Master KG's 'Jerusalema (Remix)' Reaches Diamond Status in France

South African hitmaker Master KG has reached diamond status in France for his "Jerusalema" remix featuring Burna Boy. The sensational house DJ continues to be a trailblazer after the success of original hit song "Jerusalema" featuring Nomcebo Zikode. Nigerian superstar Burna Boy jumped onto the track shortly after the viral #JersalemaChallenge. The news of the diamond certification follows the release of the remix in June of this year. Master KG recently shared the news on Twitter.

Read: Interview: Master KG Talks 'Jerusalema' and Taking Bolobedu House to the world

This is a big win for Master KG as diamond status is admittedly difficult to reach in France. Snep, France's record industry organisation, requires 35 million streams for a single to be certified diamond. Initially, record sales of over 250k were the criterion for diamond status but this has changed due to the increasing digitisation of music. Snep counts 150 stream as equal to 1 sales. While the USA combines sales and streams of over 10 million for diamond certification.

According the RiSA (Recording industry of South Africa), diamond status does not exist as the organisation does not qualify streams on iTunes or any other streaming platform. Conversely, according to YFM, AKA reached multi-diamond status after selling over 1.7 million singles for "Dreamworks" and "One Time" in 2019. Fans have celebrated with Master KG on Twitter while others showed surprise at the diamond status as seen in the funny interaction below.

"Jerusalema" quickly became a hit after its release in December 2019 where it burnt up the radio charts to number one. Master KG has been making silent but powerful moves with hit singles like "Skeleton Move", "Waya Waya" and "Di Boya Limpopo". The South African music scene is known for its legacy of house hits but Limpopo has been in the background for a while. Master KG, however, is one of the few successful Limpopo house DJs who belong to a subculture of house music called "Bolobedu House". The distinct sound is produced with electro beats, upbeat drum syncs and traditional deep house.

In a recent interview with OkayAfrica, Master KG, explained that he was taken aback by the international success of "Jerusalema". His focus was on the South African music scene but like Nigerian Afrobeats, the world has taken a liking to the sound. A collaborator at heart, Master KG has indicated to wanting to do more collaborations and working on a Jerusalema deluxe version.

The original "Jerusalema" featuring Nomcebo Zikode boasts over 200 million views. Master KG has been nominated for "Best African Act for the 2020 EMAs. Watch "Jerusalema" featuring Nomcebo Zikode and Burna Boy on YouTube:

Master KG - Jerusalema Remix [Feat. Burna Boy and Nomcebo] (Official Music Video)www.youtube.com