Tag: News

This is a personal favorite. But trust me, as long as the barista doesn't forget to add the caramel pumps, it's sure to become one of your top iced drinks, too. 

The salted sweet foam perfectly combines with the strong black cold brew. It's basically a fancier and tastier version of your basic coffee with sugar and milk.

I've always been a huge fan of Starbucks' Frappuccinos — they're basically a milkshake-like dessert. But one standout is the mocha cookie crumble.

If you're looking for a chocolaty flavor that's not too rich, this one's for you. It's basically the equivalent of a McDonald's Oreo McFlurry with caffeine.

There are some days when I can acknowledge that my caffeine intake is a bit high. In these cases, Starbucks offers a wide variety of lower-caffeine and caffeine-free teas that are a pretty decent alternative. 

I typically live by the chain's black iced tea. But in the summer, the seasonal iced peach green tea is a must.

It's quite a light tea, and you can still adjust the added sweeteners to your liking. Plus, it has a hint of mintiness, which is always a welcomed surprise.

You can already swap nondairy alternatives for any of Starbucks' milk-based drinks, but the chain specially crafted the iced brown-sugar oat-milk shaken espresso.

And as a nondairy milk enthusiast, I can assure you that oat milk is the perfect choice for this drink. It's creamy and pairs wonderfully with the blonde espresso and brown-sugar syrup. The end result almost tastes like graham crackers or s'mores. 

I've always been a slushy advocate, and now Starbucks has finally agreed that the popular refresher drinks would be better blended. 

This summer, I highly recommend trying a frozen refresher. You can order three flavors, frozen pineapple passion fruit, frozen strawberry acai, or frozen mango dragon fruit, with or without lemonade.   

I personally don't like adding lemonade to drinks, so I recently tried the frozen mango-dragon-fruit option without it, and it was heavenly.

This story was originally published in July 2023 and most recently updated on July 17, 2024.

Despite being separated by less than a mile of water, it takes about an hour to drive from Bremerton to Bainbridge Island. I didn't want to drive, so I figured the ferries would be the best option.

For the first part of my journey, I headed to the ferry terminal in Bremerton and boarded the Walla Walla Ferry.

Traveling via the Washington State Ferries from Bremerton to Seattle was free, and no ticket was required for a single ride.

The ferry was pretty large and could carry up to 2,000 passengers, with a maximum of 188 vehicles able to fit on board. I didn't want to bring my car along on this journey, but it's good to know I have the option for future trips.

I noticed plenty of seating options inside and outside the cabin, including booths and individual seats.

The ferry was accessible with ramps and elevators, and had an outdoor deck, restrooms, and vending machines. However, there was no WiFi.

My favorite part about taking the ferries in Washington is the scenery. On a previous journey from Bremerton to Seattle, I spotted a pod of orcas.

This time, I chose a window seat in a booth and admired the view throughout the hourlong journey. I even thought the large cushions were quite comfortable for a commuter ferry.

Though it was a long journey, it was a peaceful and relaxing ride thanks to the slow speed and the views of glistening water, evergreen trees, and, eventually, the Seattle skyline.

When I arrived in Seattle, I disembarked the Walla Walla ferry and went inside the terminal building to wait for the next vessel.

Tickets for walk-on passengers could be purchased online or at the terminal booth. They cost about $9.90 for adults and $4.90 for those 65 and older, though they were free for passengers under 18.

There was a 20-minute wait between the ferries, so I sat in the terminal lounge, which had lots of seating, visitor information, vending machines, and restrooms.

My journey from Seattle to Bainbridge Island was aboard the Tacoma vessel, which frequents this route along with the Chimacum ferry.

The Tacoma is slightly larger than the Walla Walla and can fit 2,499 passengers and a maximum of 202 vehicles.

Both ferries were similar, but this vessel had more amenities, including a coffee shop, bar, and restaurant. I noticed many tables, booths, and armchair-style seats.

Like the Walla Walla, this boat had an outdoor deck and was accessible with elevators and ramps. Unfortunately, this ferry didn't have WiFi either.

I decided to grab a cappuccino at the on-board café before sitting down. Like my first journey, I opted for a window seat in a booth — but this time, I had a table.

Despite the shorter journey, this part of the trip was more comfortable due to the ferry's amenities, like the table and coffee shop.

Downtown Bainbridge Island, also known as Winslow, seemed very walkable. The area is home to many independent stores, cafés, restaurants, bars, and the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art.

Most gift stores I visited carried pickleball-themed goods, like paddles, clothing, homeware, and stationary, because Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum invented the game on Bainbridge Island in 1965.

