While major label stars like Drake, Taylor Swift, and The Weeknd continue to command the charts, an indie dance pop song featuring a Scandinavian vocalist has proved one of 2015′s most enduring and successful hits.
This distinction belongs to Major Lazer, a collaborative electronic music project helmed by producer Wesley “Diplo” Pentz with current members Jillionaire and Walshy Fire. With further contributions from Danish singer MØ and Parisian DJ Snake, the single “Lean On” comes via Diplo’s own Mad Decent imprint and has been its biggest and most ubiquitous hit since Baauer’s viral sensation “Harlem Shake,” which went RIAA double-platinum in 2014.
First released in early March, “Lean On” took just shy of a month to hit Spotify’s Global Top 10 chart, largely residing at or near the top ever since. The track appeared on the streaming platform’s U.S. Top 10 chart by May and was a fixture there for 23 consecutive weeks amid fierce competition from millennial pop powerhouses like Drake and Justin Bieber as well as rookie of the year Fetty Wap. Though it finally dropped below the #10 slot last week, with over 490 million total Spotify plays to date “Lean On” has already earned between $2.9 and $4.1 million in estimated payouts this year via that service alone.
The lead single from Major Lazer’s third album Peace Is The Mission, “Lean On” peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August, and currently sits at #11. Filmed on location in Maharashtra, India, the song’s official music video has more than 673 million views on YouTube. “Lean On” has an additional 117 million SoundCloud plays and continues to rank highly in iTunes’ Top Songs downloaded as well.
“Lean On” has proven a high point in a tremendous year for Diplo. As the producer behind “B**** I’m Madonna,” he gave Madonna her 46th placement atop on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. A collaboration with fellow DJ/producer Skrillex, Jack Ü scored a crossover pop hit for themselves and Justin Bieber with the RIAA double-platinum single “Where Are U Now.” Having peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and credited with having revitalized the Canadian artist’s music career, the song is due to appear on Bieber’s forthcoming Purpose album for Def Jam.
In the wake of “Lean On,” Diplo has been relentless. He released an EP of DJ-friendly remixes of the track via Mad Decent to further fuel the song’s momentum and give it more support in clubland. A joint one-off single with Canadian producer Sleepy Tom, “Be Right There” interpolates Jade’s 1993 R&B hit “Don’t Walk Away” and has been streamed on Spotify more than 11 million times since late August.
With more than 1.5 million followers on both Instagram and Twitter respectively, Diplo’s social media reach is significant, appealing to a young audience enthusiastic about EDM and its surrounding culture. His Mad Decent Block Party summer concert series brought Major Lazer, Jack Ü and a rotating lineup of DJs and rappers across North America, with several festival dates selling out including two consecutive days at Brooklyn minor league baseball stadium MCU Park. He continues to tour the globe this Fall with these projects as well as solo. Having already made the 2015 Forbes EDM Cash Kings cut at #11, Diplo’s current run on and off the charts positions him to rank even higher on this year’s list.
