian railway with her younger sister Mariya, who took a gap year between secondary school and university herself, Natalia prepared to conquer grad school….at motherfucking Yale!

That same year, her parents and younger siblings (save Mariya who was studying at Yakutsk State University in their father’s home Russian Republic of Yakutia) moved to her mother’s home state of Texas. A part of Natalia felt bad for her eleven year old sister and the three year old twins out of some sense that her upbringing had been, objectively, the best possible. Natalia did not feel Russian, or Mexican, or American, or Laotian, or Cambodian, or Vietnamese, nor did she feel the need to. Borders were an arbitrary thing. People were people just with different languages, looks, and customs, and she believed she came to know that truth early in life because of her childhood as a third culture kid.

She understood why her parents made that decision though.

In her first year of grad school, the Yevstigneyev Diaz siblings were twenty-two year old Natalia, nineteen-year-old Mariya, eleven-year-old Valentina, and two-year-old Alisa and her twin brother, the only boy in the family, Pavel. Alisa had been born partially deaf and their parents, as if they could react any other way, saw it not as a terrible thing to mourn over but as an opportunity to learn. A challenge did not equal a burden in their eyes. When she was two, however, they realized they needed to either move back to Russia or move to the United States.

The Yevstigneyevs primarily worked and lived in Vietnam and Laos, and there was no singular Laotian or Vietnamese sign language, rather, localized sign languages. As Alisa grew from an infant to a toddler they decided they did not want to deprive her of Deaf culture, and thus, the decision to move to Texas was made.

Just two years after relocating to Texas, tragedy struck the family.

A car speeding through a red light killed Anna and Gavril on the way home from volunteering their time to teach Russian classes at the local Russian cultural center. Natalia, then twenty-four years old with a newly minted Masters from Yale and acceptances to three Ph.D programs, had to force out emails declining the offers, pack up her apartment, and move to Texas to raise her siblings.

Abuela Rita instinctively offered to handle her grandchildren, but Natalia couldn’t possibly make her abuela (who she barely knew at that) raise three children again. Besides, her mother’s youngest sister still lived at home, and this was the same year Hurricane Harvey destroyed one of her uncle’s homes and he, his wife, and their children were also living in Abuela’s home...yeah, no. No, this had to be Natalia.

It was Natalia or the state of Texas and like hell she was going to throw her three little siblings, two of them just four, and one of them deaf, into the system. Alisa being able to communicate in ASL was so important to her parents...how could Natalia possibly let Alisa go into a system that wouldn’t care?

And anyway, it wasn’t so bad. She used her fluency in Russian, Lao, Khmer, and French to work as a book translator. She’d even gone back to dancing four days a week for two reasons. A. You’d think speaking five languages fluently would mean she was making an assload of money, right? Wrong. and B. The inheritance and life insurance policies from her parents wouldn’t last forever and she had four college educations to finance.

That was three years ago, and two and a half years before she started taking self-defense classes from Benny Miller. She’d only been working at an Austin strip club for about four months when one handsy patron reminded her that she needed a refresher on how to throw a punch.

As for why she was Natalia Diaz now and not Natalia Yevstigneyeva? Well. She was still Natalia Yevstigneyeva-Diaz, but unless she was filling out legal papers, or at the Russian cultural center, it was just Diaz. Her mother’s last name was just easier for Austinites to pronounce right. You had to be at least a level six friend to unlock her tragic backstory and her full last name.

Natalia had had everything going for her until one drunk driver took her parents, her Ph.D goals, her planned return to traveling the world, and even her name in one instant.

She wished she had it in her to be bitter but that would require her to have time to think about herself anymore. If it wasn’t taking ASL classes with Alisa, it was listening to Mariya complain about her job. If it wasn’t Valentina’s archery competitions, it was Pavel’s gymnastics meets.

(Yes, yes, she knew. How stereotypically Russian of them to have a kid in competitive gymnastics. It wasn’t her idea! Pavel loved it and when he begged his big sister to be allowed more than one class a week...she dared anybody to say no to that face.)

Any Natalia time she did have was too precious to spend being bitter, she decided.

~.*~.*~.*~.*

“Natasha! Nataaaaaaaasha….NATASHA!”

“Wha!” Thud! “Fuck. Oww.”

Natalia groaned from where she’d fallen into a startled pile on the living room floor, staring up at the ceiling and turned her head to shoot a glare at Mariya.

“Marusya, one day, you’re going to scare me awake to actual death.”

“That’s impossible.” Valentina said from where she sat at the dining table typing up a paper for school. “If you’re scared to literal death you can’t be scared awake because you’ll be dead. Dead people can’t be awake.”

“Unless she’s a zombie, Valya!” Shouted Pavel from his room down the hall.

“Pasha’s got a point.” Mariya said, to which Natalia grabbed her foot and yanked hard, making her shriek as she fell against the couch. “Oof. Anyway, you’re going to be late for work if you don’t hurry up.”

Natalia checked her watch and let out a swear under her breath. “I really need to not spar with Benny on work nights. Hey, Valya-” she sat up on the floor and whirled around to face her middle sister. “Do I need to drop you off for babysitting anywhere tonight?”

Valentina shook her head. “Abuela’s picking me up to take me to Mr. Morales’. I’m watching Daniela.” Mr. Morales - whoever that was - lived near Abuela and her taking Valentina to his house gave her some ‘Valone time’ she liked to say.

Natalia peeled herself off the floor and made her way to her bedroom, stopping by Alisa’s on the way. She grabbed the purple narwhal plushie that lived in a little basket attached to her door - the Get Alisa’s Attention Narwhal - and gently tossed it at Alisa, and when it landed in her lap Alisa tossed it back to Natalia, kept her hands free, and said “I didn’t forget.”