After checking out some stores, I headed to a seafood restaurant called Proper Fish for lunch. I ordered the British fish and chips, which closely matched the dish I would enjoy in my native England.

Although the journey times were long, the ferries were a great way to explore Washington, especially without a car.

Both ferries were clean and comfortable, and the free Walla Walla ferry and low prices for the Tacoma made them accessible for many budgets. Depending on the season, passengers may even get lucky and spot some wildlife on the rides.

I can't wait to take the ferry and see more of my state again.

First Impression: Everything about this feels generic, but I still want to try it.

The packaging has a classic but uninspired feel, like someone recreated it from their hazy childhood memory of a whipped-cream can.

I didn't like the flavor of the whipped cream's artificial sweetener. And there was a bit of a funky aftertaste that didn't make things much better. 

Trying it on a strawberry didn't mask anything, either. I felt like I was eating a lousy fruit salad.

First Impression: I don't love the look of this can at all. It's bland, and the 365 logo seems out of place.

I understand that whipped cream is white, but a bland can isn't exciting to look at.

I thought the whipped cream melted in my mouth a little too quickly.

The use of cane sugar was a nice touch, and I certainly tasted the difference from the Foodtown brand, but it wasn't immense.

I put a bunch of this on a strawberry and the consistency left a little to be desired. I think good whipped cream enhances the flavor of fruit, but this struggled not to get lost.

First Impression:  I don't expect to like this one too much. The can looks a little too sterile for my taste.

But all the other red, cow-themed cans were good, so I'm keeping an open mind.

All I could think about was how this one would be especially good with coffee. It tasted like there was a little hint of cinnamon, which I knew was just in my mind. 

It was also very good with the berry.

But it wasn't my favorite overall because I lost a little of the unique flavor when I used it as a topping — the berry was slightly overpowering.

First Impression: The can is unassuming, but I've actually had this before and remember loving it.

To further the hype, the Trader Joe's cashier couldn't stop raving about this product when I bought it. 

I tasted a very fresh coconut flavor, and I love how fluffy it is. It's a great alternative and holds its own against dairy whipped cream. 

Coconut and strawberry isn't my go-to flavor combination, but I thought they also paired nicely without canceling each other out.

I think the lightness of the coconut cream gives it great versatility and allows it to work with many flavors.

First Impression: The can here is lovely — sleek and beautiful. It stands out among all the others on the shelf.

I don't know if this is actually the "original" canned whipped cream, but the design makes me feel that way, which I'd say is an accomplishment.

(I looked it up, and it actually was the first aerosol whipped cream.)

The cream is light, fluffy, and perfectly sweet. I could eat this out of a bowl with a spoon. 

I wasn't sure I even wanted to try it with the strawberry. It just melts away so quickly and leaves you with a milky-sweet taste. 

But the sweetness of the fruit went well with the cream. If the cream was a little thicker, I would've been even happier.

First Impression: I don't have a great feel for this one.

The can looks like a nicer version of the other generic products I tried. But the cream looked great coming out of the can. 

The cream was light and airy, with a sweet but not overpowering taste.

It got a boost in my ranking for the nostalgia factor.

The whipped cream also went perfectly with the strawberries. There was enough sweetness to prevent the flavor from getting lost, but I didn't feel like it was overpowering the fruit. 

First Impression: The can looks great. I like the cow logo and the spots.

It reminded me a lot of the Cabot can. 

It actually did remind me a little of Cabot, though less textured and vanilla-y. It kind of tasted like Cool Whip without the tang.

This whipped cream brought a bolder flavor than most to the strawberry, but it worked just as well, if not better.

The topping felt fresh instead of just like an accent, like some of the others.

First Impression: Now this is a can of whipped cream. I love the pink — it really stands out — and you can't get any more classic than cow spots.

I can't wait to try it. 

I know the can says light, but this had a thickness to it that I appreciated.

It was also far milkier than the others, and though it could have been a little sweeter, I was eager to eat more.

The cream and strawberries genuinely went together. The richness of the fruit didn't outmatch the creaminess of the topping.

Foodtown is the only brand I wouldn't buy again, mostly because I didn't love the flavor. But I probably wouldn't get the Whole Foods brand again, either, unless I was in a pinch.

I preferred the thicker whipped creams like Reddi-Wip, Krasdale, and Farmland. 

Cabot was easily my favorite one of the bunch. It was so simple and rich, making the strawberries an experience to eat.

I felt like I was enjoying a full-fledged dessert rather than just some berries and cream.

This story was originally published in July 2023 and most recently updated on July 17, 2024. 

The official diamond award was unveiled by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1999. In the years since, it has been bestowed sparingly — if a song has moved at least 10 million equivalent units by combining sales and streaming numbers, and if an artist or label requests certification.

Justin Bieber's "Baby" was only the second song in history to be certified diamond on May 9, 2013.

Bieber received a second diamond certification in 2018 as a featured artist on "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee.

His third award was bestowed in 2021 for his smash hit "Sorry." He earned his fourth in 2023 for "Stay," a duet with The Kid LAROI.

Eminem's "Not Afraid" was the third song in history to be certified diamond on June 10, 2014. 

"Lose Yourself" and "Love the Way You Lie" both received the award in 2018.

Lady Gaga received two diamond certifications in 2015 for "Bad Romance" and "Poker Face."

She added a third to her collection in 2023 with "Just Dance."

Imagine Dragons has four diamond-certified songs, the most of any band in history.

"Radioactive" earned the band's first diamond award on July 6, 2015. It was followed by "Demons" and "Believer" in 2021, and finally "Thunder" in 2022.

Bruno Mars has six diamond-certified songs, the third-most of any artist in history: "Uptown Funk," "Just the Way You Are," "Grenade," "That's What I Like," "When I Was Your Man," and "Locked Out of Heaven."

Katy Perry earned her first diamond certification for "Roar" on June 22, 2017.

She received two more in 2018 for "Firework" and "Dark Horse." Her fourth award was bestowed in 2023 for "California Gurls" featuring Snoop Dogg.

Perry added two more in 2024 for "E.T." and "Teenage Dream," bringing her grand total to six. She is tied with Bruno Mars for the third-most in history, trailing Rihanna for the most among women.

Perry's "Teenage Dream" is also the first and only album in history with four diamond songs on its tracklist. 

Pharrell earned a diamond certification in 2018 as a featured artist on Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines," which he also cowrote and produced.

His hit single "Happy" received the award in 2020.

Florida Georgia Line's "Cruise" was certified diamond on October 10, 2018.

The country duo received a second award in 2020 as a featured artist on Bebe Rexha's "Meant to Be."

Ed Sheeran received three diamond certifications in 2019 for "Shape of You," "Thinking Out Loud," and "Perfect."

With seven diamond-certified songs to his name, The Weeknd is tied with Rihanna for the second-most in history.

The Canadian singer earned his first diamond certification for "The Hills" on June 28, 2019. He received three more in 2022 for "Blinding Lights," "Starboy," and "Can't Feel My Face."

His fifth certification came in February 2023 for "Earned It," the lead single from the "Fifty Shades of Grey" film soundtrack.

Finally, "Save Your Tears" and "Die For You" were both certified diamond on June 20, 2024.

Drake's "God's Plan" was certified diamond in 2019.

The rapper received a second diamond certification in 2020 as a featured artist on Travis Scott's "Sicko Mode," and a third in 2021 as a featured artist on Future's "Life Is Good."

He added two more in 2022 for "Hotline Bling" and "One Dance," bringing his grand total to five.

Drake holds fourth place for the most diamond songs in history.

Post Malone holds the record for the most diamond-certified songs with nine to his name. He earned his first in 2019 for "Congratulations."

He received two more awards in 2020 (for "Rockstar" and "Sunflower") and an additional two in 2022 (for "White Iverson" and "Psycho" featuring Ty Dolla $ign).

He added three more to his collection in 2023 with "Better Now," "I Fall Apart," and "Circles."

Finally, in 2024, Malone's hit single "Wow." became his milestone ninth diamond-certified song.

In 2021, Cardi B became the first female rapper in history to have a diamond-certified single with "Bodak Yellow."

Later that year, she received a second award as a featured artist on Maroon 5's "Girls Like You" and a third for her single "I Like It."

Maroon 5 earned two diamond certifications in 2021 for "Moves Like Jagger" and "Girls Like You."

The band's third award was bestowed in 2022 for "Sugar."

The Chainsmokers' hit collaboration with Halsey, "Closer," was certified diamond on September 17, 2018.

The EDM duo received two more awards in 2022 for "Don't Let Me Down" featuring Daya and "Something Just Like This" featuring Coldplay.

Twenty One Pilots received their first diamond award in 2021 for "Stressed Out."

The following year, they received a second for "Heathens," the lead single from the soundtrack of the DC Comics film "Suicide Squad."

Swae Lee earned a diamond certification in 2020 for "Sunflower," a collaboration with Post Malone for "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse."

He received a second award in 2022 as a featured artist on French Montana's "Unforgettable."

Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" and "Thriller" were both certified diamond on August 29, 2022, nearly 40 years after their release.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis earned their first diamond certification in 2015 for "Thrift Shop" featuring Wanz.

