Hoobastank’s massive hit “The Reason” has just entered an elite club — songs that have topped one billion streams on Spotify.
“What an amazing moment,” guitarist Dan Estrin said in a statement. “Creating something with your childhood best friends and then watching it grow into an out of control wild fire has been absolutely surreal. None of us ever expected this, and at times it feels like a dream. Knowing how much ‘The Reason’ means to so many people in the world is an indescribable, proud, emotional feeling. I am way beyond grateful and realize how fortunate we are. We have played it all over the world. And to see everyone’s faces while they sing along is priceless. Thank you world.”
The pop rock single’s one billion stream milestone arrives as the song turns 20. Initially released in 2003 on their sophomore album, The Reason, and subsequently dropped as a single on January 26th, 2004, the track skyrocketed in popularity and remains Hoobastank’s best-known work. (Though, it’s actually the band’s other song that made our list of the 50 Kick-Butt Post-Grunge Songs We Can Get Behind.)
“A billion is cool but a trillion would be awesome!,” vocalist Doug Robb said. “All joking aside, I feel amazed and astonished at how much life the song has had and continues to have. It’s so cool that it has now been woven into a whole new generation’s music taste. Let’s go for another billion!”
Some of the lasting popularity of “The Reason” can be attributed to its prevalence on TikTok. Soundtracking different trends, the tune has nearly a quarter of a million posts, and #NotAPerfectPerson, a reference to the opening lines, has racked up over 80,000. As a result, “The Reason” already sits at over one billion views on YouTube, and Hoobastank currently boasts a cool 9.8 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
Hoobastank have only a select few tour dates set for 2024 at the moment, including stops at Not Just a “Phase” Fest, Download Festival in London, and Summer Sonic Festival in Japan. Keep up to date with their concerts here. The band is also in the midst of celebrating the 20th anniversary of The Reason by sharing detailed track breakdowns. Check out the first one here.
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