Based on combined streaming and sales activity, the whole Top 10 of the UK’s Official Singles Chart of 2022 were by, or featured, domestic artists. This is the first time this has happened since the music industry began publishing year-end sales charts more than 50 years ago.
The clean sweep was led by Harry Styles’ As It Was and also included hits by Calum Scott, Cat Burns, Ed Sheeran, Glass Animals, Kate Bush, LF System and Sam Fender.
UK artists were also behind 15 of the year’s Top 20 singles and close to 60 (58 per cent) of the year-end Top 100. The figures highlight the extent to which streaming is enabling diverse domestic talent from all backgrounds, genres and eras to thrive. This strong homegrown presence is also significantly up compared to 2008, the year before Spotify launched in the UK and when the market was led by digital downloads and CDs. Then, UK artists claimed four of the year’s Top 10 singles, seven of the Top 20 and just over 40 per cent of the Top 100.
UK also recorded music consumption increased for the eighth consecutive year in 2022, surpassing 150 billion audio streams in a calendar year for the very first time.
BRITS CLEAN SWEEP OF OFFICIAL SINGLES CHART 2022 – © Official Charts Company
Pos. Artist & Title
1. Harry Styles – As It Was
2. Ed Sheeran – Bad Habits
3. Fireboy DML & Ed Sheeran – Peru
4. Cat Burns – Go
5. Ed Sheeran – Shivers
6. Kate Bush – Running Up That Hill
7. Glass Animals – Heat Waves
8. Lost Frequencies & Calum Scott – Where Are You Now
9. LF System – Afraid To Feel
10. Sam Fender – Seventeen Going Under
Over three-quarters of the UK artists scoring No.1 albums in 2022 came from outside London, according to analysis of Official Charts data by the BPI, the representative voice for independent and major record labels across the UK.
US singer-songwriter Taylor Swift led 2022’s vinyl albums market in the UK. But the vast majority of the year’s biggest-selling new albums across all formats combined were by solo artists and bands from across the UK.
This reflects a year to date in which around 77 per cent of the UK artists who topped the all-format Official Albums Chart grew up or formed their bands outside London.
In total, there were 30 different No.1 albums by UK artists throughout the year. Ten of the UK’s 12 nations and regions were represented. Examples of acts from outside London with No.1 albums in the last year include The Wombats (Liverpool), Don Broco (Bedford), Muse (Teignmouth), and Years & Years (Harrogate).
In other industry news, the BPI's outgoing Chief Executive Geoff Taylor MBE and its Chair YolanDa Brown OBE were among those honoured in the King’s New Year’s Honours.
Other industry figures who were honoured include PPL CEO and BPI Council member, Peter Leathem, and Arit Eminue, Founder and Director of DiVA, who sits on the BPI’s Equity & Justice Advisory Group (EJAG) and also works with us on the BRIT Trust-funded BRITs Apprentice Scheme. Queen's guitarist Sir Brian May was also awarded a knighthood and for his remarkable contribution to British music over five decades.
More on the singles story.
More on the honours story.
