Taylor Swift named IFPI’s Global Recording Artist of the Year

Taylor Swift wins award for unprecedented third time, confirming her place as most successful artist in the award’s 10-year history.

IFPI, the organisation that represents the recorded music industry worldwide, has announced Taylor Swift as the winner of IFPI’s 2022 Global Recording Artist of the Year Award – the third time that the superstar has won the award. No other artist has won the award as many times as Taylor Swift.

The unique 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 a great pleasure to award the IFPI Global Recording Artist Award to Taylor Swift for an unprecedented third time in the chart’s ten-year history. Taylor is a truly magnificent international star, who continues to grow and evolve as an artist whilst maintaining an incredibly strong connection with her fans around the world.

“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.