Seven years later, the duo earned a second for "Can't Hold Us" featuring Ray Dalton.

Halsey received her first diamond certification in 2018 as a featured artist on "Closer" by The Chainsmokers.

Her solo smash hit "Without Me" was the milestone 100th song to receive the award on February 1, 2023.

Rihanna earned her first diamond certification in 2018 as a featured artist on Eminem's "Love the Way You Lie."

She received her second in 2023 for "We Found Love," her smash collaboration with Calvin Harris, and her third in 2024 for "Diamonds."

On May 31, 2024, Rihanna collected four more diamond plaques for "Needed Me," "Work," "Umbrella," and "Stay," setting a record for the most among female artists. She now has seven diamond singles, sitting in second place behind Post Malone.

Kanye West, who legally changed his name to Ye in 2021, received his first diamond certification that same year for "Stronger."

His second award was bestowed in 2023 for "Ni**as in Paris," a single from his joint album with Jay-Z, "Watch the Throne."

XXXTentacion, who was killed in 2018, earned a posthumous diamond certification in 2021 for his No. 1 single "Sad!"

He received a second award in 2023 for "Fuck Love" featuring Trippie Redd.

Khalid earned his first diamond certification for "Location" on March 3, 2022. The following year, he received another for "Young Dumb & Broke."

Nicki Minaj's "Super Bass" was certified diamond on November 9, 2021, a decade after its groundbreaking release.

The rapper received her second award in 2024 for "Bang Bang," the hit collaboration with Jessie J and Ariana Grande.

"Something About the Way You Look Tonight / Candle in the Wind" became the first-ever song to be certified diamond on October 9, 1997.

In fact, it received the certification two years before the official diamond award was unveiled by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In the years since then, it has been bestowed sparingly — only if a song has moved at least 10 million equivalent units by combining sales and streaming numbers.

Crucially, an artist or label must also request certification through an application process, which can lead to a delay in updated sales figures.

"Baby" was certified diamond on May 9, 2013.

"Not Afraid" was certified diamond on June 10, 2014.

"Bad Romance" was certified diamond on May 29, 2015.

"Radioactive" was certified diamond on July 6, 2015.

"Thrift Shop" was certified diamond on November 19, 2015.

"Poker Face" was certified diamond on November 30, 2015.

"Call Me Maybe" was certified diamond on September 28, 2016.

"Uptown Funk" was certified diamond on October 18, 2016.

"Roar" was certified diamond on June 22, 2017.

"Royals" was certified diamond on December 8, 2017.

"All About That Bass" was certified diamond on January 23, 2018.

"Despacito" was certified diamond on January 27, 2018.

"Firework" was certified diamond on February 13, 2018.

"Lose Yourself" was certified diamond on February 28, 2018.

"Love the Way You Lie" was certified diamond on February 28, 2018.

"Blurred Lines" was certified diamond on June 6, 2018.

"I Gotta Feeling" was certified diamond on June 6, 2018.

"Party Rock Anthem" was certified diamond on June 6, 2018.

"Counting Stars" was certified diamond on August 20, 2018.

"Closer" was certified diamond on September 17, 2018.

"Cruise" was certified diamond on October 10, 2018.

"Dark Horse" was certified diamond on December 12, 2018.

"Just the Way You Are" was certified diamond on January 11, 2019.

"Shape of You" was certified diamond on January 24, 2019.

"Thinking Out Loud" was certified diamond on February 8, 2019.

"We Are Young" was certified diamond on June 13, 2019.

"I'm Yours" was certified diamond on June 24, 2019.

"The Hills" was certified diamond on June 28, 2019.

"See You Again" was certified diamond on September 24, 2019.

"God's Plan" was certified diamond on September 25, 2019.

"Congratulations" was certified diamond on October 8, 2019.

"Old Town Road" is the fastest song in history to be certified diamond. It received the honor on October 22, 2019, less than one year after its original release.

"Trap Queen" was certified diamond on November 8, 2019.

"Perfect" was certified diamond on December 20, 2019.

"Shake It Off" was certified diamond on March 13, 2020, making Swift the first female artist in US history to have both a diamond-certified single and album (2008's "Fearless").

"Happy" was certified diamond on May 6, 2020.

"Meant to Be" was certified diamond on August 17, 2020.

"Grenade" was certified diamond on October 2, 2020.

"Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People was certified diamond on October 13, 2020.

"All of Me" was certified diamond on October 13, 2020.

"Baby Shark" was certified diamond on November 5, 2020.

"Rockstar" was certified diamond on November 9, 2020.

"Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)" was certified diamond on November 9, 2020.

"Stay With Me" was certified diamond on November 12, 2020.

"Party in the U.S.A." was certified diamond on December 7, 2020.

"Sicko Mode" was certified diamond on December 9, 2020.

"Bodak Yellow" was certified diamond on March 8, 2021, making Cardi B the first female rapper in history to have a diamond-certified single.

"Bohemian Rhapsody" was certified diamond on March 25, 2021.

"Sorry" was certified diamond on March 29, 2021.

"Hey, Soul Sister" was certified diamond on April 7, 2021.

"Low" was certified diamond on April 22, 2021.

"Stressed Out" was certified diamond on April 30, 2021.

"Somebody That I Used to Know" was certified diamond on May 6, 2021.

"That's What I Like" was certified diamond on May 21, 2021.

"When I Was Your Man" was certified diamond on May 21, 2021, making Mars the first artist in history with five diamond-certified songs.

"Sail" was certified diamond on June 14, 2021.

"Moves Like Jagger" was certified diamond on July 1, 2021.

"Sad!" was certified diamond on August 13, 2021.

"Demons" was certified diamond on August 31, 2021.

"Believer" was certified diamond on August 31, 2021.

"Lean On" was certified diamond on September 17, 2021.

"Havana" was certified diamond on October 4, 2021.

"Stronger" was certified diamond on October 6, 2021.

"Super Bass" was certified diamond on November 9, 2021.

"Life Is Good" was certified diamond on November 22, 2021.

"Girls Like You" was certified diamond on November 29, 2021.

"All I Want for Christmas Is You" was certified diamond on December 3, 2021.

"The Box" was certified diamond on December 6, 2021.

"I Like It" was certified diamond on December 13, 2021.

"Tennessee Whiskey" was certified diamond on December 14, 2021.

"Sugar" was certified diamond on January 11, 2022.

It marks Maroon 5's third diamond-certified song, putting the band on equal footing with the likes of Eminem, Ed Sheeran, and Cardi B.

"I Will Always Love You" was certified diamond on January 12, 2022.

"Lucid Dreams" was certified diamond on February 4, 2022.

"Location" was certified diamond on March 3, 2022.

"A Thousand Years" was certified diamond on March 3, 2022.

"Blinding Lights" was certified diamond on April 5, 2022.

"Starboy" was certified diamond on April 5, 2022.

"Timber" was certified diamond on June 23, 2022.

"Thunder" was certified diamond on July 7, 2022, marking Imagine Dragon's fourth diamond-certified song.

"Don't Let Me Down" was certified diamond on July 11, 2022.

"Heathens" was certified diamond on July 22, 2022.

"Unforgettable" was certified diamond on August 25, 2022.

"Billie Jean" was certified diamond on August 29, 2022.

"Thriller" was certified diamond on August 29, 2022.

"Drip Too Hard" was certified diamond on September 12, 2022.

"Locked Out of Heaven" was certified diamond on October 1, 2022. Mars now has six diamond-certified songs, the third-most in history.

"Can't Hold Us" was certified diamond on October 14, 2022.

"Wagon Wheel" was certified diamond on October 27, 2022.

"Something Just Like This" was certified diamond on November 2, 2022.

"Psycho" was certified diamond on November 14, 2022.

"White Iverson" was certified diamond on November 14, 2022.

"Can't Feel My Face" was certified diamond on December 6, 2022.

"Hotline Bling" was certified diamond on December 8, 2022.

"One Dance" was certified diamond on December 8, 2022, becoming Drake's fifth diamond-certified song.

He's in fourth place for the most in history, trailing Post Malone (nine), Rihanna (seven), The Weeknd (seven), Bruno Mars (six), and Katy Perry (six).

"Lollipop" was certified diamond on December 14, 2022.

"Pursuit of Happiness (Nightmare)" was certified diamond on December 15, 2022.

"XO Tour Llif3" was certified diamond on December 7, 2022.

"Fireflies" was certified diamond on January 25, 2023. It's also one of the few solo-written songs from this century to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

"Without Me" was certified diamond on February 1, 2023.

"Say You Won't Let Go" was certified diamond on February 15, 2023.

"Earned It" was certified diamond on February 16, 2023.

Although it was released as the lead single from the "Fifty Shades of Grey" film soundtrack, "Earned It" was also included on The Weeknd's sophomore studio album "Beauty Behind the Madness" — the first album in history to have three diamond-certified songs on its tracklist.

"Take Me to Church" was certified diamond on March 15, 2023.

"Just Dance" was certified diamond on April 12, 2023.

"Need You Now" was certified diamond on April 17, 2023.

"Sweater Weather" was certified diamond on April 19, 2023.

"Better Now" was certified diamond on April 20, 2023.

