Jasleen Royal's 'Heeriye' crosses 500 million views on YouTube
What's the story
Jasleen Royal's self-funded single Heeriye has crossed 500 million views on YouTube. It is only the second independent artist release to achieve this feat after AP Dhillon, Gurinder Gill, and Shinda Kahlon's Brown Munde. The song features Arijit Singh on vocals and actor Dulquer Salmaan in its music video directed by Taani Tanvir.
Chart-topping success
'Heeriye was a risk, an emotional investment': Royal
Released independently, Heeriye debuted at No. 1 on YouTube's Global Trending Music Videos chart, outperforming several releases from global pop stars.
The song has also racked up over 512 million streams on Spotify.
Speaking about the achievement, Royal said, "Heeriye was a risk, an emotional investment, and a statement that independent music can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the biggest commercial releases."
Industry impact
Royal's achievement in male-dominated industry
Royal's success is particularly notable in an industry where music composition, production, master ownership, and financing have been largely male-dominated.
Her streaming numbers further emphasize her independent success.
She is the only female singer-composer with multiple entries on the region's All-Time Top 15 Most-Streamed Songs list.
Her popular track Ranjha has crossed 602 million Spotify streams, while independent release Sahiba has surpassed 280 million streams.
Together, Ranjha, Heeriye, and Sahiba account for over 1.3 billion streams.