IFPI_org Last year’s #1 returns for a second year in the IFPI Global Single Chart Top 10. The lead single from the UK star’s 3rd studio album “Harry’s House” continued to enjoy huge commercial success as the 5th biggest track of the year.
Harry Styles’ As It Was has been revealed as the winner of IFPI’s Global Single Award 2022.
IFPI, which represents the global record industry, presents the award to the biggest-selling single across all digital formats, comprising paid and ad-funded streams and downloads.
This marks the first time Styles, who has also enjoyed recent success at The BRITs and The Grammys, has won the IFPI award as a solo artist. Ten years ago, One Direction topped the inaugural IFPI Global Recording Artist Chart and the IFPI Global Album Chart.
IFPI chief executive Frances Moore said: “Congratulations to Harry Styles, and all of his team, on winning IFPI’s Global Single of the Year Award. Harry first received an IFPI Award as part of One Direction when we first launched the IFPI Global Recording Artist Chart 10 years ago, so it’s an honour to present him with an award this year for his stellar single As It Was which has soundtracked the year for so many music fans around the world.”
As It Was has 1,729,679 sales in the UK, according to the Official Charts Company. It is now the singer��s second biggest UK hit, behind Watermelon Sugar which has 2,133,817 sales. As It Was’ parent album Harry’s House also hit No.1 and has 502,156 UK sales to date.
IFPI, which represents the global record industry, presents the award to the biggest-selling single across all digital formats, comprising paid and ad-funded streams and downloads.
This marks the first time Styles, who has also enjoyed recent success at The BRITs and The Grammys, has won the IFPI award as a solo artist. Ten years ago, One Direction topped the inaugural IFPI Global Recording Artist Chart and the IFPI Global Album Chart.
IFPI chief executive Frances Moore said: “Congratulations to Harry Styles, and all of his team, on winning IFPI’s Global Single of the Year Award. Harry first received an IFPI Award as part of One Direction when we first launched the IFPI Global Recording Artist Chart 10 years ago, so it’s an honour to present him with an award this year for his stellar single As It Was which has soundtracked the year for so many music fans around the world.”
As It Was has 1,729,679 sales in the UK, according to the Official Charts Company. It is now the singer’s second biggest UK hit, behind Watermelon Sugar which has 2,133,817 sales. As It Was’ parent album Harry’s House also hit No.1 and has 502,156 UK sales to date.
Last year, As It Was co-writer Tyler Johnson told the story of how the song was made in a Hitmakers interview with Music Week.
“It’s got such a mellowness to it and it doesn’t really go for any big moments,” Johnson said. “Harry had the vision for it to be the lead single [from Harry’s House]. I’m very impressed at how he saw that it was what his audience wanted, and also people in general – it’s not just his fans who have taken to the song. When it came out on Spotify and I pressed play I got a good feeling in my stomach like, ‘I like that people are hearing this song.’”
“Harry was sitting on the Moog One and I liked what he was playing, so I sat down and played as he started to write the melodies and the lyrics,” Johnson added. “I said to Harry, ‘We need a lead line’ and he just came up right away with the ‘Dah, dah, dah...’ part. He didn’t hesitate. Then he started writing the second verse and referring to himself in the third person. So much of this song just came from Harry’s heart.”
Sophie Jones, the BPI’s chief strategy officer & interim CEO has also offered congratulations to Styles.
“It’s great to see UK artists do so well in the IFPI global charts, particularly dominating the songs of 2022, with Harry Styles and Glass Animals at No.1 and No.2 and nearly half the top 20 claimed by UK talent,” Jones said. “Our congratulations to Harry Styles for featuring so strongly in the global charts and to all UK artists and their labels for an excellent performance last year.”
Styles is joined by Glass Animals, Elton John & Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran and Adele in the Top 20. The list also features four songs performed in Spanish, with Bad Bunny appearing twice alongside Farruko and Karol G.
Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) also features following its revival after a sync in Stranger Things.
#1: @pledis_17 – FML
#1 for the 1st time in IFPI's Global Album Chart it’s K-Pop phenomenon SEVENTEEN. The band's 10th EP "FML" was a global hit, breaking K-Pop album sales records on release, & was a hit in the US & globally.
Congrats SEVENTEEN, you're #1!👏
#GlobalAlbumChart
#1: @pledis_17 – FML
#1 for the 1st time in IFPI's Global Album Chart it’s K-Pop phenomenon SEVENTEEN. The band's 10th EP "FML" was a global hit, breaking K-Pop album sales records on release, & was a hit in the US & globally.
Congrats SEVENTEEN, you're #1!👏
#GlobalAlbumChart
Will you explain what that IFPI thing is? That article was a little hard to follow. How big a deal is it?
I would say that As It Was being the biggest/best-selling single of 2022 globally is a pretty big deal :)
The IFPI is a non-profit music industry body that, among other things, tracks global music sales (streaming, download, physical) and produces an independently verified chart each year.
As It Was is the biggest single of 2022. The biggest album of 2022 will be announced later today (countdown begins 1pm GMT)
Taylor Swift becomes the first artist in history to be named IFPI's best selling artist of the year worldwide on four occasions (2014, 2019, 2022 & 2023).