“Good. If you’re good at the dentist tomorrow morning, I’ll buy you ice cream after.”

“Isn’t that the opposite of what you should do after the dentist?”

“So you don’t want ice cream?” “That’s not what I said!”

Natalia laughed and stepped far enough into Alisa’s room to ruffle her hair and then said, “Be good. Masha’s in charge while I’m at work.”

~.*~.*~.*~.*

“Thought you were day shift on Wednesdays, Natasha!” A black woman with her hair in box braids — Jess, stage name Phoenix — said, throwing her arm around Natalia when she first got to work.

“Nah, I talked to Paris, got my hours changed around, remember? Gosh, it’s like you don’t remember everything I ever say to you.”

Jess stuck her tongue out and muttered, “Bitch,” before smooching Natalia’s cheek.

Natalia shoved Jess off of her with a giggle. “Go finish getting ready, ya crazy.” She sat down in front of one of the available mirrors to touch up her makeup before she was officially working, then addressed Jess again. “My 11-8 days are now Sunday and Monday. Wednesday, Saturday, I’m here with you 8 til 4, baybeeeee.”

“Mm, good call. Wine Wednesday.”

Half price wine meant more cash for dancers.

“Needs more body glitter,” Natalia said in her best Christopher Walken impression, before unscrewing the cap of her body glitter to shiny herself up.

“Now in your Zoya voice!”

“Needs more body glitter,” Natalia repeated, this time, in her stage persona’s stronger Russian accent.

The accent helped to further distinguish between Zoya the performer and who Natalia was offstage. It also wasn’t exactly offensive, either, because it was just Natalia exaggerating the accent she naturally had and just making it consistently Russian. It was a mess otherwise. Natalia and Mariya...talked funny. Their accents were kind of impossible to place because of how they learned English and which languages they first learned to actually speak in.

At first listen, their international school education would hint at American- ish . But listen closely and certain vowels come out like an Aussie or a Canadian, courtesy of international school teachers from those countries. Listen for another moment and you’ll hear that Natalia’s tongue, specifically, never learned to consistently make certain sounds that English has that Russian, Lao, Vietnamese and Khmer just don’t. Natalia’s H’s came out harsh courtesy of her Russian father. And both Natalia and Mariya had a habit of dropping articles when telling their younger siblings to ‘close window’ or ‘feed dog and cat.’

For the most part, as Natalia tried to explain to anybody who asked about her accent, English was a language for the classroom. They spoke exclusively Russian in the home and out in ‘the wild’ spoke the local language. Yakutsk was a closer flight from Laos, Cambodia, or Vietnam than Austin was so if they visited any grandparents for Christmas it was their babushka and dedushka in Russia.

Returning to the US permanently never was the plan, remember. It was only a decision they made for Alisa to live somewhere with a standard sign language -- and the only reason, Anna confessed to Natalia once, that they didn’t go back to Russia, was because Natalia had recently come out as bisexual.

“We worried for Valya and the twins. What if they also grow up and realize they aren’t straight? The way it is in Russia for people like you...your father and I love Russia more than the United States. But we love our kids more than Russia.”

She hated how vivid that conversation was in her head. There were some truly beautiful moments with her mother that had already faded from memory. How unfair of her brain to let things like holidays, birthdays, and her mother’s hugs slip.

“Drive home safe, Jess.” Natalia bid her friend farewell a little after four the next morning, kissing her on the cheek before she unlocked her own car. If she got up to 70 and stayed there, she’d be home in time to count her tips, shower, and fix breakfast for the kiddos before school and in Alisa’s case, the dentist.

~.*~.*~.*~.*

“Stand still Pasha,” Natalia said as she gently bopped the seat of her baby brother’s pants to knock the glitter off them. “Your butt looks like a glitter cannon exploded right next to it.”

Pavel giggled and pointed out, “It’s your fault there’s always glitter in your bed.”

“You shouldn’t lay down in my bed for naps after I’ve woken you up for school anyway. Especially not after you’ve already got your clothes on, you dingus.”

“ Heeeey, that’s mean!” Pavel pouted.

“Not if I’m saying it with love. Which I am.” Natalia stood up and pressed a kiss to the top of her brother’s head. “Okay, your butt’s as unsparkly as it's gonna get.”

“I don’t see what wrong with having a sparkly butt anyway.” Pavel grumbled.

“Now run along to the bus stop with the other kids. Be good at school, learn lots, I love you kid.”

“Love you too , Natashe-!” the -nka! came muffled as Pavel had darted out the door to run down to the bus stop.

Natalia sipped on her coffee and watched out the window as her brother darted across the field to the complex’s mailbox pavilion to make sure he joined the other children safely. Satisfied he had, she turned away from the window to trudge back to the kitchen and refill her coffee and begin her vanilla work for the day before she had to wake Alisa for the dentist. On today’s docket? Trying to get through editing at least the first third of her Russian translation of the next book in the hottest new YA series.

There was nothing Natalia wanted more than a nap but she was already cutting her deadline close. Right on schedule was the same as being behind in the literary translation world. If she wasn’t so ahead of schedule she was getting bored then she was nearing panic mode.

Logically she knew that only she felt that way. Her boss didn’t, or at least never felt the need to express to her that he did, but just herself was enough to put the pressure on from beginning to end of a project.

It had benefited her in school. Not so much in her career.

A life in academia as a linguistics scholar and researcher would have suited her better. The universe didn’t consider that when it let a drunk driver kill her parents and leave her three siblings to raise and Mariya’s academic dreams to finance.

