These Are the 20 Biggest Recording Artists in the World

biggest recording artists in the world 2023

Photo Credit: IFPI

IFPI unveils the Top 20 Global Recording Artists Chart for 2022, naming Taylor Swift IFPI’s Global Recording Artist of the Year for the third time in the award’s 10-year history.

The organization representing the recorded music industry worldwide, IFPI, has announced its Top 20 Global Recording Artists for 2022. Taylor Swift won IFPI’s 2022 Global Recording Artist of the Year Award — her third time winning the award in its 10-year history.

The award is calculated according to an artist or group’s worldwide performance across digital and physical music formats during the year, covering their entire body of work. This year marks the tenth year of the IFPI Global Recording Artist award, with Taylor Swift having won more than any other artist during that time. She has now won the award in 2014, 2019, and 2022.

BTS comes in at number two — their third consecutive year in the Top 3 following back-to-back wins in 2020 and 2021 — and Drake at number three with his fifth Top 3 appearance since the Chart began.

“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,” says Frances Moore, Chief Executive at IFPI. “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 diverse artists finding global success in today’s music industry. Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny landed at number four, the first artist from Latin America to enter the Top 5, and the highest position achieved for an artist performing predominantly in Spanish. Jay Chou became the first Taiwanese artist to appear on the Chart at number nine, thanks to his enduring popularity throughout China and Southeast 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. BTS was joined by SEVENTEEN and Stray Kids, charting at six and seven, respectively. Harry Styles and Ed Sheeran represented the UK on the Chart (at numbers eight and ten), while Canadian superstar The Weeknd charted at number five.

Top 20 Global Recording Artists Chart 2022

  1. Taylor Swift
  2. BTS
  3. Drake
  4. Bad Bunny
  5. The Weeknd
  6. SEVENTEEN
  7. Stray Kids
  8. Harry Styles
  9. Jay Chou
  10. Ed Sheeran
  11. Eminem
  12. Kanye West
  13. YoungBoy Never Broke Again
  14. Kendrick Lamar
  15. Lil Baby
  16. Billie Eilish
  17. Post Malone
  18. Juice WRLD
  19. The Beatles
  20. Imagine Dragons

Previous Number One Winners

  • 2021 – BTS
  • 2020 – BTS
  • 2019 – Taylor Swift
  • 2018 – Drake
  • 2017 – Ed Sheeran
  • 2016 – Drake
  • 2015 – Adele
  • 2014 – Taylor Swift
  • 2013 – One Direction

IFPI represents over 8,000 record company members across the globe, working to promote the value of recorded music, campaign for the rights of record producers, and expand the commercial uses of recorded music worldwide.


Share This Article