Taylor Swift Remains World's No. 1 Recording Artist, Beats BTS 2021 Record
Taylor Swift has added another historic achievement to her already long list.
The "Shake It Off" hitmaker was crowned the world's No. 1 recording artist for 2023 by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), the governing body of the global music industry. This is the second year in a row that Swift has claimed the title.
With this achievement, Swift also made history as the first artist to win IFPI's Global Recording Artist of the Year Award for the fourth time. She also topped IFPI's Global Artist Chart in 2014, 2019, and 2022.
Swift beat BTS and Drake, each of whom topped the chart twice over the 11 years that the IFPI has been ranking the biggest-selling recording artists in the world.
The K-pop superstars, who are currently on hiatus as they complete their mandatory military service, won in 2021 and 2020.
Drake, for his part, won the award in 2016 and 2018.
According to the organization, the award is "calculated according to an artist's or group's worldwide sales across streaming, download and physical music formats during the calendar year and covers their entire body of work."
The IFPI attributed Swift's win to three chart-topping albums, "Midnights," "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)," and "1989 (Taylor's Version)," and the engagement boost brought by her "Eras Tour" to her entire discography on streaming platforms around the globe.
Four K-pop artists made the top 10 in 2023: SEVENTEEN, Stray Kids, TOMORROW x TOGETHER (TXT), and NewJeans.
SEVENTEEN and Stray Kids came second and third, respectively. They were followed by Drake and The Weeknd.
Morgan Wallen was the sixth best-selling recording artist in the world last year, followed by TXT, NewJeans, and Bad Bunny.
Lana del Rey rounded up the top 10 for 2023.
In a press release announcing IFPI's Global Artist Chart 2023, Lewis Morrison, director of charts and certifications at IFPI, said: "We are immensely proud to award the IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year Award to Taylor Swift for the fourth time, as she continues to redefine the limits of global success. Taylor is a singular talent and her commitment to her craft and her fans is truly phenomenal."
"It is also fantastic to see so many artists entering the chart for the first time, and the return of established acts years after their last appearance. As the global recorded music landscape shifts and new opportunities emerge, record companies continue their work to build global, long-term careers for their artists," Morrison added.
This comes just a few weeks after Swift announced that she is set to release a new album in April.
During the 2024 Grammy Awards earlier this month, the "Cruel Summer" hitmaker said her upcoming album, "The Tortured Poets Department," will drop in April -- around a year and a half after the release of her 10th original studio album, "Midnights," in October 2022.
Swift shared more details about the upcoming album on Instagram, including the cover art and the tagline, "All's fair in love and poetry."
It will feature 16 songs, including one bonus track titled "The Manuscript," according to the singer's website.
She teased the titles of her new songs, which include "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys," "But Daddy I Love Him," "Guilty as Sin?," "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart," "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived," "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?," "I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)," and "loml."
The titles immediately sparked speculation among Swift's fans that some of the songs may be based on her relationship and breakup with ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn.
Swift dated the British actor for six years before they parted ways in early 2023.
The "You Belong With Me" hitmaker has since moved on with NFL star Travis Kelce.
"The Tortured Poets Department" is slated to be released on April 19.
