By Robyn BECK / AFP
Taylor Swift continues to fuel the music industry worldwide. The American singer has been named as the 2022 Global Recording Artist Of The Year by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). This title she owes to her enduring success and her exceptional versatility in an ultra-competitive environment.
Taylor Swift continues to fuel the music industry worldwide. The American singer has been named as the 2022 Global Recording Artist Of The Year by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). This title she owes to her enduring success and her exceptional versatility in an ultra-competitive environment.
At 33 years old, Taylor Swift is a regular at music industry awards. She won six gongs during the last edition of the American Music Awards, which took place in November in Los Angeles. In fact, she became the most decorated musician in the history of the North American awards.
As such, it's perhaps no surprise to hear that the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) has named Taylor Swift as its 2022 Global Recording Artist Of The Year, ahead of BTS, Drake and Bad Bunny, who, it just so happens, was the most listened to musician worldwide on Spotify and Apple Music in 2022. This is actually the third time that the professional organization has awarded this title to Taylor Swift. It represents sweet revenge for a singer who was robbed of part of her work when her former label, headed by Scott Borchetta, sold its entire catalog to Scooter Braun, manager of Justin Bieber and Demi Lovato, among others. However, Taylor Swift re-recorded two of her old records in 2021 ("Red" and "Fearless") to recover her rights to her own music.
But the American singer owes the IFPI title to her 10th and latest album to date, "Midnights." Released in October last year, this album proved a record-breaker for Taylor Swift. It sold more than six million album equivalent units in just three months, according to estimates from Universal Music Group. The label also revealed in a statement that "Midnights" is the first album to have sold more than 1 million hard copies since 2015.
A global hit machine
The success of "Midnights" is all the more impressive since it extends beyond America. In just two months, it became the best-selling vinyl album of the century in the UK, according to the Entertainment Retailers Association. Upon its release, it also topped the music charts in Australia, France, Germany, Italy and Canada. All of which reinforces Taylor Swift's pop star status, including in China. Although known to be a difficult market to crack, the country seems to have fallen for the singer's charm thanks to "Midnights," the fastest-ever selling album by a Western artist in China.
There's no denying that Taylor Swift has become an expert in the art of creating a certain level of hype around her music. An art that K-pop groups have also mastered. In recent years, South Korean pop idols have become global sensations thanks to their sharp communications and impeccable perfectionism. In fact, three K-pop boy bands are listed in the IFPI's list of top global artists of 2022. They are BTS, SEVENTEEN and Stray Kids.
The inclusion of these Asian artists is a reflection of how multicultural the music industry has become, according to Frances Moore, chief executive of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. "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," she said in a statement.