"I Fall Apart" was certified diamond on April 20, 2023.

"Circles" was certified diamond on April 20, 2023.

"We Found Love" was certified diamond on April 27, 2023.

"Beautiful Crazy" was certified diamond on June 12, 2023.

"Ni**as in Paris" was certified diamond on June 12, 2023.

"Wake Me Up" was certified diamond on June 16, 2023.

"Fuck Love" was certified diamond on June 18, 2023.

"California Gurls" was certified diamond on June 21, 2023.

"Stay" was certified diamond on June 23, 2023.

The hit collaboration marks Bieber's fourth diamond single, tying Perry for fifth place among all artists.

"No Hands" was certified diamond on July 20, 2023.

"Riptide" was certified diamond on July 27, 2023.

"Bad Guy" was certified diamond on July 31, 2023.

"Body Like a Back Road" was certified diamond on August 1, 2023.

"In da Club" was certified diamond on November 1, 2023.

"Levitating" was certified diamond on November 6, 2023.

"Someone You Loved" was certified diamond on November 8, 2023.

"Young Dumb & Broke" was certified diamond on December 6, 2023.

"Heaven" was certified diamond on December 7, 2023.

"Mr. Brightside" was certified diamond on January 12, 2024.

"Don't Stop Believin'" was certified diamond on January 26, 2024.

"Yeah!" was certified diamond on February 9, 2024.

"In The End" was certified diamond on February 27, 2024.

"In Case You Didn't Know" was certified diamond on March 19, 2024.

"Diamonds" was certified diamond on April 22, 2024.

"Wow." was certified diamond on April 23, 2024, becoming Post Malone's ninth diamond single.

Malone holds the record for the most among any artist in history.

"Let It Go" was certified diamond on May 13, 2024.

"Bang Bang" was certified diamond on May 23, 2024.

"Needed Me" was certified diamond on May 31, 2024.

"Work" was certified diamond on May 31, 2024. The song was originally released with a Drake feature, but he is not credited for the certification on the RIAA's website.

"Umbrella" was certified diamond on May 31, 2024.

"Stay" was certified diamond on May 31, 2024, becoming Rihanna's seventh diamond single.

She holds the record among female artists, second only to Post Malone for the all-time record — despite her last album being released over eight years ago.

Rihanna reacted to the historic news on X, writing, "ain't no back n forth."

"Give Me Everything" was certified diamond on June 6, 2024.

"Heat Waves" was certified diamond on June 6, 2024.

"Save Your Tears" was certified diamond on June 20, 2024.

"Die For You" was certified diamond on June 20, 2024, becoming The Weeknd's seventh diamond single.

He is now tied with Rihanna for the second-most in history — trailing only Post Malone, who holds the record with nine.

"Drowning" was certified diamond on June 25, 2024.

"E.T." was certified diamond on July 1, 2024.

"Teenage Dream" was certified diamond on July 1, 2024, becoming Katy Perry's sixth diamond single.

She is now tied with Bruno Mars for the third-most in history.

"Teenage Dream" was released as a single from Perry's 2010 album of the same name, along with "Firework," "California Gurls," and "E.T" — the first and only album to have four diamond-certified songs on its tracklist.

"Chandelier" was certified diamond on July 3, 2024.

"Thunderstruck" was certified diamond on July 8, 2024.

Peter Thiel cofounded the company that would become Paypal — called Confinity — in 1999 alongside Max Levchin and Luke Nosek. Confinity was launched as a developer of security software for hand-held devices like the PalmPilot, but it later pivoted toward digital money transfers. 

Thiel served as CEO of PayPal until October 2002, when eBay acquired the company for $1.5 billion. Thiel's 3.7% stake was worth a $55 million, according to SEC filings.

Thiel, now a billionaire with a net worth of over $11 billion, according to Bloomberg, cofounded the big data analysis firm Palantir in 2003. He was the first major outside investor in Facebook and contributed early funding to Yelp and LinkedIn, along with a number of other ventures launched by his PayPal peers. Thiel's also a partner of Founders Fund, a venture capital fund based in San Francisco.

Thiel has also drawn criticism in recent years for his support of President Donald Trump and for secretly funding Hulk Hogan's lawsuit against Gawker Media, which resulted in the company shutting down Gawker and selling the company's assets.

After facilitating talks between Trump and now Sen. JD Vance, Thiel gave a record-breaking $15 million to Vance's campaign, the largest donation ever given to a single senate candidate. 

Thiel later told The Atlantic he was taking a break from politics. Business Insider later reported that he served as an FBI informant.

While his and Trump's relationship has reportedly soured, Trump's recent announcement of Vance as his vice president pick has put Thiel back to playing kingmaker.

