Ed Sheeran claimed Bad Habits, the UK’s most played artist in 2021 and the most played single of the year.
Pop superstar (31) is the first artist to win both praises in two years.
He previously released the album Divide in 2017, doubled and hit the single Shape Of You.
Adele is the only other artist to beat both charts in the same year with the popularity of Rolling In The Deep and her album 21 in 2011.
This is also the fourth time in five years that Silan was the UK’s most played artist and was defeated only in 2020 by Dua Lipa following the release of her chart-top second album, Future Nostalgia.
The annual chart is edited by music licensing company Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL) from music usage and airplay data from radio stations, television channels, and performance locations.
Tom Grennan celebrated his breakout year with both the second and third played tracks in 2021 on Calvin Harris and Little Bit Of Love’s By Your Side, respectively.
Weeknd’s Blinding Lights is the fourth played track, demonstrating the sustainability that was first released in November 2019.
The fifth track played in 2021 was Higher Power by Coldplay.
The second artist to perform this year was Getta, and the third was Lipa.
Little Mix, which has recently been dormant, has consistently ranked in the top 10 for the past five years before taking fourth place.
Coldplay was the fifth most played act.
Peter Leathem, PPL’s ​​Chief Executive Officer, said:
“His chart-top success over the last five years is not only a testament to the quality of his output, but also to the strength of British music in an era of unprecedented competition in the global music environment.
“PPL plays an important role in the UK music ecosystem, and loyalty is levied when these recordings and hundreds of thousands of recordings are broadcast on television and radio and played in public, 2021. Total revenue will be £ 252.8 million.
“Both recording performers and recording rights holders benefit from these royalties, providing an important source of income for many in the music industry, from family names to beginners. “
The most played track in 2021
1. Bad habits – Ed Sheeran
2. By Your Side – Calvin Harris featuring Tom Grennan
3. Little Bit of Love-Tom Grennan
4. Blinding Lights-Weekend
5. High Power-Coldplay
6. Everything I’ve ever wanted – Rag’n’Boneman
7. Heartbreak Anthem – Galantis, David Guetta, Little Mix
8. Starstruck – Years & Years
9. Midnight Sky-Miley Cyrus
10. Bed – Joel Corry, Ray, David Guetta
The most performed artist in 2021
1. Ed Sheeran
2. David Guetta
3. Dua Lipa
4. Little mix
5. Coldplay
6. Weekend
7. Justin Bieber
8. Calvin Harris
9. Taylor Swift
10. Pink
