Since premiering in mid-March, the official music video for Dove Cameron’s “Genie In A Bottle” cover has generated considerable viewership interest.
This past week, its YouTube view count actually surpassed that of the video for Christina Aguilera’s original version.
As of noon on August 7, Cameron’s “Descendants”-themed video is credited with 59,282,663 views on YouTube. Aguilera’s original version has 59,200,257.
The comparison is obviously not apples-to-apples. Aguilera’s video (and single) emerged in 1999 — its biggest pop culture mark (and viewership interest) came years before YouTube even existed. Cameron’s cover video launched in March 2016; essentially all interest in the video is reflected in its current YouTube view count.
(Christina Aguilera also has a remix version with nearly 2 million views, although taking into account viewership from outside the official video is a messy game)
On the other hand, the YouTube/Vevo version of Aguilera’s video has been available since 2009. Aguilera’s “Genie In A Bottle” is also a classic pop record, and her status as a pop icon endures. All three factors work to her video’s advantage.
The comparison, more importantly, is all in good fun. If there is a real takeaway, it is that the massive viewership figure further underscores the resonance of “Descendants.”
The video for key “Descendants” song “Rotten To The Core” is currently at 185.9 million views. Cameron’s “If Only” has 88.0 million, while the cast’s “Set It Off” is at 70.3 million. Sofia Carson’s solo version of “Rotten To The Core” currently boasts a view count of 68.6 million, and Mitchell Hope’s “Did I Mention?” is at 59.4 million.