Max Levchin is sometimes called the "consigliere" of the PayPal Mafia — in "The Godfather," a consigliere is an advisor to the boss.

Levchin made significant contributions to PayPal's anti-fraud efforts. Together with PayPal technical architect David Gausebeck, he helped create the Gausebeck-Levchin test, an early version of a CAPTCHA for commercial applications.

After PayPal was bought by eBay, Levchin founded a media-sharing service called Slide that was later bought by Google. He was also an early investor in Yelp — at one point he was the company's largest shareholder — and he served as chairman of Yelp from its founding in 2004 until July 2015.

He founded fintech company Affirm, which allows consumers to finance online purchases at the point of sale and pay for them over time. Affirm went public in 2021, raising $1.2 billion in its IPO. Levchin is also the chairman of Glow, a fertility-tracking app that helps users improve their odds of conceiving.

After eBay bought PayPal, Howery stayed on as eBay's director of corporate development until 2003. After PayPal's acquisition, he served as cofounder and partner of Founders Fund alongside Peter Thiel.

He was appointed by former President Trump in January 2019 and confirmed September of that year.

Howery is active in several nonprofits and serves as a founding advisor to Kiva, an organization that facilitates loans to low-income entrepreneurs. Kiva was founded in part by Premal Shah, PayPal's former product manager.

Howery is reportedly still good friends with Elon Musk. 

In 1999, Elon Musk founded a payments company called X.com, which merged with Thiel's Confinity in 2000. He briefly served as CEO of PayPal before he was ousted by the board in September 2000 and replaced with Thiel. But as the company's largest shareholder, he still walked away from the PayPal sale to eBay with a cool $165 million.

Perhaps the most well known of all the members of the PayPal mafia now, Musk's estimated net worth is $270 billion.

Since his PayPal days, Musk has moved on to oversee companies like Tesla, SpaceX, the Boring Company, and Neuralink. He's also bought Twitter and renamed it to X, after buying back the X.com domain name from PayPal. 

Musk is also publicly supporting a presidential candidate for the first time after announcing his endorsement of former President Donald Trump minutes after the assassination attempt at Trump's Pennsylvania rally. The billionaire reportedly plans to pledge $45 million each month to America PAC, which supports Trump.

Nosek was also reportedly the person who clued in Peter Thiel to cryogenic preservation, which Thiel has since invested in heavily.

In 2005, Nosek joined Thiel and Howery as a partner at Founders Fund. In 2017, Nosek left Founders Fund to launch investment firm Gigafund, which helped raise money for SpaceX.

Nosek invested in Musk's SpaceX and was also named a board member. He also joined the board of ResearchGate, a platform where scientists and researchers can ask questions, follow topics, and review one another's papers.

Botha went to school to be an actuary. He said he never planned to get into tech, but when he saw the opportunity in Silicon Valley, his intuition told him it was where he needed to be.

He started as PayPal's director of corporate development, went on to become vice-president of finance, and later served as CFO.

Botha is now considered one of the top tech investors in the world.

Sequoia Capital has has funded tech giants like Apple, Google, YouTube, and Instagram. 

Botha as served on the board at more than a dozen companies, including Square, EventBrite, and Weebly, 23andMe, Tumblr, Instagram, and YouTube.

LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman served on the board of directors when PayPal was founded.

He eventually joined the company full-time as PayPal's COO. In a New York Times interview, Peter Thiel referred to Hoffman as PayPal's "firefighter in chief," noting that there were many fires that needed putting out in the company's early days.

When PayPal was acquired by eBay, Hoffman was the company's executive vice president.

Hoffman was an early investor in Facebook, Flickr, Care.com, and many more. In 2017 he joined the board of Microsoft.

Hoffman has coauthored several books on startups and professional development. He hosts the "Masters of Scale" podcast, on which he interviews founders about how they launched and scaled their companies, and is a partner at VC firm Greylock Partners. He was an early investor in OpenAI and used to serve on its board, and cofounded Inflection AI.

Hoffman has also recently criticized business leaders, including his fellow PayPal mafia members, for supporting Trump.

Like Hoffman, Sacks also served as COO at PayPal. Previously a management consultant for McKinsey & Company, David Sacks joined PayPal in 1999.

After PayPal was bought by eBay, Sacks produced and financed the box office hit "Thank You For Smoking," which would go on to be nominated for two Golden Globes. In 2006 he founded Geni.com, an online tool for building family trees.

In 2016, Sacks was briefly interim CEO at Zenefits, an HR software firm that was plagued by scandal, including allowing unlicensed brokers to sell insurance to its customers. In 2017, Sacks cofounded the early-stage investment firm Craft Ventures. 

