Akon’s “Right Now (Na Na Na)” Surpasses One Billion Views on YouTube

Akon’s YouTube Milestone

Akon's “Right now (Na Na Na)” has recently become the latest song to surpass one billion views on YouTube.

His Successful Career

The Senegalese-American singer and songwriter has now achieved this impressive milestone with four singles on the platform, following “Lonely” (2004), “Smack That” (2004), and “Play Hard” (2011), the latter being a collaboration with David Guetta and NE-YO.

'Right now (on on on)' “Freedom,” featured in his third studio album, was initially released in 2008. Presently, the 2007 single by Akon boasts over 700 million views, making it a strong contender for the next Akon song to hit one billion views.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viah35-mlsk

In recent years, other tracks that have reached one billion views on YouTube include Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Californication,” Dr. Dre’s “Still D.R.E.,” Ariana Grande’s “Thank U, Next,” and “Bodak Yellow” by Cardi B.

Akon’s Reflections

Interestingly, last year at Glastonbury, King Krule performed a brief cover of “Doesn’t Matter.” This wasn’t the first instance of Marshall publicly addressing Akon. In 2018, he admitted during a drunken interview that he incorrectly claimed Akon wrote a melody for the Sonic the Hedgehog theme.

In an interview with NME in 2023, he revealed that the song that stirs his emotions is his mega-hit “Lonely.”

“It was very lonely when I wrote this; it’s a true story,” he told NME. “At that time, the only person who supported me was gone due to my failures and decisions. But writing that song was a form of therapy for me. As soon as I get it out, I feel much better. It feels even better when I see that others can relate to it.”

Akon also mentioned another one of his songs, “Freedom,” from the same album as “Right now (Na Na Na),” as one that evokes memories of home. “It reminds me of a house in the States and houses in Africa. When I wrote this song, it somewhat reflected my life story, but from my parents’ perspective,” he told NME.

“This (O) tells their journey and how they arrived in the United States seeking freedom. However, when we came here, I encountered challenges adjusting—especially as a teenager and dealing with cultural shock.”

“Eventually, as I became comfortable in the U.S., I became aware of the struggles that minorities face. So I’ve always fought for this freedom in some respect, and that feeling is something this song still conveys.”