Asim Azhar's 'Jo Tu Na Mila' becomes his first song to cross 100 million streams on Spotify

Pakistani singer and songwriter Asim Azhar achieved a new milestone with his most-heard song Jo Tu Na Mila by crossing 100 million streams on Spotify. In response to his achievement, Azhar took to his Instagram to express gratitude to his fans and announced an exciting surprise for all the enthusiasts of his hit number.

"My first-ever song to cross 100 million streams on Spotify, so I wanted to gift you guys something. Here is a very special version for all the Jo Tu Na Mila fans…" the singer shared the big news. Accompanied by a snippet of the song's lyrics, Azhar provided a sneak peek into the upcoming rendition of the beloved track. The post also gave credit to Kunaal Vermaa, the name behind the song’s heartfelt words, with Azhar expressing his appreciation for Vermaa’s “killer” lyricism.

First released in 2018, the chart-topper amassed over 100 million views on YouTube back in May 2020. Azhar celebrated the song’s big YouTube reception with a post on X (formerly Twitter), exclaiming, "100 million views Jo Tu Na Mila! And it gives me immense honour to become the fourth Pakistani artist, following in the footsteps of legends like Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Atif Aslam, and Momina Mustehsan, to have two or more songs surpass the 100 million view mark. Thank you, I love you guys."

"I'm still finding it hard to believe, almost lost for words. While this may be a commonplace achievement in certain parts of the world, originating from our region and having confronted numerous challenges, including the YouTube ban, it was an incredibly arduous journey," the Tera Woh Pyar singer shared in an Instagram post, celebrating the momentous occasion.

It was the same track that got Azhar heat for alleged plagiarism as some social media users pointed out the melody’s similarity with the tune from the 1989 Japanese film, A Town with an Ocean View, originally composed by Joe Hisaishi.

In response, the singer explained how the rights for the melody had actually been acquired through legal means. "That part of the song has been sampled through proper and legal means under Universal Music India, who released the song," he said.