Blu Cantrell, Sean Paul’s ‘Breathe’ Certified Triple Platinum In UK

Blu Cantrell’s 2003 hit Breathe featuring Sean Paul has been certified 3x Platinum in the United Kingdom by the British Phonographic Industry.

The new award, issued on March 6, recognizes more than 1.8 million units in combined sales and streams in the country.

Originally recorded by Cantrell for her Bittersweet album without Sean Paul, the song was later reworked for single release, with the Sean Paul remix arriving in February 2003. The album version was produced and co-written by Ivan Matias and Andrea Martin, while the remix version added Mark Pitts to the production credits.

The collaboration did modest business in the United States, where it peaked at No. 70 on the Billboard Hot 100, but it found much bigger traction overseas.

In the UK, Breathe debuted at No. 1 on the UK Singles chart and stayed there for four straight weeks, becoming the first UK chart-topper for both Cantrell and Sean Paul.

The record arrived at a pivotal moment for Sean Paul. He was already surging internationally off Get Busy, and Breathe helped deepen his hold on the UK market just before more crossover successes followed, including his Beyoncé collab Baby Boy.

The song’s video, directed by Hype Williams, has amassed roughly 141 million views.

Breathe now stands alongside Dua Lipa’s No Lie as Sean Paul’s top-certified UK singles, with both records having moved 1.8 million units.

Temperature and Get Busy are also among his biggest performers in the market at 2x Platinum (1.2 million units), while Like Glue, She Doesn’t Mind, Beyoncé’s Baby Boy, The Saturdays’ What About Us, Wiley and Stefflon Don’s Boasty, and Fuse ODG’s Dangerous Love have all earned Platinum (600,000 units).

Other Sean Paul titles certified Gold (400,000 units) in the UK include Got 2 Luv U with Alexis Jordan, Gimme The Light, We Be Burnin’, Mad Love with David Guetta and Becky G, Do You Remember with Jay Sean and Lil Jon, and I’m Still in Love with You with Sasha.