The BPI – the representative voice for the UK’s world leading record labels and music companies – is delighted to share the news that acclaimed singer-songwriter James Arthur received his BRIT Billion award live on BBC’s The One Show on Friday 26 May.
Presented to James by hosts Alex Scott and Roman Kemp, the BRIT Billion award celebrates his achievement in surpassing the landmark of one billion career UK streams – as calculated by the Official Charts Company.
Rising to fame after winning the ninth series of The X Factor in 2012, James released his debut single, a cover of Shontelle’s Impossible, which debuted at No.1 on the Official UK Singles Chart and went on to become the most successful winner’s single in the show’s history. His extensive discography features seven songs streamed over 100 million times in the UK, including Rewrite The Stars alongside fellow BRIT Billion recipient, Anne-Marie, and his most-streamed song Say You Won’t Let Go, which is BRIT Certified 5x Platinum.
On receiving his BRIT Billion Award, James Arthur said:
“Wow! I wasn’t prepared for this, this is wild! It’s because of the people who have listened to me, and it’s because of all those people who have streamed my music, so wow, this is great! Thanks to the BRITs!”
The BRIT Billion award reflects the extent to which streaming has transformed the music landscape for artists and fans alike over the past decade – more than 85% of the UK’s recorded music consumption now takes place through streaming, and in 2022 there were a record 160 billion audio streams in the UK in total. Previous recipients include ABBA, AJ Tracey, Anne-Marie, Coldplay, Ellie Goulding, George Ezra, Headie One, Lewis Capaldi, Mariah Carey, RAYE, Rita Ora, Sam Smith, and Whitney Houston.