"Replay" is the debut single by British Virgin Islands singer Iyaz. It is the first single released from his debut album of the same name, which was released in 2009. The official remix features American rapper Flo Rida.
The single entered at the top of the UK Singles Chart, where it remained for two weeks until it was overtaken by "Fireflies" by Owl City. Internationally, the single also topped the charts in Australia, Israel and Switzerland and peaked within the top 10 of the charts in many countries, including Finland, France and the United States. The combined figure of the official music video and prequel video on YouTube is currently over 400+ million views.
Background and composition
Beluga Heights labelmates Sean Kingston, Jason Derulo, co-wrote the song along with Iyaz, along with label owner J. R. Rotem and songwriting duo Planet VI (known as Rock City at the time). This was the second song that Derulo, Kingston and Rotem wrote together, the first being Derulo's own debut single, "Whatcha Say". Rotem also produced the track and credits himself at the beginning of the song via his signature "J-J-J-J-J.R." sample. The song was originally intended for Sean Kingston's album Tomorrow, but Kingston and his team rejected it.
Eleven years later, the song went viral online again in June 2020, sparking numerous memes. It is set in the key of F♯ minor, and has a tempo of 91.
Chart performance The song debuted in the UK at number one on 10 January 2010, selling over 106,000 copies in its first week, the highest sale for any new year release since Michelle McManus sold 118,000 copies of "All This Time" in the equivalent week in January 2004. After two weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart and six weeks at the top of the UK R&B Chart, "Replay" was succeeded by Owl City's "Fireflies" and Rihanna's "Rude Boy", respectively. It was the first song released in 2010 in the UK to be certified Gold with sales in excess of 400,000. In June 2010, it was announced that "Replay" was the third highest selling single of the year in the UK at that point. It was also the first song to reach number one in the 2010s (not counting Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" which also reached number one in 2009).
In the US, "Replay" managed to reach the number-two spot on the Hot 100 for one week, behind only Kesha's "Tik Tok". As of December 2012, Replay has sold over four million digital copies.
Music video The official music video features Iyaz wearing headphones and listening to music on a beach. Other various scenes feature Iyaz singing with a background of the British Virgin Islands' flag, and partying on the beach during the night. The video was directed by Rock Jacobs. A prequel video was also filmed, featuring the full-length beach scenes with Iyaz and his love interest, played by Panamanian model Estelita Quintero.
Remixes "Replay" (official remix) "Replay" (official remix #2) "Replay" (DJ Suketu's Call to Dhol mix)
Cultural impact In 2017, Norwegian producer duo Davai released an EDM-inspired cover version, with new vocals by Cire. The song reached number 16 on the Norwegian Singles Chart. In 2022, the Italian rapper Shiva released the single "Pensando a lei", which contains a sample of Replay. In 2019–20, the song had gained traction as a meme as another form of rickrolling others in social settings and on the app TikTok.
Charts
Weekly charts +2009–2010 weekly chart performance for "Replay"Chart (2009–2010)PeakpositionBelgian Airplay (Ultratop Flanders)3Euro Digital Tracks (Billboard)1 Russia Airplay (TopHit) 29 +2026 weekly chart performance for "Replay"Chart (2026)Peakposition Nigeria Bubbling Under Hot 100 (TurnTable) 8 Nigeria Airplay (TurnTable) 60
Year-end charts +2009 year-end chart performance for "Replay" Chart (2009) PositionUS Billboard Hot 10083 +2010 year-end chart performance for "Replay"Chart (2010)PositionAustralia (ARIA) 15Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)48Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)28Belgium (Ultratop Wallonia)35Brazil (Crowley) 95Canada (Canadian Hot 100)32European Hot 100 Singles19France (SNEP)58Germany (Official German Charts)47Italy (FIMI)24Italy Airplay (EarOne)25Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)21Netherlands (Single Top 100)49Romania (Romanian Top 100)51 Russia Airplay (TopHit) 117Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)14UK Singles (OCC)18US Billboard Hot 10025US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)22US Rhythmic (Billboard)10
Certifications
Release history +Release dates and formats for "Replay" Region Date Format Label(s) United States August 25, 2009 Mainstream airplay Reprise
See also List of Mainstream Top 40 number-one hits of 2009 (U.S.) List of number-one singles from the 2010s (UK) List of number-one R&B hits of 2010 (UK) List of number-one singles in Australia in 2010 List of number-one hits of 2010 (Switzerland) List of Billboard Rhythmic number-one songs of the 2010s
References