#pedro pascal fandom #triple frontier fanfiction #frankie morales fanfiction #francisco morales x ofc #my fic #neon moon fic #ofc of color #multiracial ofc #Francisco catfish Morales

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junker-town · 3 years

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A Champions League guide for Americans who don’t watch soccer

The Champions League final has more intrigue than ever for American fans.

The biggest sporting event in the world this year is on Saturday. I know what you’re thinking: That’s impossible, the Super Bowl is in February, you idiot!

Look, I know what you mean. The Super Bowl IS a really big deal, especially in the United States where about 100 million people tune in. Worldwide, that number is usually about 150 million, which is definitely A LOT of people.

No, I’m actually talking about the Champions League Final, the biggest annual event in global sports. While the U.S. audience for Europe’s annual club soccer championship game is only about 3-4 million between English and Spanish coverage, worldwide that audience balloons to closer to 400 million (which is actually about 100 million fewer people than tune in for the World Cup final every four years).

I bring this up not to convince you that soccer is actually really cool, but more of a way to give you some ammunition to impress your friends at the next tailgate.

And if you’re the kind of person who’s into that sort of thing, you may be even more interested in this Champions League final than normal. That’s because there are some legitimate reasons American sports fans should care.

Here’s everything you’ll need to know:

Who’s playing?

Two of the richest and most valuable teams in the world: Manchester City and Chelsea. Both play their domestic games in the English Premier League and are considered “new money” clubs. In England where basically every team is more than 100 years old, that just means they’ve played in the lower leagues — that’s due to the whole promotion and relegation thing you’ve probably heard about at some point — recently enough that some of their fans actually remember it. Insanely rich people have since bought the clubs and turned them into wealthy behemoths.

Forbes ranked City the 13th ($4 billion) and Chelsea the 25th ($3.2B) most valuable sports clubs in the world, right there with the biggest NFL, NBA and MLB teams.

Both teams supposedly spent nearly $400 million on salaries in the 2020-21 season and the estimated market value of their rosters is right around $1 billion each.

How can anyone afford that?

The wealth of their ownerships is hard to overstate. Chelsea is owned by Russian oil oligarch Roman Abramovich, whose net worth is estimated at about $15 billion.

He’s actually the less well-heeled of the two. City is owned Sheikh Mansour, who is effectively a stand-in for the United Arab Emirates. His family’s estimated net worth is more than $1 trillion.

Wow, that’s so much money! They must dominate this sport, right?

Eh, not really. While Chelsea previously won the Champions League in 2011-12, this is only their third-ever trip to the final and their first since winning it. They just barely finished fourth in the EPL this year, which means they qualified for next year’s tournament by skin of their teeth. Although City is coming off their third EPL title in four years, this is the first time they’ve ever qualified for the Champions League final. When Mansour bought City in 2008, it was with the express goal of winning Champions League, and after several notable flops the club is now on the precipice.

All that money must buy them some exciting players.

It’s true, both teams have plenty of talent but neither has the sort of worldwide superstar that the casual sports fan probably knows. Leading the line for City are players like İlkay Gündoğan, Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne. Chelsea’s top scorers are Jorginho, Mason Mount, Timo Werner and Tammy Abraham. All exceptionally good players, but even your buddy from college who started following Barcelona after his semester abroad in Spain probably can’t give you much of a scouting report on any of them.

Can you, uh, give me a scouting report?

This is not meant to be a technical column but I see you’re now getting invested, so here goes: Chelsea actually fired their coach — genuine club legend Frank Lampard — earlier this year after spending an ungodly amount on transfers for new players. Almost all that money was spent on attacking players, but their defense is really why they’re here. The Blues have only given up four goals during their entire Champions League campaign, an average of .33 per game. They allowed the second fewest goals in Premier League play, too.

The player who probably best encapsulates Chelsea is Timo Werner, one of those expensive offseason transfers. He’s extremely fast and has moments of absolute brilliance, but also has a rather hilarious penchant for missing seemingly easy shots.

City is a bit more free-flowing, albeit with an equally stout defense. Pep Guardiola is considered one of soccer’s technical geniuses and while they don’t have one big scorer, De Bruyne is one of the smoothest players in the world and a playmaking dynamo. He’s got 10 goals and 18 assists in all his games this year. City led the EPL in scoring, averaged more than two goals a game in Champions League and have outscored their opponents by 90 goals across all competitions this year.

In case you haven’t gathered, City are definitely the favorites to win this, even if Chelsea has won two of three previous meetings this year.

Any notable Americans involved?

Actually, both teams have one! Zack Steffen is a backup goalkeeper for City and even made seven starts across the various competitions this year, including one in Champions League. He’s probably the USMNT’s starting goalkeeper for the foreseeable future.

Chelsea has arguably the best American player in Christian Pulisic, who has six goals and four assists across all competitions this year. Pulisic had a goal and an assist in the Champions League semifinals, becoming the first American to do either that late in the tournament.

One of them will become the first-ever American to win Champions League.

Wait, aren’t Americans bad at soccer?

I get it, the last time you heard about U.S. Soccer it was probably because they failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup ... or maybe it was earlier this year when they missed out on the upcoming Olympics. But we’re actually in the midst of what’s either promising to be a golden generation for American soccer players or the start of the long-promised era of global competence.

That belief is mostly grounded in Americans’ success in European clubs. Steffen was the first American to earn a Premier League medal and combined with Pulisic marks the first time two USMNT players both finished in the top 4. There were six USMNT players who played in the Premier League this year, the most ever (h/t @paulcarr).

Beyond England, Americans were starting for some of the world’s biggest clubs like Barcelona and Juventus; won four league titles; claimed six domestic cups; and every team in the Bundesliga seems to have at least one player repping the red, white and blue. That friend of yours who won’t shut up about his semester abroad is probably going to become even more insufferable, but now you might at least know what he’s talking about.

