MAGIC!’s Reggae Pop Single “Rude” Officially Certified Diamond in the U.S.

The reggae-pop single “Rude” by Canadian band MAGIC! has officially been certified Diamond in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), signifying over 10 million combined sales and streaming units. The certification, awarded on October 15, 2025, marks the band’s first Diamond single.

Originally released on July 30, 2013, under RCA Records, “Rude” had humble beginnings before erupting into a global phenomenon. “When we dropped ‘Rude,’ it was on YouTube for six months with barely any views,” frontman Nasrirecalled in an exclusive World Music Views interview. “Then it exploded. So I’m never chasing a first-day hit. I believe in the slow build. Great songs always find their moment.”

Written by Nasri Atweh, Adam Messinger, Mark Pellizzer, Ben Spivak, and Alex Tanas, and produced by Messinger, the song was inspired by Nasri’s real-life relationship struggles. The title itself nods to Jamaica’s “rude boy” culture — a rebellious spirit that blends perfectly with the song’s sunny reggae rhythm and pop accessibility. Despite its breezy, beachside feel, the lyrics tell a story of defiance — a man seeking permission to marry his girlfriend, only to be turned down by her father.

Upon release, “Rude” soared up the charts, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for six consecutive weeks in 2014. It also reached No. 1 in the U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, and achieved 3× Platinum status in the U.K. The single was later named one of the best-selling songs of 2014, with over 8.6 million global sales, and won the JUNO Award for Single of the Year.

The accompanying music video, released on YouTube in December 2013, amplified the track’s viral appeal. Depicting Nasri proposing to his girlfriend and defying her father’s wishes, it now boasts over 2.6 billion views as of October 2025 — a rare feat for a reggae-pop crossover.

Despite its success, “Rude” wasn’t immune to controversy. Critics were split, with TIME Magazine notably naming it the “Worst Song of 2014.” Yet the backlash did little to slow its momentum. The song has since become a karaoke staple, a wedding playlist favorite, and a defining track of the 2010s pop-reggae wave.

MAGIC! continued to perform the song across the world, including an acoustic rendition on On Air with Ryan Seacrestand a Spanglish duet with Marc Anthony at the 15th Latin Grammy Awards. Over the years, “Rude” has been covered by Selena Gomez, Postmodern Jukebox, and countless fans online, keeping its melody alive across generations.

More than a decade since its release, “Rude” remains a symbol of global pop’s flirtation with Caribbean rhythms — and of a small Canadian band that took a reggae groove from Toronto to the top of the world.