"That chemistry was cinematic": Internet reacts after 'I Don’t Wanna Live Forever' by Zayn & Taylor Swift touches 2B streams on Spotify

Taylor Swift, Zayn Malik (Images via Getty)
Taylor Swift, Zayn Malik (Images via Getty)

Zayn Malik and Taylor Swift’s 2016 duet, I Don’t Wanna Live Forever recently reached a new milestone. On Friday, October 24, 2025, X account Pop Crave reported that the song has reached 2 billion streams on the music streaming platform, Spotify.

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“‘I Don’t Wanna Live Forever’ by ZAYN & Taylor Swift has reached 2 BILLION streams on Spotify. It’s ZAYN’s second and Taylor’s third song to achieve this,” the X-account noted.
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After the X account shared that Zayn Malik and Taylor Swift’s song achieved this milestone, netizens were quick to share their reactions. Commenting under the post, one Twitter user wrote:

“2 BILLION streams for a reason… that chemistry was cinematic.”
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The post by Pop Crave received a mixed reaction. While fans of the duo noted how a “decade later” the song, I Don’t Wanna Live Forever has still captivated the listeners.

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Some X users also took a jab at Taylor and Zayn. One X user noted how it took the song eight years to reach this feat, another expressed their disappointment toward the 35-year-old American singer-songwriter as I Don’t Wanna Live Forever is reportedly only her third song to achieve this feat.

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Zayn Malik and Taylor Swift’s collaboration explored

Zayn Malik and Taylor Swift’s collaborative track, titled I Don't Wanna Live Forever was featured on the soundtrack for the 2017 film, Fifty Shades Darker. The film was directed by James Foley and written by Niall Leonard. Based on E. L. James's 2012 novel it starred Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan.

While Universal Pictures roped in the two artists in the studio for the collaboration, the singers, according to Teen Vogue, were already linked through their friendship with model Gigi Hadid. While, Gigi have been close friends with Taylor for over a decade, she and Malik were a couple from 2015 until they seperated in October 2021. Zayn also share a daughter, Khai with the 30-year-old American model.

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Taylor Swift,Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik in New York City (Image via Getty)
Taylor Swift,Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik in New York City (Image via Getty)

In an article published on December 14, 2016, the former One Direction artist talked about his collaboration with the Lover singer on Sirius XM’s Morning Mash Up show.

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The 32-year-old artist revealed that he had personally invited Taylor to sing on the track. Reminiscing about their phone call, Zayn explained:

“I called her up… She’d heard the song already; she liked it. I asked her if she wanted to be on it, and she was like, ‘Yeah.’”

According to E! News, Taylor Swift in 2017 also gushed about collaborating with Zayn Malik to her fans.

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“I’ve known Zayn for a really long time… I think his voice is one of those that is really rare and I think he’s really special and wonderful and it’s really, really amazing to get to work together.”

The Fate of Ophelia artist praised Zayn as “incredibly talented” and added that she feels “really lucky” to get to do this song with the English singer-songwriter.

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For the unversed, while I Don’t Wanna Live Forever was reportedly released by Universal Music Group as a single on December 9, 2016, its music video was released on January 27, 2017. The video also featured Taylor Swift and Zayn Malik.

Edited by Afreen Shaikh
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