OK, when is the game?

It’s scheduled to kick off at 3 p.m. ET, on Saturday.

How can I watch it?

CBS just acquired the English-language rights and will be airing it on broadcast channels. It can also be streamed through Paramount+ or on FuboTV. If you’re more interested in hearing the Spanish call, TUDN will have that.

Anything notable about the broadcast?

Well, if you know anything about American soccer, you probably know about Clint Dempsey. He was the first legitimate American attacking star to play in England, tied Landon Donovan for the most goals scored for the United States men’s national team and then retired in 2018. He kinda fell off the face of the earth after retiring to North Carolina, but recently surfaced for a lengthy podcast interview with some former teammates. About a week later, it was announced he’d be one of the studio analysts for this game. He’s always had a reputation for being someone who doesn’t really care what others think of him, so this definitely has the potential to be interesting.

Who should I root for?

Good question, here’s our bloggers’ pitches:

Crowning achievement for City: “Manchester City is worth rooting for because you are someone who appreciates greatness. We are witnessing one of the greatest managers of all time re-invent himself at City. From the centurion Premier League champs (they claimed 100 points in 2018-19) to being the first side to win all four domestic cups, Pep Guardiola has done nearly all at City. The only thing missing is a UCL trophy. This UCL Final is the culmination of a dream from fans, Pep, the players and ownership. Root for greatness.” - Saul Garcia, Bitter and Blue

Because somehow Chelsea are the lovable underdogs: “Chelsea are the underdogs here, even if we did deny City one trophy already this season in the FA Cup. We also have the most adorable footballer in the world, N’Golo Kanté, who happens to be one of the very best as well. And why would you ever want to root against him?” - David Pasztor, We Ain’t Got No History

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uniquequotesonlife · 5 years

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Top 10 Most Viewed YouTube Videos in 2019

#trending

Did you know, YouTube ranks as the second most visited social media platform in the world? More than 2 billion logged-in users visit YouTube every month and users watch over a billion hours of video every day. With these overwhelming statistics, it’s no surprise that YouTube is a top choice among artists and celebrities to share videos. Over 2 million artists showcase their talents on YouTube to engage their audiencesn From Beyonce’s live stream at Coachella to record-breaking videos like “Despacito,” YouTube hosts a range of unique music video content. It is where over 1 billion music lovers come to discover new music and be part of the trending music culture. But YouTube is not limited to music videos. It is equally favored by others for posting various types of videos. Some other popular video genres include gaming, tutorials, cartoons, challenges, and instrumental videos. Let’s talk about the 10 most viewed YouTube videos in 2019, according to the latest rankings by Statista. In this post, we will also cover a few interesting facts and figures about each one of these most viewed YouTube videos.

What’s Special About the Most Viewed YouTube Videos?

Let’s talk about the 10 most viewed YouTube videos in 2019, according to the latest rankings by Statista. In this post, we will also cover a few interesting facts and figures about each one of these most viewed YouTube videos.

1. Despacito — Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee (6.24 billion views on YouTube)

Spanish word, “despacito,” means “slowly” in English. Its rise is anything but slow. Soon after the launch, it became the most watched YouTube video in 2017. Ever since, the song has remained number one and its record has been unbeaten with over 6.24 billion views. The most fascinating part about this song is its international reach. “Despacito” has spread all around the world and created a global wave among music lovers. Erika, co-writer of the song, says, “The whole world is singing and dancing in Spanish. That is something really amazing.” Other than Mexico and Spanish-speaking countries, “Despacito” has become insanely popular in countries where Spanish is not even the second language! Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Israel, and Italy have witnessed the ground-breaking popularity of the song.

2. Shape of You — Ed Sheeran (4.24 billion views on YouTube)

Released in 2017, “Shape of You” won him a number of accolades, including a Grammy and Billboard Music Award. It was also awarded with NRJ Music Awards in the most streamed song and video of the year categories. So what is the reason Ed Sheeran made history with his song, “Shape of You”? Speaking to the New York Times, Sheeran said that the Steve Mac produced song was written during a brainstorming session. He also described how he created the song and how the melody, lyrics, and instruments played important roles in it. The melody used in this song belongs to the pentatonic scale which is already popular among musicians and listeners. Pentatonic scale has found its love in jazz, blues, and rock music from all over the world. And it spelled its charm again with Sheeran’s hit song, “Shape of You.”

3. See You Again — Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth (4.13 billion views on YouTube)

Currently the third most viewed YouTube video, “See You Again,” was sung by rapper Wiz Khalifa and it featured Charlie Puth. The song was written for the movie, “Furious 7,” from “The Fast and the Furious” franchise. There was an emotional touch to this song as it was meant to be a tribute to the late star, Paul Walker. The song has been a popular choice among music lovers and crossed more than 4.13 billion views on YouTube. Unlike other songs, “See You Again” does not have a dance crew or heavy music to make you swing to its notes. But it managed to dethrone Psy’s “Gangnam Style,” something that many didn’t expect with the latter’s huge popularity. And it managed to become one of the most viewed YouTube videos till date. Charlie Puth wrote a heartfelt note saying, “The song has taken on so many layers, layers that I never even fathomed when I wrote it.” There was another factor behind their 3 million views per day in 2017. A music video ad sales site, Vevo, which was owned by Universal Music and Sony Music, helped it. The site utilized YouTube’s algorithms to increase views, according to Billboard news.

4. Masha and the Bear: Recipe for Disaster (3.68 billion views on YouTube)

Masha and the Bear: Recipe for Disaster is a rather unusual contender for the fourth position on this list of the most viewed YouTube videos. It has received 3.68 billion views so far and it is the only non-music video on the list. The success of this Russian children’s animation can be attributed to its popularity among children. The video has a simple storyline based on traditional folklore about a little girl, Masha, who lives with a retired circus bear. And this particular episode is about Masha’s attempt to cook by herself, which results in a disaster. The characters are colourful and the plot is harmless. It is a kind of video that modern-day busy parents can let their children watch without worry. While it was produced for the local Russian market, it soon gained global popularity and became one of the most viewed YouTube videos. According to Moscow-based Animaccord Animation Studio, the creator of this video, two-thirds of the views come from outside Russia. Till date more than a hundred television stations broadcast this series, along with other platforms such as Netflix, Amazon, iTunes and YouTube.

5. Uptown Funk — Mark Ronson Ft. Bruno Mars (3.58 billion views on YouTube)

Although “Uptown Funk” is older than all of the previous music videos, it is still admired by fans and it continues to gain more views. The song performed by Mark Ronson featured Bruno Mars and made it to the top ten most viewed YouTube videos. “Uptown Funk” made its debut on YouTube in 2014 and quickly grabbed the attention of music lovers. Other than its regular fans, the song draws new viewers and maintains its top position giving a tough competition to other YouTube music videos. Bruno Mars was already a household name by then but Mark Ranson made his fortune with this song. Their song, “Uptown Funk,” managed to hold its number one position on the U.S. Billboard 100 chart for fourteen consecutive weeks. With catchy phrases, a great combination of instruments, and an upbeat tune, “Uptown Funk” received over 3.50 billion views on YouTube. The song also won two Grammys in 2016 for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance categories.

6. Gangnam Style — Psy (3.36 billion views on YouTube)

The first YouTube video to reach a billion views, “Gangnam Style,” is currently the sixth most viewed YouTube video. It is the 18th K-pop number from South Korean musician, Psy, who was virtually unknown outside Korea till 2012. The sudden popularity of the song remains something of an enigma. Referring to the lifestyle from Gangnam District in Seoul, the song was a chartbuster in more than thirty countries including Australia, Canada, France, Russia, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Its popularity is attested by the fact that the likes of Barack Obama, David Cameron, and Ban Ki-moon have attempted to dance to the song. The song initially received mixed reviews. But it soon became popular due to its catchy tune and beats as well as Psy’s innovative horse trot dance that became a global sensation. The most viewed YouTube video from December 2012 to July 2017, “Gangnam Style,” still holds the record for being the most discussed video. HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT:

7. Sorry — Justin Bieber (3.14 billion views on YouTube)

“Bieber fever” never seems to stop. When Justin Bieber released his first song, “Baby,” on YouTube, it made him an international celebrity overnight. The song not only became one of the most viewed YouTube videos of all time but also won him MTV and Billboard Music awards. Over the years, he produced a number of hit songs and remained one of the most sought after celebrity. “Sorry” is a song from his fourth album called “Purpose,” and it currently ranks as the seventh most viewed YouTube video. “Sorry” easily managed to become one of the most viewed YouTube videos and has surpassed more than 3.14 billion views till date. It was released in 2015 and it stayed on top in thirteen countries including a seven-week top spot in Canada. The song also made to America’s first new chart-topper of 2016 pushing Adele’s “Hello” to second position on BillBoard list of The Hot 100.

8. Sugar — Maroon 5 (2.97 billion views on YouTube)

And that’s precisely the reason behind the immense popularity of “Sugar” by Maroon 5. It ranks eighth on the list of the most viewed YouTube videos with 2.97 billion views. The video was directed by David Dobkin, who had earlier directed “Wedding Crashers.” It was recorded as the band turned up unannounced at several weddings in different parts of LA. The shooting was apparently a fantastic affair for all involved with lead singer, Adam Levine, describing it as an “out of body” experience. Clearly the viewers loved this innovative concept and yet another music video became a superhit not necessarily due to mind blowing tunes and lyrics.

9. Baby Shark Dance — Pinkfong (2.87 billion views on YouTube)

The ninth most popular video on YouTube is again one whose target audience is young children. With 2.87 billion views, this music video once again affirms the growing importance of YouTube as a disseminator of content for children. Produced by the South Korea-based educational content creator, Pinkfong, the “Baby Shark” song deals with a family of sharks that goes hunting and is safe at the end. The dance moves that attempt the movement of a shark are simple and can be imitated and practiced by the tiny viewers, solo or in groups. The song has repetitive lyrics, fast beats, and a catchy tune, which makes it enjoyable and easy-to-follow for children. It was released in five languages including Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese, and Spanish, which helped increase its global outreach. Apart from the fact that it was marketed well, there were other factors that lead to its popularity. The first factor that helped promote this song were its covers, which were released in quick succession. Secondly, the Baby Shark Challenge added to its viral popularity. Other than being one of the most viewed YouTube videos, the song also grabbed the attention of environmentalists and animal lovers. The “Baby Shark Dance” song drew empathy of young generation towards sharks by depicting them like a human family.

