Major Lazer, Nyla’s ‘Light It Up’ Goes Triple Platinum In The UK

Light It Up, a 2015 track by Major Lazer and Brick N Lace’s Nyla Thorbourne, is now certified triple platinum in the United Kingdom.

According to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), the song was issued a third Brit Certified Platinum Award on Friday (March), after it surpassed the sales and streaming equivalent of over 1.8 million units sold in the UK, as measured by The Official Charts Company. It had been certified double Platinum in March 2018, and Platinum in May 2016.

First released in June 2015, Light It Up appeared on Major Lazer’s third studio album, Peace Is The Mission, released under Mad Decent.  A successful remix, with additional vocals from British-Ghanaian Afrobeats artist Fuse ODG, was released as a single in November 2015.

The remix, which fused Dancehall with elements of EDM, peaked at No. 75 on the US Billboard Hot 100, No. 7 on the UK Singles chart, and No. 32 on the Canadian Billboard Hot 100.

Nyla previously told DancehallMag that she embraces this type of fusion of genres within her music. “I consider myself a hybrid; a fusion of different genres mashed up together. Are there Dancehall elements fused in, and do I lean that way sometimes? Of course! But I don’t really consider myself a Dancehall act,” said the singer.

“Whether I identify as being a Dancehall artist or not, any track going platinum or multi-platinum is a great achievement or accomplishment for any artist, and a Jamaican one at that.”

“As a Jamaican artist born and bred, I am proud of the borders Light It Up has crossed,” she added. “It will still go down in the history books as being one of the greats that came out of Jamaica.”

Interestingly, Light It Up‘s Dancehall elements might be to blame for the song being implicated in a lawsuit filed by Jamaican production company Steely & Clevie, alleging the unauthorized use of the rhythm and drum section from its Fish Market riddim in the Diplo-produced track and almost 1,700 other songs.

The lawsuit, filed in a California federal court, is ongoing.

In the meantime, the song continues to grow. The remix has over 1.2 billion plays on Spotify, while the official videos have almost 1 billion views on YouTube.

It is also currently certified 2X Platinum in the United States (2,000,000 units), Diamond in France (333,333 units), 2X Platinum in Belgium (40,000 units), 2X Platinum in Denmark (180,000 units), 3X Platinum in Spain (120,000 units), and 5X Platinum in Italy (250,000 units).

Nyla and her sisters Tasha and  Nyanda  Thorbourne formed Brick & Lace back in 2004.

They received momentous success upon the release of their breakthrough single, Love Is Wicked in 2007. The album of the same title was the first release from international recording artist-producer Akon’s KonLive Distribution label.

They are also known for other hit tracks like Bad To Di Bone, Get That Clear, and Push It Up.