Taylor Swift may have missed out at the Grammys and the BRITs, but she has picked up a coveted sales award from the IFPI.
The international recording industry trade body has named Swift as the world’s best-selling recording artist of 2019. It is the second time Swift has won the award – the US singer first triumphed in 2014.
Swift released her transatlantic chart-topper Lover (Virgin EMI) in August 2019. It debuted at No.1 in more than 10 countries and reached three million album-equivalent sales worldwide by the end of its first week of release.
Me!, the first release from the album, opened at number one on the global Spotify charts.
The Music Week interview with Taylor Swift is available here.
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.
“The Top 10 showcases some of the brightest and most talented artists from around the world, from newer stars, such as Billie Eilish and BTS, to legacy acts like The Beatles and Queen. This range demonstrates how people’s love of music can be continually ignited by new and diverse artists and yet endures across decades. I congratulate all the artists in the chart.”
Taylor Swift is the epitome of a truly global star
Frances Moore
Ed Sheeran takes second place, his third consecutive appearance in the global Top 10, following the success of his album No. 6 Collaborations Project (Asylum/Atlantic), featuring Stormzy, Cardi B, Camila Cabello and Khalid. The album reached No.1 in 19 countries while the lead single, I Don’t Care with Justin Bieber, reached No.1 in 26 countries.
Post Malone takes third place in this year’s chart, up from fourth position the previous year. The US rapper’s third studio album, Hollywood’s Bleeding (Island), reached No.1 in countries including Australia, Canada, the UK and the US.
Taylor Swift is the recipient of the seventh IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year Award, which reflects an artist’s worldwide success across digital and physical music formats, from streams to vinyl. The ranking is weighted based on the relative value of each method of consumption.
Previous recipients are One Direction (2013), Taylor Swift (2014), Adele (2015), Drake (2016 & 2018) and Ed Sheeran (2017).
IFPI Top 10 Global Recording Artists of 2019
1. Taylor Swift
2. Ed Sheeran
3. Post Malone
4.Billie Eilish
5. Queen
6. Ariana Grande
7. BTS
8.Drake
9. Lady Gaga
10. The Beatles
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