10. Roar — Katy Perry (2.83 billion views on YouTube)

“Roar” is a song about overcoming challenges and treading over obstacles in life to emerge victorious. This song inspires viewers to continue to fight, no matter what the situation is. No wonder this positive message really resonated with viewers. But “Roar” is more than just a strong message. The chorus and instrumentation in the song has also been arranged in a way that conveys a sense of foreboding in the beginning. But they leave the listener feeling empowered at the end. Though it received mixed reviews, “Roar” was nominated for Song of the Year (2013) and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. When “Roar” registered one billion views on YouTube in July 2015, Perry became the first artist with two music videos with over a billion views. 3 WRITTEN BY

Shane Barker

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clubofinfo · 8 years

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Expert: March 20, 2017: Listening today to the broadcast of testimony by FBI Director Comey and National Security Agency Director Admiral Michael Rogers before the House Intelligence Committee (an oxymoron) made it clear that the Democrats, Comey, and Rogers intend conflict with Russia. The Republicans, for the most part, were interested to know how security leaks targeted at Trump Republicans came from meetings at which only the CIA Director, NSA Director, and FBI director were present. Of course, they did not get an answer, which shows how powerless congressional oversight committees are. Comey repeatedly said that he could not tell the committee anything, because it would confirm that a press leak was true. But, he said, speaking generally and of no specific leak, most leaks come from “someone who heard something” and passes it on to the media, which also explains the inaccuracy of some leaks. In other words, don’t blame us. The Democrats were out in force to demonize Russia, Putin, and everyone, especially Trump Republicans, who speaks to a Russian even if the person is still a private citizen, as was Gen. Flynn when he recommended to the Russian ambassador that Russia not respond in kind to President Obama’s expulsion of Russian diplomats over Christmas. The Democrats bestowed yet another demonic title on Putin. In addition to being “the new Hitler,” a “thug,” and a “Mafia don,” today Putin became a “tarantula in the center of the spy web.” The Democrats’ position was that Flynn, by discouraging a Russian tit for tat, had interfered with the Obama regime’s policy of worsening relations between the US and Russia. Some Democrats saw this as treason. Others saw it as proof that Flynn and Trump are in Putin’s pocket, and still others see it as even worse. The Democrats were also very concerned about lobbyists, if they be Republican, working for Russian interests, including Tillerson, the Secretary of State. The fact that every country employs lobbyists and that the lobbyists don’t always register as foreign agents, such as Israel’s lobbyists, or if news reports at the time were correct, neocon Richard Perle who represented Turkey in Washington. Democrats were also after Gen. Flynn for saying that he had not received money from the Russian government. Flynn received a fee for attending the 10th Anniversary celebration of RT in Moscow. Is RT, a news organization, the Russian government? Its budget is supported by the Russian government, but how does this differ from the US government’s support of the budgets of National Public Radio, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Voice of America? Does this mean that everyone who gives an interview to NPR, Radio Liberty, and VOA is an American agent in the pocket of the US president? If you attend a function of one of these organizations, does it make you an “American agent/dupe”? Will there be a list of these people? What the Democrats tried to do today was to criminalize everyone who works for better relations between the US and Russia. To be for peace between the nuclear powers is to be a Russian agent and to be put on a list. The Democrats insisted that Russia was an enemy out to get us, and the Democrats had no difficulty getting Comey and Rogers, both Obama appointees, to agree. Comey and Rogers said that Russia was the main threat to the US, was working against our interests, and intends to harm us. Harming us includes opposing US hegemony and unilateralism. In other words, if the Russian government acts in the interests of Russia, the Russian government is harming the US. From the testimony it clearly emerged that any kind of opposition to anything Washington does is against American interests. Both Comey and Rogers declared, falsely, that Russia had invaded Ukraine and seized Crimea by force. If Comey and Rogers are so poorly informed that they believe this, they are unfit for office. Crimea has been a part of Russia for 300 years. The population is almost entirely Russian. When the Soviet Union collapsed and Washington broke it apart, the Ukraine became independent for the first time in history. Crimea, which had been transferred by Khrushchev in 1954 from the Russian Soviet Socialist Republic to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, was included in the transfer on the condition that Russia had a long term lease on the naval base in Crimea. When Washington’s coup overthrew the democratically elected government in Ukraine, the Russian populations in Crimea, and in the new republics of Luhansk and Donetsk, were attacked and threatened by the neo-nazi elements in eastern Ukraine that had fought for Hitler against the Soviet Union. The populations of these areas voted overwhelmingly to reunite with Russia, from whence they had come. The votes were fair and open. As Crimea is the Russian Navy’s Black Sea base, Crimea was already occupied by Russian forces. For Comey and Rogers to call this an “invasion” displays either ignorance or a lack of integrity. Indeed, the lack of integrity of the FBI, NSA, CIA, and Obama regime is evidenced by the sustained campaign of lies, distortions, and targeted “news leaks,” that is, stories planted on the presstitutes by the intelligence services about Russian interference in the presidential election. It is all about protecting the massive military/security budget and powers. Trump threatened both the budget and the power when he declared that his policy would be to normalize relations with Russia. If relations are normalized, the carefully orchestrated “Russian threat” disappears. The intelligence services are not willing for this to happen. The US intelligence services prefer the risk of nuclear Armageddon to a budget cut. The Democrats are probably not sufficiently intelligent to understand that they are fanning the flames of war between nuclear powers. The Democrats are desperate to find someone on whom to pin their loss of the election. Moreover, by pinning it on a conspiracy between Trump and Putin, they hope to remove Trump from office. Although Pence, who is a Russophobe, is acceptable to the military/security complex, the Democrats have hopes of clearing out Pence as well, as his election resulted from the alleged conspiracy, and reinstalling themselves in the White House. Americans need to understand that the political competition between the Democrats and Republicans is over which party gets to collect the money for being the whore for the One Percent. Traditionally, the party in the White House gets most of the money, so that is where both parties want to be. Michael Morell, a supporter of Hillary Clinton and President Obama’s last CIA director in an acting capacity, who was slated to become CIA director under Hillary, said, “On the question of the Trump campaign conspiring with the Russians, there is smoke, but there is no fire, at all. There’s no little campfire, there’s no little candle, there’s no spark. And there’s a lot of people looking for it.” Morell does believe that it was the Russians who hacked Hillary’s incriminating emails but not in collusion with Trump, although the evidence is that they were a leak from inside the Democratic National Committee by disaffected supporters of Bernie Sanders. Obama’s Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said on Meet the Press on March 5 that he had seen no evidence of a Putin-Trump conspiracy when he left office on January 20. Listening to Comey and Rogers today, if they are not working against President Trump, what would classify as working against Trump? Trump supporters ask why Trump doesn’t fire these two men who are working to block a reduction in the dangerous tensions between Washington and Russia. Are the Democrats, Comey, Rogers, the CIA and their media whores so stupid that they don’t understand what it means when the President of Russia says, “the Americans have destroyed our trust in them?” Trump doesn’t fire Comey and Rogers, because he cannot fire them. If he fires them, the Democrats and presstitutes will explain the firings as proof that Trump is a Russian agent and is covering up his treason by removing those investigating it. Trump is trying to use Twitter to respond to the orchestrated media assault against him and to achieve some organization among his supporters, the working class that elected him. However, Trump cannot even count on the Republican Party. Most Republicans are also dependent on political contributions from the military/security complex, and Republicans know that the intelligence agencies have all the dirt on them. To fight for Trump is to expose themselves. It is undeniable that the CIA controls the media, both in Europe and in the US. Udo Ulfkotte’s book, Gekauftge Journalisten, exposed the CIA’s hold on European journalists when it was published in Germany in 2014. An English language edition, Journalists for Hire: How the CIA Buys the News, is due out in May. In the meantime Joel Whitney’s book, Finks: How the C.I.A. Tricked the World’s Best Writers, suffices to establish that America’s most respected journalists drank the CIA’s Kool-Aid “and thought they were saving freedom” by serving as propagandists. People in the West need to understand that if the news they receive bears on the interests of the US military/security complex, the news is scripted by the CIA. The CIA serves its interests, not the interests of the American people or the interests of peace. http://clubof.info/

