Akon’s ‘Lonely’ Video Joins YouTube’s Billion Views Club

Akon‘s “Lonely” music video is the latest addition to YouTube’s Billion Views Club. It’s his third to reach the milestone on the video streaming platform.

The visual for the 2005 song kicks off with the singer receiving a standing ovation from fans at his concert. The applause quickly wears off and Akon is left standing at the stage by himself. A friend offers him the opportunity to hang out with a group of girls and guy friends, to which he politely declines due to having several thoughts on his mind.

The video then cuts to scenes of Akon reflecting on the actions that made his girlfriend — played by The Vampire Diaries actress Kat Graham — leave him suddenly with no explanation. As the singer roams around town, hitting up an abandoned video game arcade and walking down a busy boulevard, Graham cries in separate scenes, taking a plane ticket, packing her bags and leaving the home that she and the singer share. The visual ends with the actress pulling up in a cab, greeting a man who is not Akon with a hug.

“Lonely” was released as the third single from Akon’s debut studio album, Trouble. The track peaked at No. 4 and spent 20 weeks on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, and marked the singer’s third solo entry on the chart.

“Lonely” joins YouTube’s Billion Views Club after his “Smack That (feat. Eminem)” (1.1 billion) and David Guetta’s “Play Hard,” in which he features alongside Ne-Yo (1.1 billion).

Revisit the “Lonely” music video above.