Harry Styles has been named as the winner of IFPI’s Global Single Award for 2022 for his hit As It Was.
The IFPI, the global recorded music trade body, says that its Global Single Award is presented to the artist with the world’s best-selling single of the year across all digital formats – including paid subscription streaming, ad-supported platforms, and single-track downloads.
As It Was, according to IFPI, generated 2.28 billion global subscription stream equivalent units last year.
The lead single off Styles’ third album, Harry’s House, As It Was topped the charts all over the world, and became the longest-running US No.1 by a British artist ever, spending 15 weeks in the top spot. It was also the third longest-running No.1 in Billboard Hot 100 history.
While the award marks Harry Styles’ first IFPI Global Single Award – it also marks the tenth anniversary of his other IFPI Award win with previous band One Direction who topped the first ever IFPI Global Recording Artist Chart and also the IFPI Global Album Chart back in 2013.
Yesterday (February 22), IFPI crowned Taylor Swift its 2022 Global Recording Artist Of The Year, and also named 20 artists, in order, that make up its Global Recording Artist Chart for 2022.
This chart, according to IFPI, is “the only [global] ranking to accurately measure consumption across all formats (including streaming formats, digital and physical album and singles sales) and all countries”.
IFPI has also published the Top 20-best selling singles (across digital formats) in 2022 today (February 23).
British act Glass Animals’ Heat Waves featuring at No.2 with 1.75 billion global subscription stream equivalent units, while STAY by the The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber comes in at No.3 with with 1.74 billion global subscription stream equivalent units
In addition to Glass Animals and Harry Styles other British acts on the chart include Elton John and Dua Lipa whose collaboration Cold Heart (PNAU Remix) is at No.4 and further tracks from Ed Sheeran (Shivers No.7, Bad Habits No.10), Adele (Easy On Me No.13) and Dua Lipa’s Levitating (ft. DaBaby) at No.12.
Elsewhere on the chart, IFPI notes that for the first time, the Top 20 features four songs performed predominantly in Spanish.
Superstar Bad Bunny appears twice, at No.9 with his collaboration with Chencho Corleone, Me Porto Bonito, and at No.11 with his solo hit Tití Me Preguntó.
Fellow Puerto Rican artist Farruko made his debut appearing in the IFPI Global Single Chart with his single Pepas landing at No.18, while Colombian star Karol G also debuted with her single PROVENZA at No.20.
IFPI says that its latest Global Single Chart also “shines a light on the reimagination and rediscovery of classic songs on the global stage”.
Amongst those tracks are Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) charted at No.16 following its appearance on Netflix’s breakout show Stranger Things in 2022, while Elton John and Dua Lipa’s reimagined version of a medley of Elton John’s hits, Cold Heart (PNAU Remix) charted at No.4.
“Harry first received an IFPI Award as part of One Direction when we first launched the IFPI Global Recording Artist Chart 10 years ago, so it’s an honour to present him with an award this year for his stellar single As It Was which has soundtracked the year for so many music fans around the world.”
Frances Moore, Chief Executive of IFPI, said: “Congratulations to Harry Styles, and all of his team, on winning IFPI’s Global Single of the Year Award.
“Harry first received an IFPI Award as part of One Direction when we first launched the IFPI Global Recording Artist Chart 10 years ago, so it’s an honour to present him with an award this year for his stellar single As It Was which has soundtracked the year for so many music fans around the world.
“It’s wonderful to see such a diverse mixture of songs in the Global Single Chart this year – some familiar tracks from the previous year that continued to grow in 2022, amongst plenty of new tracks and some reimagined older tracks – all going to show that record companies are working hard to find new ways to ensure music fans around the world have access to such a wide range of music year on year.”