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muzaffar1969 · 8 years

Link

http://ift.tt/2o2MsnI

Authored by Paul Craig Roberts,

Listening yesterday to the broadcast of testimony by FBI Director Comey and National Security Agency Director Admiral Michael Rogers before the House Intelligence Committee (an oxymoron) made it clear that the Democrats, Comey, and Rogers intend conflict with Russia.

The Republicans, for the most part, were interested to know how security leaks targeted at Trump Republicans came from meetings at which only the CIA Director, NSA Director, and FBI director were present. Of course, they did not get an answer, which shows how powerless congressional oversight committees are. Comey repeatedly said that he could not tell the committee anything, because it would confirm that a press leak was true. But, he said, speaking generally and of no specific leak, most leaks come from “someone who heard something” and passes it on to the media, which also explains the inaccuracy of some leaks. In other words, don’t blame us.

The Democrats were out in force to demonize Russia, Putin, and everyone, especially Trump Republicans, who speaks to a Russian even if the person is still a private citizen, as was Gen. Flynn when he recommended to the Russian ambassador that Russia not respond in kind to President Obama’s expulsion of Russian diplomats over Christmas.

The Democrats bestowed yet another demonic title on Putin. In addition to being “the new Hitler,” a “thug,” and a “Mafia don,” today Putin became a “tarantula in the center of the spy web.”

The Democrats’ position was that Flynn, by discouraging a Russian tit for tat, had interfered with the Obama regime’s policy of worsening relations between the US and Russia. Some Democrats saw this as treason. Others saw it as proof that Flynn and Trump are in Putin’s pocket, and still others see it as even worse.

The Democrats were also very concerned about lobbyists, if they be Republican, working for Russian interests, including Tillerson, the Secretary of State. The fact that every country employs lobbyists and that the lobbyists don’t always register as foreign agents, such as Israel’s lobbyists, or if news reports at the time were correct, neocon Richard Perle who represented Turkey in Washington.

Democrats were also after Gen. Flynn for saying that he had not received money from the Russian government. Flynn received a fee for attending the 10th Anniversary celebration of RT in Moscow. Is RT, a news organization, the Russian government? Its budget is supported by the Russian government, but how does this differ from the US government’s support of the budgets of National Public Radio, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Voice of America? Does this mean that everyone who gives an interview to NPR, Radio Liberty, and VOA is an American agent in the pocket of the US president? If you attend a function of one of these organizations, does it make you an “American agent/dupe”? Will there be a list of these people?

What the Democrats tried to do yesterday was to criminalize everyone who works for better relations between the US and Russia. To be for peace between the nuclear powers is to be a Russian agent and to be put on a list. The Democrats insisted that Russia was an enemy out to get us, and the Democrats had no difficulty getting Comey and Rogers, both Obama appointees, to agree.

Comey and Rogers said that Russia was the main threat to the US, was working against our interests, and intends to harm us. Harming us includes opposing US hegemony and unilateralism. In other words, if the Russian government acts in the interests of Russia, the Russian government is harming the US. From the testimony it clearly emerged that any kind of opposition to anything Washington does is against American interests.

Both Comey and Rogers declared, falsely, that Russia had invaded Ukraine and seized Crimea by force. If Comey and Rogers are so poorly informed that they believe this, they are unfit for office. Crimea has been a part of Russia for 300 years. The population is almost entirely Russian. When the Soviet Union collapsed and Washington broke it apart, the Ukraine became independent for the first time in history. Crimea, which had been transferred by Khrushchev in 1954 from the Russian Soviet Socialist Republic to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, was included in the transfer on the condition that Russia had a long term lease on the naval base in Crimea.

When Washington’s coup overthrew the democratically elected government in Ukraine, the Russian populations in Crimea, and in the new republics of Luhansk and Donetsk, were attacked and threatened by the neo-nazi elements in eastern Ukraine that had fought for Hitler against the Soviet Union. The populations of these areas voted overwhelmingly to reunite with Russia, from whence they had come. The votes were fair and open. As Crimea is the Russian Navy’s Black Sea base, Crimea was already occupied by Russian forces. For Comey and Rogers to call this an “invasion” displays either ignorance or a lack of integrity.

