Swae Lee

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Lore & Background

Swae Lee's collaboration with Post Malone on "Sunflower" was announced in stages. Malone first confirmed his involvement with *Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse* on October 2, 2018, on *The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon*, where he played a snippet of the song. On October 15, Swae Lee revealed he would also be on the track and released another snippet. The song was released as a single on October 19, 2018. Lee called "Sunflower" one of his favorite collaborations in 2018, specifically because of its placement in the film: "The main character sings 'Sunflower' and uses my vocals to calm him down in a certain situation—like my music was therapeutic for him."

In Their Own Story

In the studio, the collaboration between Swae Lee and Post Malone on "Sunflower" produced a song that Sony Pictures' head of music and creative affairs, Spring Aspers, described as "both heroic and emotional." The track was written by Malone and performed by both artists. It was released as a single from the soundtrack to the 2018 animated film *Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse* and later included on Post Malone's third studio album *Hollywood's Bleeding* (2019). An official remix later featured fellow American singers Nicky Jam and Prince Royce.

Reader's Guide

Swae Lee's role in the Post Malone collaboration "Sunflower" is that of a featured vocalist. The song became a massive commercial success, reaching number one in the US, Australia, Canada, Malaysia, and New Zealand. It spent 33 weeks in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, tying the record at the time for the most such weeks. The song received double diamond (20-times platinum) certification by the RIAA in the US, becoming the first song to receive that certification in the United States in February 2024. It was nominated for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.

Did You Know?

• "Sunflower" became Swae Lee's first Hot 100 number-one as a featured vocalist, following prior chart entries with Rae Sremmurd.
• The song spent 33 non-consecutive weeks in the top ten of the Hot 100, tying the record for the longest top 10 run at the time alongside "Shape of You" (the record has since been surpassed).
• "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X was the first song to receive double diamond (20-times platinum) certification by the RIAA in 2021; "Sunflower" achieved 17-times platinum certification as of 2024.
• The official music video for "Sunflower" has received approximately 1.8–1.9 billion views on YouTube as of early 2025.
• Swae Lee said the main character in *Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse* uses his vocals to calm himself down, calling his music "therapeutic."

Chart-Topping Breakthrough and Record-Breaking Longevity

"Sunflower" debuted at number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached number one on the chart issue dated January 19, 2019. It became Swae Lee's first song as a soloist to top the chart. The song is the first from a soundtrack to reach the top of the Hot 100 since Justin Timberlake's "Can't Stop the Feeling!" (2016) and is the highest-charting song from a Spider-Man franchise soundtrack, passing Chad Kroeger's "Hero" which reached number three in 2002. "Sunflower" also marks the first Hot 100 number one by two co-billed male leads with no other accompanying acts since George Michael and Elton John's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (1992). The song spent 33 non-consecutive weeks in the top ten, tying Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" and Maroon 5's "Girls Like You" for the longest top 10 run in the chart's archives at the time.

Global Commercial Dominance and Certification Milestones

"Sunflower" reached number one in Australia, Canada, Malaysia, and New Zealand, and the top ten in 12 additional countries. It received double diamond (20-times platinum) certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in the US. By December 2023, it was set to become the first song to receive this certification in the United States, signifying 20 million units in sales; the certification was finalized in February 2024. The song also received diamond certification in Canada, Australia, and Mexico. According to the IFPI, "Sunflower" was the fourth most successful song of 2019, selling 13.4 million global equivalent units. In the US, it was the second-best performing R&B/hip-hop song of 2019 with 6.3 million equivalent units, including 668,000 digital downloads.

Critical Acclaim and Artistic Reception

"Sunflower" received universal acclaim from music critics. *Billboard*'s Gil Kaufman called it "a funky, dreamy ballad." Israel Daramola from *Spin* called it a "glitchy, soulful record" that "will appeal to fans of the more melodic songs made by Post and Swae Lee." Patrick Doyle of *Rolling Stone* characterized the "hyper-catchy" song as "a diary of a rocky relationship, which walks the line between hip-hop and dream-pop." Spring Aspers, head of music and creative affairs at Sony Pictures, said the song is "both heroic and emotional" and "the perfect soundtrack for Miles to discover the Spider-Man inside himself."

Visual Storytelling and Cultural Legacy

A lyric video for "Sunflower" was released on October 19, 2018, composed of computer-animated footage from the film with lyrics presented in comic book style. As of 2025, this lyric video has received over 2.8 billion views on YouTube. An official live-action music video was released on January 10, 2019, containing an exclusive look at the recording session and a live performance; by 2023, it had over 78 million views. The song was nominated for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. American indie pop band Vampire Weekend covered "Sunflower" on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge.

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