Sacks is a serial entrepreneur and investor, with angel investments in Airbnb, Postmates, Slack, and many more. 

He's also still a member of Elon Musk's inner circle and, like the Tesla CEO, has become an avid Trump supporter, hosting a fundraiser for the former president at his home. Sacks reportedly urged Trump personally to choose Vance as his running mate, whom he was introduced to by fellow Paypal mafia member Thiel.

Karim and Chen were engineers, while Hurley was a web designer.

In 2005, the trio launched the video-sharing platform YouTube. Karim uploaded the platform's very first video, "Me at the zoo," an 18-second clip of Karim in front of the San Diego Zoo's elephant exhibit. It's been viewed over 292 million times.

Karim launched venture fund YVentures in 2008, through which he invested in Palantir, Reddit, Eventbrite, and Airbnb.

Hurley stepped down as CEO of YouTube in 2010. Since then, he's backed education startup Uptime and invested in several sports teams.

Chen invested in actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt's musical collaboration platform HitRecord, which in February secured $6.4 million in Series A funding.

McCormack joined PayPal in 2001, working as an assistant to Peter Thiel as the company prepared for its IPO.

In 2003, McCormack started a restaurant group in San Francisco. In 2008, he joined Thiel Capital and worked there for 5 years.

McCormack partnered up with Thiel again in 2010 to found Valar Ventures, a venture capital fund.

Valar Ventures has invested in technology startups well beyond Silicon Valley, including some in Europe and Canada. In August, Crunchbase reported the firm had closed on a $150 million funding round for a new venture capital fund, Valar Fund V.

McCormack continues to serve as a managing partner of the firm.

Entrepreneur Keith Rabois served as PayPal's executive vice president from 2000 to 2002.

He would go on to join his PayPal colleague Reid Hoffman at LinkedIn as its vice president for business and corporate development from 2005 to 2007. He was an early investor in startups like Square, where he spent two-and-a-half years as COO. 

Rabois is the CEO of OpenStore and has served on the board of directors for Yelp, Xoom, and Reddit.

He was a general partner at Founder's Fund, where he cofounded OpenStore, before returning to Khosla Ventures in early 2024.

Simmons was an engineer and Stoppelman was the vice president of technology after joining PayPal from X.com.

In 2004, the pair came up with the idea for a platform where users could leave recommendations about businesses in their area. They pitched the idea to Levchin, who provided an early investment of $1 million, and Yelp was born.

Simmons served as CTO at Yelp from 2004 until he left the role in 2010. Stoppelman is still CEO of Yelp, and has publicly spoken out in support of political issues like women's reproductive rights.

After leaving PayPal, Selby partnered with Thiel to start Clarium Capital Management.

Selby later helped manage Thiel Capital, the Thiel's family office, and started his own venture capital fund, AZ-VC, where he serves as managing partner. He still serves as managing director at Thiel Capital.

Starting in 2013, Selby began anonymously leaving tips for unsuspecting waitstaff, ranging into the thousands, and signing them "Tips for Jesus." His identity was confirmed by a New York City bartender who served him prior to receiving a $5,000 tip.

McClure served PayPal's director of marketing as for four years beginning in 2001.

According to McClure's LinkedIn, he began a program called the PayPal Developer Network, which consisted of about 300,000 developers that were using PayPal. 

He had a brief stint at Founders Fund before launching 500 Startups, an early stage venture fund. McClure stayed at 500 Startups until June 2017, when he was accused of "inappropriate behavior with women" in a New York Times report and stepped down from his role at the firm, writing an apology post titled "I'm a creep. I'm sorry."

He's since become an investor and owner in a professional sports league for ultimate frisbee and cofounded Practical Venture Capital, according to his LinkedIn.

• Yishan Wong was an engineering manager who later served as CEO of Reddit from 2011 to 2014.
• Jason Portnoy worked in finance at PayPal, and went on to work at Clarium Capital and Palantir. He's now a partner at VC firm Oakhouse Partners. 
• Premal Shah was a product manager at PayPal beginning in 2000, then went on to work at technology nonprofit Kiva. He's now president at financial-services startup Branch. 
• David Gausebeck was a technical architect at PayPal. Now, he serves as chief scientist at 3D modeling company Matterport.
• Joe Lonsdale started his career as a finance intern at PayPal before moving into venture capital — he's worked at VC firms Clarium Capital, Formation 8, and 8VC. Lonsdale also cofounded Palantir, and has reportedly contributed to a Trump PAC.
• Eric Jackson was director of marketing at PayPal and went on to write a book about the company called "The PayPal Wars." He's currently the CEO of CapLinked.