Indeed, the lack of integrity of the FBI, NSA, CIA, and Obama regime is evidenced by the sustained campaign of lies, distortions, and targeted “news leaks,” that is, stories planted on the presstitutes by the intelligence services about Russian interference in the presidential election. It is all about protecting the massive military/security budget and powers. Trump threatened both the budget and the power when he declared that his policy would be to normalize relations with Russia. If relations are normalized, the carefully orchestrated “Russian threat” disappears. The intelligence services are not willing for this to happen. The US intelligence services prefer the risk of nuclear Armageddon to a budget cut.

The Democrats are probably not sufficiently intelligent to understand that they are fanning the flames of war between nuclear powers. The Democrats are desperate to find someone on whom to pin their loss of the election. Moreover, by pinning it on a conspiracy between Trump and Putin, they hope to remove Trump from office. Although Pence, who is a Russophobe, is acceptable to the military/security complex, the Democrats have hopes of clearing out Pence as well, as his election resulted from the alleged conspiracy, and reinstalling themselves in the White House.

Americans need to understand that the political competition between the Democrats and Republicans is over which party gets to collect the money for being the whore for the One Percent. Traditionally, the party in the White House gets most of the money, so that is where both parties want to be.

Michael Morell, a supporter of Hillary Clinton and President Obama’s last CIA director in an acting capacity, who was slated to become CIA director under Hillary, said, “On the question of the Trump campaign conspiring with the Russians, there is smoke, but there is no fire, at all. There’s no little campfire, there’s no little candle, there’s no spark. And there’s a lot of people looking for it.”

Morell does believe that it was the Russians who hacked Hillary’s incriminating emails but not in collusion with Trump, although the evidence is that they were a leak from inside the Democratic National Committee by disaffected supporters of Bernie Sanders.

Obama’s Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said on Meet the Press on March 5 that he had seen no evidence of a Putin-Trump conspiracy when he left office on January 20.

Listening to Comey and Rogers yesterday, if they are not working against President Trump, what would classify as working against Trump? Trump supporters ask why Trump doesn’t fire these two men who are working to block a reduction in the dangerous tensions between Washington and Russia. Are the Democrats, Comey, Rogers, the CIA and their media whores so stupid that they don’t understand what it means when the President of Russia says, “the Americans have destroyed our trust in them?”

Trump doesn’t fire Comey and Rogers, because he cannot fire them. If he fires them, the Democrats and presstitutes will explain the firings as proof that Trump is a Russian agent and is covering up his treason by removing those investigating it.

Trump is trying to use Twitter to respond to the orchestrated media assault against him and to achieve some organization among his supporters, the working class that elected him. However, Trump cannot even count on the Republican Party. Most Republicans are also dependent on political contributions from the military/security complex, and Republicans know that the intelligence agencies have all the dirt on them. To fight for Trump is to expose themselves.

It is undeniable that the CIA controls the media, both in Europe and in the US. Udo Ulfkotte’s book, Gekauftge Journalisten, exposed the CIA’s hold on European journalists when it was published in Germany in 2014. An English language edition, Journalists for Hire: How the CIA Buys the News, is due out in May. In the meantime Joel Whitney’s book, Finks: How the C.I.A. Tricked the World’s Best Writers, suffices to establish that America’s most respected journalists drank the CIA’s Kool-Aid “and thought they were saving freedom” by serving as propagandists. http://ift.tt/2mWdUV2

People in the West need to understand that if the news they receive bears on the interests of the US military/security complex, the news is scripted by the CIA. The CIA serves its interests, not the interests of the American people or the interests of peace.

March 22, 2017 at 09:22AM http://ift.tt/2nQkE6I from Tyler Durden http://ift.tt/2nQkE6I

#Business

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uniquequotesonlife · 5 years

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Top 10 Most Viewed YouTube Videos in 2019

Did you know, YouTube ranks as the second most visited social media platform in the world? More than 2 billion logged-in users visit YouTube every month and users watch over a billion hours of video every day. With these overwhelming statistics, it’s no surprise that YouTube is a top choice among artists and celebrities to share videos. Over 2 million artists showcase their talents on YouTube to engage their audiences. From Beyonce’s live stream at Coachella to record-breaking videos like “Despacito,” YouTube hosts a range of unique music video content. It is where over 1 billion music lovers come to discover new music and be part of the trending music culture. But YouTube is not limited to music videos. It is equally favored by others for posting various types of videos. Some other popular video genres include gaming, tutorials, cartoons, challenges, and instrumental videos. Let’s talk about the 10 most viewed YouTube videos in 2019, according to the latest rankings by Statista. In this post, we will also cover a few interesting facts and figures about each one of these most viewed YouTube videos.

What’s Special About the Most Viewed YouTube Videos?

1. Despacito — Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee (6.24 billion views on YouTube)

2. Shape of You — Ed Sheeran (4.24 billion views on YouTube)

3. See You Again — Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth (4.13 billion views on YouTube)

4. Masha and the Bear: Recipe for Disaster (3.68 billion views on YouTube)

5. Uptown Funk — Mark Ronson Ft. Bruno Mars (3.58 billion views on YouTube)

6. Gangnam Style — Psy (3.36 billion views on YouTube)

7. Sorry — Justin Bieber (3.14 billion views on YouTube)

8. Sugar — Maroon 5 (2.97 billion views on YouTube)

9. Baby Shark Dance — Pinkfong (2.87 billion views on YouTube)

10. Roar — Katy Perry (2.83 billion views on YouTube)

Shane Barker

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