Shaggy’s ‘Boombastic’ Earns Double-Platinum Certification in New Zealand Nearly Three Decades After Release

Nearly 30 years after it first exploded onto international airwaves, Shaggy’s iconic hit Boombastic is still proving its staying power.

The dancehall superstar has earned a new career milestone after Boombastic, the signature single from his third studio album of the same name, was certified double platinum in New Zealand. The certification, awarded on June 11, recognizes more than 60,000 units in combined sales and streaming equivalents.

For many artists, a hit song’s lifespan is measured in months. For Shaggy, Boombastic has become a multi-generational anthem whose popularity continues to transcend eras, formats and borders.

Originally released in 1995, the song helped transform the Jamaican deejay from a rising Caribbean star into a global phenomenon. Built around a sample of King Floyd’s Baby Let Me Kiss You, the track combined Shaggy’s unmistakable vocal style with an infectious groove that introduced dancehall music to millions of listeners worldwide.

It was 1995, and Livingston, who was a bit worried that Shaggy would not be able to repeat the success of ‘Oh Carolina’, a dancehall remake of a classic ska hit by the Folkes Brothers, began brainstorming ideas for Shaggy’s sophomore album.

“Boombastic was one of the first ideas I came up with. Then as I arrived back in New York after being on the road, I went to the studio to lay the track. We made this track six or seven times, changed the bass line, trying to get that groove, that feel. When I got the groove and feel, I went to Shaggy with the idea,” producer Robert Livingston recalled.

Livingston picked up Shaggy and they headed to the studio in Long Island, New York. While in the car, they began to write the lyrics to the song.

“We wrote the lryics to the track and it became a huge record, huge song. actually it entered the British chart at #1, we got a huge commercial with the record, Levi’s commercial…this song is one of those records that keeps doing well for the artiste and myself,” Livingston said.

Today, Boombastic is widely regarded as Shaggy’s signature recording and one of the most influential dancehall songs ever released.

Its success was groundbreaking.

The single became the first dancehall record to debut at No. 1 on the United Kingdom singles chart in September 1995, a remarkable achievement at a time when Jamaican music rarely enjoyed mainstream commercial success in major international markets.

In the US, the song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart and number three on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100.

The song’s popularity helped propel the Boombastic album to platinum status in the United States and ultimately earned Shaggy the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 1995, establishing him as one of reggae and dancehall’s most successful global ambassadors.

Produced by Sting International (Shaun Pizzonia) and Robert Livingston, Boombastic became a worldwide sensation, topping charts in Australia, El Salvador, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

A year later, a remix incorporating elements of Marvin Gaye’s classic Let’s Get It On further expanded the song’s reach and cemented its place in popular culture.

“The Marvin Gaye version came about by Shaun, the producer who did Oh Carolina. I kinda liked him for many years and let him join our team as a producer. He came up with the concept for the Marvin Gaye remix,” Livingston explained.

“Shaggy heard him doing it and called me in Jamaica, and he said ‘boy, listen to this idea that Sting came up with’ and I heard it like ‘wow, this is amazing!’. I approved it and both versions became very huge,” he said.

Its reach extended even further, securing Top 10 positions in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Switzerland.

The latest certification adds to an already impressive list of international accolades.

Over the years, Boombastic has earned gold certifications in Austria, France and Germany while achieving platinum status in Australia, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The new double-platinum award from New Zealand serves as yet another reminder of the song’s remarkable longevity.

“It’s like God’s gift to mankind,” Livingston said.

After being used in an ad for Levi’s, it achieved commercial success in many countries, including Ireland, UK, Sweden, New Zealand, and Australia, where it topped the singles charts.

The song “Boombastic” by Shaggy is famously tied to movies through the 2006 animated film Barnyard, where the character Biggie Cheese performs the track. It also appears in the 2007 comedy Mr. Bean’s Holiday during a memorable street-dancing scene.

Shaggy’s breakout 1993 hit “Oh Carolina” is famously tied to the silver screen through its inclusion on the soundtrack of the 1993 erotic thriller Sliver, starring Sharon Stone.The track was a dancehall remake of a classic ska hit by the Folkes Brothers. Its placement in the movie heavily propelled the song’s commercial success, helping it rocket to number one on the UK Singles Chart and gain major international airplay

Few records from the 1990s continue to generate meaningful streaming numbers and commercial activity nearly three decades after release. Yet Boombastic has managed to remain relevant through film, television, advertising campaigns, social media trends and the continued growth of streaming platforms.

For Shaggy, whose career has produced numerous global hits including It Wasn’t Me and Angel, the achievement reinforces the enduring appeal of a song that helped redefine the commercial possibilities of dancehall music.

Long before streaming existed and before dancehall became a fixture on international charts, Boombastic demonstrated that a Jamaican artist could compete at the highest levels of the global music industry.

Nearly 30 years later, the song is still doing exactly that.