John Shearer/Getty Images for The Recording AcademyLil Nas X started off 2021 by releasing a children's book, C Is for Country and teasing a future collaboration with Miley Cyrus. Over the weekend, the 21-year-old singer learned that his smash-hit single "Old Town Road" set a major music record.
The song, which spent a record-setting 19 week atop the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the chart's longest-running number-one single, is now the highest-certified song in the history of the RIAA, which hands out Gold and Platinum awards.
"OLD TOWN ROAD IS OFFICIALLY 14 TIMES PLATINUM! MOST PLATINUMS FOR ANY SONG EVER! LETS GOOO," Lil Nas X, born Montero Lamar Hill, celebrated Saturday on Twitter.
The RIAA retweeted the "Panini" singer's celebratory post and added, "Congratulations to @LilNasX featuring @billyraycyrus on the #1 awarded single in @riaa history! 14X [diamond emoji.]"
Billy Ray Cyrus, who lent his vocals to the 2019 track, also reacted in shock to the announcement.
"Incredible. I’m speechless. #OTR is now 14x platinum and the most certified song in music history. Thank YOU," the country rocker gushed on Saturday.
The RIAA lists a song unit as being one digital song sale or 150 on-demand video or audio streams. For "Old Town Road" to hit 14x Platinum, that means the song moved 14 million units.
Prior to kicking off the weekend on a history-making note, Lil Nas X explained the history of his birth name on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Friday.
"It’s slightly embarrassing, but not embarrassed,” the Grammy-winner told Jimmy Fallon about his birth name. “My mom wanted the car, the [Mitsubishi] Montero, and she never got one… so, yeah, I'm named after a car."
By Megan Stone
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