“What’s Up?” is now in rarefied air. The 1993 smash hit from 4 Non Blondes is the latest song to rack up a billion streams on Spotify.
“We live in a world where ‘what the fuck is going on?’ is a constant concern and a frequent question we all find ourselves asking,” the band’s Linda Perry shares in a statement. “We voice it in conversation amongst friends and with random people we meet that share the same frustrations. It will be heard under our breath or late nights when you can’t sleep from the political anxiety we are all facing. ‘What’s Up?’ has been an anthem for people all over the world, and I am so deeply grateful it found its way through me.”
“What’s Up?” appeared on the lone 4 Non Blondes album, 1992’s Platinum-certified Bigger, Better, Faster, More! After its release as a single in March 1993, the song peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spawned a hit music video, which was nominated for Best Alternative Rock Video at the VMAs. Since being added to YouTube, the video has been viewed 1.8 billion times.
Perry, who left 4 Non Blondes in 1994, has endured as one of the most successful songwriters and producers in the music industry, lending her magic to artists from Britney Spears to Brandi Carlile. She’s credited on hits like Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful” and Pink’s “Get The Party Started” and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2015.
Recently, Perry wrote and produced Ringo Starr’s Crooked Boy EP in full and was the subject of director Don Hardy’s documentary Linda Perry: Let It Die Here, which debuted at Tribeca Film Festival this year.
Listen to 4 Non Blondes’ “What’s Up?” on Spotify now.
