ISLAMABAD: Coke Studio hit “Pasoori” has become the first Pakistan-made music video to cross one billion views on YouTube, more than four years after the Punjabi-language track became a global sensation.

Performed by Pakistani singers Ali Sethi and Shae Gill, the song was released as part of Coke Studio Pakistan’s Season 14 in February 2022. Written by Sethi and Fazal Abbas and produced by Zulfiqar Jabbar Khan, or Xulfi, it blends traditional South Asian sounds with contemporary pop.

The song quickly found audiences far beyond Pakistan, reaching No. 3 on Spotify’s Global Viral 50 chart in 2022 and becoming the platform’s most-streamed Pakistani song that year. It also ranked among Google’s most-searched songs globally in 2022.

“From Pakistan to the world,” Coke Studio Pakistan said in an Instagram post marking the YouTube milestone.

“What started as a song became a global moment, carried by millions of you around the world. Today, we celebrate 1 Billion YouTube Views on Pasoori a milestone made possible by every single person who pressed play, sang along and made it their own.”

“Pasoori,” whose title roughly refers to a difficult predicament or complication, explores themes of forbidden love, separation and the barriers keeping people apart.

Its international reach grew through social media and streaming platforms, with the song inspiring covers and reinterpretations around the world. It was also featured in the Disney+ Marvel series “Ms. Marvel,” while an Indian adaptation, “Pasoori Nu,” appeared in the 2023 Bollywood film “Satyaprem Ki Katha.”

“From all of us at Coke Studio Pakistan, thank you for making history with us,” Coke Studio Pakistan added.