Japanese comedian Piko-Taro’s video ‘PPAP’ cracks Billboard’s top 100 singles with PPAP
Comedian Piko-Taro’s music video “Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen,” abbreviated as “PPAP,” that recently went viral on social media has entered the weekly U.S. Billboard Top 100 singles chart at 77th. It is the first time in 26 years that a Japanese artist has made the U.S. chart. The last was singer Seiko Matsuda, whose song “The Right Combination” reached No. 54 in 1990. Currently, Piko-Taro’s video is available on streaming services such as Spotify and can also be downloaded from iTunes. Billboard says the song, which lasts just 45 seconds, is the shortest-ever to make it into the Top 100. Chart rankings are determined by the number of radio air plays, sales and online streams. The video has been viewed more than 55 million times since it was uploaded Aug. 25. It topped YouTube’s weekly chart for two weeks in a row, getting a major boost after Canadian pop star Justin Bieber recommended it to his followers on Twitter, saying it’s “my favorite video on the internet.” In ...