Sean Paul Earns First Diamond Certification In The US
Dancehall superstar Sean Paul has achieved a career-defining milestone in the United States, officially earning his first-ever Diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
On Thursday (January 22), the RIAA certified the 2016 smash hit Cheap Thrills—his collaboration with Australian singer-songwriter Sia—as 11X Platinum. This certification recognizes sales and streaming equivalents exceeding 11 million units in the U.S., surpassing the 10-million-unit threshold required for Diamond status. The song was last certified 9X Platinum in 2024.
While Sean Paul has collected a bag of Platinum plaques over his illustrious career, Cheap Thrills is his first single to ascend to the Diamond tier. His highest-certified singles in the U.S. also include the 4X Platinum Bailando (with Enrique Iglesias), the 3X Platinum chart-toppers Temperature and Rockabye (with Clean Bandit), and the 2X Platinum Do You Remember (with Jay Sean and Lil John). His breakout hits Get Busy and We Be Burnin’ are both currently certified Platinum.
For Sia, Cheap Thrills becomes her second Diamond certification, following her 2014 solo hit Chandelier, which reached the milestone in 2024.
Produced by Greg Kurstin, the song was originally written for Rihanna’s Anti album, whose Diamonds, Sia had also co-written. However, after the track was turned down, Sia recorded it for This Is Acting—an album comprised entirely of songs she had originally penned for other superstars that were ultimately rejected, according to Billboard.
Sia later recruited Sean Paul to add his signature Jamaican flair to the hit version of the synth-pop track. The collab became Sia’s first and only Billboard Hot 100 No. 1. For Sean Paul, it marked his fourth chart-topper and his first No. 1 in a decade (following Get Busy, Baby Boy, and Temperature). The success of Cheap Thrills also gave Sia the distinction of becoming the first woman over 40 years old to top the Billboard Hot 100 since Madonna topped the chart with Music in 2000.
In the UK, the song spent 66 weeks on the Singles Chart where it peaked at No. 2. It was later nominated at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards for the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance Award.
Despite the song’s massive global success, Sean Paul and Sia have famously never met in person. In November 2021, they collaborated again remotely for the single Dynamite, which appeared on Paul’s Scorcha album.
Only one other Jamaican-connected act has reached Diamond status for a single in the U.S. market. The Jamaican-American DJ trio Major Lazer holds a Diamond award for their 2015 global smash Lean On (with DJ Snake and MØ).
Meanwhile, Reggae legend Bob Marley sits in a league of his own; his compilation album Legend: The Best Of Bob Marley and the Wailers is currently 18X Platinum, nearing a staggering 2X Diamond status.
For fellow Dancehall icon Shaggy, the milestone remains officially out of reach—at least on paper. While he currently holds no Diamond certifications, his 2000 blockbuster album Hot Shot was certified 6X Platinum in the U.S. back in 2001. However, according to Billboard’s sales tracker Luminate, the album’s actual U.S. consumption has reached 8.8 million units as of 2025.