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British artists make history by dominating top 10 singles of 2022 for the first time on record

Artists such as Harry Styles, Ed Sheeran and emerging singer Cat Burns all made it onto the list

Megan Graye
Wednesday 04 January 2023 00:01 GMT
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British artists have made history after they were responsible for every one of the top 10 singles of 2022.

Artists such as Harry Styles, Ed Sheeran, Kate Bush and new artist Cat Burns all topped the UK’s end of year sales charts, which is based on combined streaming and sales activity throughout 2022.

The victory is the first time Brits have had so many hits in the top 10 since the music industry began publishing sales charts more than 50 years ago.

“As It Was” by Harry Styles was the biggest song in the UK, having spent more than 10 consecutive weeks at No 1.

The song was also the only single to surpass 180 million streams in 2022, according to Official Charts data by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

Styles’ also secured 2022’s biggest selling album with Grammy and Mercury shortlisted Harry’s House.

In the singles chart, the second best selling song was Sheeran’s “Bad Habits”. He also took third place for “Peru” in collaboration with Nigerian singer Fireboy and fifth place for his song “Shivers”.

‘As It Was’ by Harry Styles was the biggest hit, spending more than 10 consecutive weeks at No 1.
‘As It Was’ by Harry Styles was the biggest hit, spending more than 10 consecutive weeks at No 1. (Getty Images)

Emerging artist Cat Burns followed with her song “Go”, which gained attention after going viral on Tiktok.

In sixth place it was the resurgence of “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush thanks to a feature on Stranger Things.

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The remaining songs were from British artists Glass Animals, Callum Scott, LF System and Sam Fender.

The news comes as UK recorded music consumption has increased in the UK for the eighth year running.

Annual audio streaming figures now surpass 150 billion in the UK, say the BPI.

Sam Fender also featured in the top 10
Sam Fender also featured in the top 10 (Getty Images)

"It’s wonderful to see so many exciting new artists breaking through to thrive alongside more established UK artists,” said musician and BPI chair YolanDa Brown.

“Leading the next wave of British talent to global success thanks to the compelling mix of their creativity and artistry, the ever expanding opportunities afforded by streaming and the support of their record labels. I congratulate British artists and their teams on another year of brilliant success.”

Leon Neville, BPI’s director of research and insight, added: "This outstanding achievement is a testament to the rich music talent that continues to emerge from across the UK’s nations and regions, fuelled by the passion, investment and skills of UK record labels.”

Additional reporting by Press Association

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