Train Joins Spotify 'Billions Club' With 'Hey, Soul Sister'

The Train has left the station and the destination is…one billion streams on Spotify!

Train, the San Franciscan rock band comprising lead vocalist Pat Monahan alongside Jerry Becker, Nikita Houston, Hector Maldonado, Drew Shoals, Sakai Smith and Jimmy Stafford, just celebrated reaching one billion streams on Spotify with one of their most popular and iconic songs, “Hey, Soul Sister.”

Train took to social media to let their fans know about their landmark accomplishment with a photo of Monahan holding the award from Spotify.

The band started the post by saying, “Wow! How cool is this! Thank you everyone for this amazing experience…Can’t wait to see you all more in the coming months…”

Fellow musicians joined in on congratulating the band for their feat on Instagram. Musician Matt Nathanson commented, “YEAH BUDDY!!!!” and singer-songwriter Butch Walker wrote, “That is so cool man!!!” ESPN journalist Adam Schefter and O.A.R. frontman Marc Roberge showed their support with post likes, as well.

Fans were equally excited and encouraging. One fan wrote, “Wow! Very cool reward. You earned every single listen to that song. One of the greatest!” Another fan gushed, “Excellent! I listen to this song at least once a day to fill my soul with positivity…Thank you for sharing your energy, synergy, positivity!!! It reaches far and wide through the universe.” Another fan joked, “Slay soul sister.”

Train, which formed in 1993, joins a club of industry heavyweights who have also reached the one billion Spotify-stream mark. Earlier in June, Eminem earned this accomplishment with “The Real Slim Shady,” but previously achieved the ranking three more times with “Lose Yourself,” “Till I Collapse,” and “Without Me.” Other musicians who have earned the title include Avicii with “Waiting For Love,” Vance Joy with “Riptide,” and Ed Sheeran with “Shape of You.” The list totals 285 songs so far, and Spotify even created a “Billions Club” playlist to house all the songs that reached that prominent level of accomplishment.

The band certainly called all their angels, because not only did they hit the billion-stream mark, but according to “Billboard,” last year the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) also certified “Hey, Soul Sister” with diamond status, meaning the song was sold more than ten million times digitally. It was also only the 49th song to be diamond certified.

The song, which debuted in 2009 off Train’s “Save Me, San Francisco” album, quickly garnered attention. In 2010, the group won a GRAMMY for the single in the “Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals” category.

According to “Music Universe,” Train has also won two Billboard Music awards, and charted at number 55 on Billboard’s “Hot 100 Songs” of the 2010s.

This has been a busy summer for Train. In between winning awards, Train toured for the first time in four years, in support of their new and ninth studio album, “AM Gold.” Starting in June, the band members embarked on their tour and chugged along North America for a 35-stop tour with ‘nineties singer-songwriter legend Jewel and blues-jam band Blues Traveler. The musical trinity recently ended their tour with a stop at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado.

After this tour, Train will continue their performances early next year with their own sold-out Sail Across the Sun cruise ship concert experience in early February. SATS is the band’s four-day concert cruise, which will also feature Fitz and the Tantrums, G. Love & Special Sauce and Travie McCoy of Gym Class Heroes.

The band has made stops on the tour and award tracks, but also has their own wine company – Save Me, San Francisco. The band believes that wine and music have the same power to bring people together. With that, they’ve created wines named after their songs, including “Marry Me,” a California Rose, “Drops of Jupiter,” a California red wine and “Calling All Angels,” a Chardonnay.

The band added a philanthropic component to their wine sales, with proceeds from their red wine sales benefiting a nonprofit called Family House, which provides comfort and support to families of children with life-threatening illnesses. The band’s website also prominently displays Family House for fans to read about and donate to.

“Helping and relating to children has always been a priority for us (Train),” writes the band on their wine website. “We were kids ourselves when we started Train…and now we all have children of our own. Because of that, the fact that some of us have experience our children being in hospital NICIU's and our San Francisco roots, we like the best way for us to give back is with the Family House Organization.”