Latest news with #Astley
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rick Astley Celebrates 'Never Gonna Give You Up' Reaching 1 Billion Spotify Streams: 'Who Would've Believed?'
Rick Astley's 1987 hit "Never Gonna Give You Up" reached one billion streams on Spotify The song gained newfound popularity in the 2000s thanks to the rickrolling bait-and-switch meme Less than 1,000 songs have garnered one billion streams on SpotifyRick Astley is never gonna give you up — and neither will his fans. On Monday, June 2, the Grammy-nominated artist shared his thoughts on the 1987 song "Never Gonna Give You Up" reaching one billion streams on Spotify. "So who would've believed after all these years 'Never Gonna Give You Up' has had a billion streams on Spotify. That's a billion streams. How amazing," Astley, 59, said in an Instagram video. "Thank you for listening and lots of love, and I'll see you all soon." "Never Gonna Give You Up" was part of Astley's debut solo album, Whenever You Need Somebody released in his early 20s. The song reached no. 1 on over 20 international charts upon release, per The Hollywood Reporter. As of publishing, the music video has over 1.6 billion views on YouTube. is now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more! It experienced a new popularity in the 2000s, when getting "Rick-Rolled," a bait-and-switch online move, was born from the song. The meme included tricking people online into expecting one thing from a URL and then being brought to the song or the video for "Never Gonna Give You Up," hence the term Rick-Rolled. Astley, who has been vocal about the song's viral popularity, commented on the meme craze in 2016 and told PEOPLE about the first time he was Rick-Rolled. "A friend of mine Rick-Rolled me a couple of times, and I didn't really know what he was doing. I just thought he was being an idiot," the singer said at the time. "I just kept thinking, 'What is this idiot doing? This is just not amusing. I don't really know what's going on.' So we eventually got on the phone and he explained it to me." Added Astley: "To be honest, I still didn't really get it. It took a few weeks for me to grasp." However, he only sees the meme as a "positive thing." "I don't think you can really have any bad thoughts about an Internet prank that turned your song into a global moment," said Astley. The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now! He also consulted his daughter, who was a teen at the time, on navigating the new trend. 'She was saying, 'Don't sweat it. It has nothing to do with you,'' he told PEOPLE in January 2025. "And I'm like, 'How can it have nothing to do with me?' And she said, 'Just leave it where it is. Don't try to embrace it and try funny things with it,'" continued Astley. Less than 1,000 songs have reached the Billion Streams club on Spotify. Astley's hit joins "Love Story" by Taylor Swift, "Mr. Brightside" by the Killers, "Uptown Girl" by Billy Joel and "September" by Earth, Wind & Fire, among other tracks. Read the original article on People
CNBC
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CNBC
Rick Astley's No. 1 hit has a billion Spotify streams, 38 years after its release: It's 'something I never dreamed of'
Rick Astley was just 21 years old when he recorded his 1987 hit, 'Never Gonna Give You Up.' It spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and charted for 24 more weeks. At age 27, he retired from recording music, with no clue that his song would see a resurgence among millennials and Gen Zers decades later. Astley's song joined Spotify's "Billions Club" on Monday, surpassing 1 billion streams on the platform. "I never could have imagined back in 1987 that 'Never Gonna Give You Up' would still be going strong decades later," Astley, 59, said in a statement, according to USA Today. "Thanks to streaming platforms, a whole new generation has been able to discover music like mine. Reaching 1 billion streams is something I never dreamed of and to everyone who's ever listened, thank you." Astley's retirement wasn't permanent: He released a studio album in 2005, and has released three more since 2016. But his song's modern popularity is more due to "Rickrolling," an online bait-and-switch prank where someone is tricked into watching the song's music video through a misleading first learned about Rickrolling in 2007, when his friend emailed him a YouTube link that brought him to his own music video, he told Vice in 2022. Today, the music video has at least 1.6 billion views on YouTube, and "Never Gonna Give You Up" has stayed relevant enough to be certified five-times platinum in the U.S. It's unclear exactly how much money Astley has received from the online phenomenon, with streaming services, distributors and music labels rarely publishing exact payout rates. The singer himself may not care: "I've never even tried to find out what was actually made from the YouTube hits. I've never really thought about it," he wrote on Reddit in October 2016. Astley was already financially comfortable when he retired at 27, he told ITV's "This Morning" on October 28. More recently, he was paid "a chunk of money" to sing "Never Gonna Give You Up" at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2008, and in a 2015 Virgin Mobile commercial, he wrote on Reddit. "I have been paid well twice, for rickrolling," Astley wrote. Astley's early retirement was prompted by burnout, he told ITV. He felt so consumed by the business of music that he rarely enjoyed the feeling of being a musician, he said. "I was going to America to do a big TV show in New York, and I developed a fear of flying," said Astley. "I didn't want to get on planes anymore, which is hard to be an international pop star if you won't fly." His music-making hiatus gave him a relative degree of off-stage anonymity that he's since embraced, he told Vice. "I've done way more gigging in the last 15 years than I did when I was famous. I'm a lot happier than when I was having my hits," said Astley. "It's kind of perfect because, even though I've just sung for 10,000 people, and they've sung most of the words back to me … when I go to the bar, one person might recognize me. Sometimes none — it's amazing."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Coffee break: Edible sunscreen, summer milkshake favorite, and getting Rick-rolled
