Sean Paul‘s list of achievements just got longer. “Cheap Thrills,” his smash 2016 collaboration with Sia, was certified 11 times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America on Thursday, marking more than 11 million units — his first song to achieve the diamond-plus feat.
The voice behind iconic dancehall crossover hits like “Temperature,” “Get Busy” and “Gimme the Light,” Sean Paul exploded onto the Billboard charts in 2000, kicking off more than two decades of cross-genre success. 2002’s Dutty Rock earned him the Grammy for best reggae album and became his first of two top 10 projects on the Billboard 200. Over on the Billboard Hot 100, Paul has notched four No. 1 singles from 10 top 10 hits, including the four-week chart-topper “Cheap Thrills.”
Sia initially released “Trills” on her 2015 This Is Acting LP, and the Kingston-bred artist hopped on a remix at the top of 2016. Tapping into the then-dominant “tropical pop” sound, Paul’s remix helped the song conquer top 40, topping the all-genre Radio Songs chart for eight weeks — his longest stay atop the ranking since his featured turn on Beyoncé‘s 2003 smash “Baby Boy” (nine weeks). “Cheap Thrills” eventually finished at No. 66 on the 2010s Decade-End Billboard Hot 100 and earned both artists their first (and only) Grammy nods in the best pop/duo group performance category.
Notably, “Thrills,” which marked Paul’s first Hot 100 chart-topper in more than a decade, is Sia’s second single to earn a diamond certification from the RIAA. In 2024, “Chandelier” reached diamond status exactly a decade post-release, just like “Trills.”
Of course, Sean Paul has kept busy over the past decade, releasing two consecutive Grammy-nominated albums — 2021’s Live n Livin and 2022’s Scorcha — that both hit the top 10 of Reggae Albums at Nos. 9 and 6, respectively. Last month, he co-headlined the Jamaica Strong benefit concert for Hurricane Melissa relief, which graced New York’s UBS Arena on Dec. 12. The day of the fundraiser, he released an uplifting anthem titled “Faith We A Keep.”
Considering the uptick in 2016 nostalgia across social media, it’s only fitting that one of that year’s biggest hits is honored for its success.
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