Brits turn up Dua Lipa and Miley Cyrus as UK streams more music than ever
British music fans grooved to female artists last year as pop queens spent a record amount of time at No.1 on the singles chart.
Female artists spent a record-breaking 31 out of 52 weeks at No.1 on the UK’s singles chart in 2023 – the most since the ranking began over 70 years ago, according to British Phonographic Industry (BPI) analysis.
BPI chief executive, Dr Jo Twist OBE, said: “Whilst work continues towards achieving full representation for women across the music industry, 2023 has been a brilliant year for women in the Official Charts.”
Miley Cyrus’s Flowers held the No.1 position for ten weeks, while homegrown successes including Dua Lipa, Ellie Goulding, Kenya Grace and Raye also got a turn at the top. In the US, top performing stars were Billie Eilish, Doja Cat, Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift.
Twist added: “There is a more diverse range of recording artists than ever achieving great success with the backing of their labels.”
“Women spent more weeks at No.1 on the Official Singles Chart than in any previous year, while seven of the ten biggest tracks were by women. This should be celebrated, but without complacency, and our work in the music industry continues to ensure that this becomes the norm,” she said.
These listening habits helped boost UK music consumption for the ninth year in a row, according to the BPI’s latest market data.
Sales and streams combined rose by 10 per cent to nearly 183m albums in 2023. Streaming equivalent albums were up 12 per cent to over 160m units. Based on combined streaming and sales activity, four of 2023’s five biggest tracks were by women.
The UK streaming market also reached another record high, up nearly 13 per cent on 2022, with 180bn audio streams across the calendar year.