Taylor Swift named Global Recording Artist of 2019 by IFPI and is the second time Swift has won the award, the first time being in 2014. Taylor Swift had another successful year releasing her seventh studio album, Lover, in August. The album debuted at number one in more than ten countries and reached three million album-equivalent sales worldwide by the end of its first week of release. Three singles were released off the Lover album last year: ME!, featuring Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco; You Need To Calm Down, and the title track, Lover. ME!, the first release from the album, opened at number one on the global Spotify charts.
Frances Moore, chief executive of IFPI, said, “Taylor Swift is the epitome of a truly global star. She continues to grow as an artist and maintains an incredibly strong connection with her fanbase, whilst continuing to evolve her sound with each album. It is a pleasure to be able to present her with the Global Recording Artist of the Year award for the second time.
Ed Sheeran takes second place, his third consecutive appearance in the global top 10, following the success of his album No. 6 Collaborations Project, featuring artists such as Stormzy, Cardi B, Camila Cabello and Khalid. The album reached number one in 19 countries while the lead single, I Don’t Care with Justin Bieber reached number one in 26 countries.
Post Malone takes third place in this year’s chart, up from fourth position the previous year. Malone’s single, Sunflower, with Swae Lee remained a popular track across streaming services into 2019 and was followed in September by his third studio album, Hollywood’s Bleeding, which reached number one in countries including Australia, Canada, the UK and the US.
Previous recipients of this prestigious award are One Direction (2013), Taylor Swift (2014), Adele (2015), Drake (2016 & 2018) and Ed Sheeran (2017).
IFPI Top 10 Global Recording Artists of 2019
- Taylor Swift
- Ed Sheeran
- Post Malone
- Billie Eilish
- Queen
- Ariana Grande
- BTS
- Drake
- Lady Gaga
- The Beatles
(source: IFPI)
