Shazam launched the first version of their tool back in August of 2002 when they experimented with a text message service based in the UK. Users could identify songs by dialing “2580” on their phone and holding the device up to a speaker as a song played. They were then sent an SMS message telling them the song title and the name of the artist. At the time, the most Shazamed song was “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley.

Shazam would later appear on the app store in 2008 and launched its Andriod version in October of the same year. By June of 2021, the app had over 1 billion Shazams per month and as of this week, it has officially surpassed 70 billion song recognitions. Today the 20-year-old platform boasts over 225 million global monthly users.

The acknowledgments continue with the most Shazamed song of all time going to Australian singer Tones And I for 2019’s “Dance Monkey,” which collected over 41 million Shazams.

Shazam also observed the most searched songs in seven genres: “Can’t Hold Us” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton for hip-hop/rap; “Prayer In C (Robin Schulz Radio Edit)” by Lilly Wood and the Prick and Robin Schulz for dance; “All of Me” by John Legend for R&B/soul; “Mi Gente” by J Balvin and Willy William for Latin; “Let Her Go” by Passenger for pop; “Dance Monkey” by Tones And I for alternative; and “Take Me to Church” by Hozier in the singer/songwriter category.

Across its two-decade history, Shazam has introduced various new features — the latest being the concert discovery tool, which spotlights concert information and tickets on sale for shows nearby when someone Shazams a song (or by searching for it in the Shazam app or website).

To mark the anniversary, Shazam developed a commemorative playlist comprised of the most Shazamed song of each calendar year since its inception. You can listen to that list on Apple Music.

Notable Firsts

Fastest Tracks to Accumulate Shazams

Most Shazamed of All Time

Top Shazamed Songs by Genre