With almost 7 billion and 40 million views, Baby Shark surpassed the song Despacito, released in 2017 by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yanke.
Baby Shark became the most watched video on YouTube four years after it was uploaded by Pinkfong. The author is unknown, this song has been sung to young children for some time, but the song became famous after it was recorded by a 10-year-old child, Hope Segoine. Produced by Pinkfong, the song first spread to Asia, then the United States and Europe. The song reached number 6 in the UK singles chart and number 32 in the US.
With a duration of only one minute and 21 seconds, the chorus invites listening in a loop, contributing to the record of views. Live tours, promotional items, books and more were released based on the song.
The song is in the public domain and is not owned by Pinkfong. However, the company has been sued by Jonathan Wright, author of children’s songs, who claims that in 2011 he recorded a version similar to the one released by Pinkfong and that he owns rights to its variety. A verdict has not yet been handed down in this case.
Last month, the song returned to the public’s attention after three employees of a prison in the US state of Oklahoma were accused of cruelty to detainees. The guards handcuffed the detainees and forced them to listen to Baby Shark for two hours.