Good morning, everyone! We're taking a coffee break and we have some fun stories to share with you this morning! Harvard University researchers followed a group of nearly 50-thousand women for 30 discovered that drinking coffee every morning helped women stay mentally sharp and physically strong later in life. The benefits were noticeable in middle-aged women who drank caffeinated coffee. Decaf coffee and tea didn't have the same effect. Participants drank up to 2-and-a-half cups of joe a day. One of Chick-fil-A's most beloved milkshakes is set to return next week. The Atlanta-based fast food restaurant recently announced that its peach milkshake will return for its 16th year starting June 9. The creamy treat will be joined by a new peach-themed item, peach frosted lemonade. The drink features Chick-fil-A's regular or diet lemonade mixed, icedream dessert, and peaches. Both drinks will be available for a limited time at participating restaurants. Chick-fil-a also announced that the pineapple dragonfruit beverage will be extended through August 16. Dermatologists are weighing in on the new trend of 'Edible sunscreens.' As you might expect, most are saying don't ditch the topical lotions and sprays. The edibles are filled with vitamins and antioxidants to protect your skin from within. Dermatologists say people might just be hearing about these, but they have actually been prescribing them for tears. They contain ingredients to help reduce sun-induced skin damage and inflammation, but they were always meant to be used with a physical barrier … Like traditional SPF. So no, edible sunscreen does not keep you from burning. 'Never gonna give you up' by Rick Astley first came out in 1987, but future generations know it more as the 'Rick rolling' song.. The gag from 2007 where you fool people into clicking on an unrelated link that takes them to the song. Our sister station in Chicago had the WGN Men's glee club even rick-rolled Rick Astley seven years ago. Astley thanked the listeners and said he never could have imagined his song would hit a billion streams. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'80s Pop Icon Joins Elite Club With ‘Monumental Achievement' of Classic Hit
'80s Pop Icon Joins Elite Club With 'Monumental Achievement' of Classic Hit originally appeared on Parade. No, you haven't been Rickrolled! 's iconic '80s classic song, 'Never Gonna Give You Up,' which inspired the social media pranking sensation, has joined some unique company. 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 Originally released in 1987, the song has joined Spotify's Billions Club in recognition of it passing more than one 1 billion streams on the platform. 'I never could have imagined back in 1987 that 'Never Gonna Give You Up' would still be going strong decades later,' Astley said in a statement. 'Thanks to streaming platforms, a whole new generation has been able to discover music like mine. Reaching one billion streams is something I never dreamed of and to everyone who's ever listened, thank you.' Astley also celebrated the achievement by posting a video commenting about the milestone on Instagram. Fans were quick to congratulate the singer in the comments, with one writing, 'Congratulations on the monumental achievement of your debut single, "Never Gonna Give You Up," reaching an astounding 1 billion streams on Spotify! 🎉✨🥳✨🎊 This is a testament to the timeless magic of your music and the enduring love fans worldwide have for this iconic track.' At the time of its initial release, 'Never Gonna Give You Up' also did quite well for itself, topping the singles chart in more than 20 different countries, including a five-week run on top of the U.K. charts and two weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. It experienced a renaissance in 2020 thanks to the Rick-rolling social media prank, reaching platinum status in the U.K. that year and double-platinum there three years later. In the U.S. it has hit the five-time platinum isn't the only streaming platform where the song has exceeded 1 billion streams. It hit that mark on YouTube in 2022 and now has more than 1.6 billion there. Aside from winning the hearts of fans worldwide, Astley has also earned the endorsement of fellow stars, including Foo Fighters , who called Astley 'the most bad-ass mother—ker!' Foo Fighters have backed Astley on a live version of 'Never Gonna Give You Up,' while Astley covered the Foo's hit 'Everlong' live at Radio 2 in the Park in 2023. '80s Pop Icon Joins Elite Club With 'Monumental Achievement' of Classic Hit first appeared on Parade on Jun 2, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'80s Pop Music Icon, 59, Announces Exciting Career Milestone
'80s Pop Music Icon, 59, Announces Exciting Career Milestone originally appeared on Parade. It's rare that an artist so defined by their decade stands the test of time and holds relevance throughout the years. One of these artists who managed to break out of their time is Rick Astley. The English star had massive success in the '80s with his album "Whenever You Need Somebody," which went platinum after selling over 15 million copies. The album is most known for its iconic, generation spanning pop hit, "Never Gonna Give You Up." The song topped the charts in twenty-five different countries, and rose to prominence in the internet age for the "rick-rolling" trend, where people would be baited with links to the song. Astley has become a musical legend because of the tune, and he's seeing success from it up to this day. Recently, Astley gave some exciting news on his TikTok account about the iconic song. A billion streams a huge accomplishment. Fans left their congratulations in the comments section. "We are never gonna give you up Rick.👏👏" "I wish you a billion more. ❤️" "I remember dancing in the club s when this was released. It was fire then and it's fire now." If the past 40 years are anything to go off of, the song will be a permanent fixture of the music world. Congratulations to you, Rick!🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬 '80s Pop Music Icon, 59, Announces Exciting Career Milestone first appeared on Parade on Jun 3, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
