Malaysia has banned popular track ‘Despacito‘ from state radio and TV channels just after the runaway hit became the most streamed song of all time. Officials at state-owned broadcaster RTM stopped playing the song after receiving complaints from the public about the lyrics “not being suitable.”
“The song was filled with numerous sexual references and innuendos and thus wholly inappropriate to be aired by our national media outlets for our general public, especially children,” Communications Minister Salleh Said Keruak told CNNMoney.
Read more: ‘Despacito’ becomes the most streamed song of all time
The communications minister emphasized that the decision “applies only” to the public broadcaster. “All other TV and radio stations are guided by their own evaluation processes,” he added.
Reportedly, a political party had called for the government to curb playing the song as the lyrics were too sexually explicit for children to sing along to.
‘Despacito’ has become the most streamed song of all time with over 4.6 billion plays across streaming platforms recently. By Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yanke, ‘Despacito’ also features pop star, Justin Bieber. Released in January, it has been at the top of Billboard Hot 100 for weeks.
Watch the song below:
