Taylor Swift is IFPI Artist of the Year for third time according to IFPI’s recently published Top 20 Global Recording Artists 2022 chart. This confirms her place as most successful artist in the award’s 10-year history. The Global Recording Artist of the Year Award is calculated according to an artist’s or group’s worldwide performance across digital and physical music formats during the year, from streams to vinyl, and covers their entire body of work.
This year marks the tenth year of the IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year Award, with Taylor Swift having topped the chart more than any other artist during that time (having won in 2014, 2019 and 2022). In the years between, Taylor Swift has been a regular presence in the IFPI Global Artist Chart – placing second in 2021 behind K-Pop sensation BTS, and charting in the Top 3 in 2015, 2017 and 2020. The release of her newest album Midnights in October 2022 powered her return to the top of the IFPI Global Artist Chart.
Elsewhere in the Global Artist Chart, BTS were at #2 (their third consecutive year in the Top 3 following back-to-back wins in 2020 and 2021) and Drake at #3 with his fifth Top 3 appearance since the chart began.
Frances Moore, Chief Executive, IFPI, said, “It is exciting to see this year’s Global Recording Artist Chart reflect the increasingly diverse spectrum of music available to music fans today, with superstars from Latin America, Taiwan and South Korea as well as the US, UK and Canada represented. Record companies continue to work diligently in every corner of the globe to find and develop global stars and build their successful careers for the long-term.”
The IFPI Global Recording Artist Chart continues to reflect the breadth of diverse artists finding global success in today’s industry. Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny landed at #4, the first ever artist from Latin America to enter the Top 5, and the highest position ever achieved for an artist performing predominantly in Spanish.
At #9, Jay Chou became the first Taiwanese artist to appear in the Chart, thanks to his enduring popularity across China and South-East Asia. It was also an impressive year for South Korean acts, with more artists than any other nationality appearing in the Top 10 for the first time ever; BTS were joined by SEVENTEEN and Stray Kids charting at #6 and #7 respectively. Harry Styles (#8) and Ed Sheeran (#10) represented the UK in the chart, while Canadian mega-star The Weeknd charted at #5.
Previous winners of the IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year
2021 – BTS
2020 – BTS
2019 – Taylor Swift
2018 – Drake
2017 – Ed Sheeran
2016 – Drake
2015 – Adele
2014 – Taylor Swift
2013 – One Direction
(source: IFPI)
