Sean Paul’s ‘Cheap Thrill’ Earns Him First Diamond Certification in the US

2026-01-25 - 21:07

Dancehall icon Sean Paul has reached a landmark moment in his career, earning his first Diamond certification in the United States, thanks to the enduring success of Cheap Thrills, his global collaboration with Australian singer-songwriter Sia. On Thursday, January 22, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) officially certified the 2016 hit as 11-times Platinum, signifying more than 11 million units in combined sales and streaming equivalents in the U.S. The achievement pushes the song past the 10 million unit benchmark required for Diamond status. “Cheap Thrills ” was previously certified nine times platinum in 2024, underscoring its continued commercial momentum. While Sean Paul has amassed an impressive collection of Platinum accolades throughout his career, Cheap Thrillsmarks his first single to reach the coveted Diamond tier in the American market. Among his other top-performing U.S. releases are the four-times Platinum Bailando with Enrique Iglesias, three-times Platinum hits Temperature and Rockabye with Clean Bandit, and the two-times Platinum Do You Remember alongside Jay Sean and Lil Jon. His early career anthems Get Busy and We Be Burnin’ remain certified Platinum. For Sia, the certification represents her second Diamond achievement, following her solo hit Chandelier, which reached the milestone in 2024. Produced by Grammy-winning hitmaker Greg Kurstin, Cheap Thrills has an unusual backstory. The song was originally written for Rihanna’s Anti album, for which Sia had also co-written Diamonds. After the track was passed over, Sia recorded it for her 2016 album This Is Acting, a project made up entirely of songs she had written for other major artists but ultimately kept for herself. The addition of Sean Paul’s unmistakable Jamaican energy helped transform Cheap Thrills into a global phenomenon. The song became Sia’s first and only Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 and marked Sean Paul’s fourth chart-topper, as well as his first No. 1 in a decade, following Get Busy, Baby Boy, and Temperature. The track also made history by making Sia the first woman over the age of 40 to top the Billboard Hot 100 since Madonna’s Music in 2000. Internationally, Cheap Thrills enjoyed remarkable longevity, spending 66 weeks on the UK Singles Chart and peaking at No. 2. It also earned a nomination for Best Pop Duo or Group Performance at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards. Despite the song’s massive success, Sean Paul and Sia have never met in person. Their collaboration was completed remotely, a pattern they repeated in 2021 with the single Dynamite, which appeared on Sean Paul’s Scorcha album. In the wider context of Jamaican-linked achievements, only one other act has earned a Diamond single in the U.S. market. Jamaican-American DJ trio Major Lazer holds Diamond status for their 2015 global hit Lean On, featuring DJ Snake and MØ. Reggae legend Bob Marley stands in a category of his own, with his compilation Legend: The Best of Bob Marley and the Wailers currently certified 18-times Platinum in the U.S., edging closer to double Diamond status. Meanwhile, fellow dancehall heavyweight Shaggy remains just shy of the milestone on paper. Although he has no officially certified Diamond records, his blockbuster 2000 album Hot Shot was certified six-times Platinum in 2001, and Billboard’s Luminate tracking places its U.S. consumption at approximately 8.8 million units as of 2025. With Cheap Thrills now etched into Diamond history, Sean Paul’s legacy as one of Jamaica’s most globally impactful artists has reached an undeniable new peak.