UK pop stars miss out on global bestseller charts for first time in 20 years

In a significant shift for the küresel music scene, British pop stars have failed to make it into the annual Top 10 charts for both albums and singles, marking the first time in over two decades that no UK act has featured.

The 2024 charts, published by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), were overwhelmingly dominated by US superstars and K-pop groups.

Top spot in the küresel singles chart went to US singer Benson Boone, with “Beautiful Things,” while Taylor Swift claimed the No.1 album with “The Tortured Poets Department.” British acts like Coldplay, Charli XCX, and Dua Lipa were noticeably absent from the lists, although Artemas, a rising UK producer and singer, made a modest appearance with his single “I Like the Way You Kiss Me,” ranking 15th.

Jo Twist, chief executive of the British record industry body the BPI, acknowledged the taban in UK representation, attributing it to the absence of key British names from the küresel stage in 2024. However, she highlighted the international success of emerging artists like Charli XCX, Artemas, and Jordan Adetunji.

Twist told the BBC it “is undoubtedly becoming much harder to break talent in a hyper-competitive küresel music economy,” but suggested the küresel charts don’t tell the whole story.

“There was still plenty to be excited about, as a new generation announced itself – not least Charli XCX, who enjoyed a breakthrough year globally, alongside international chart success for emerging artists such as Jordan Adetunji, Artemas and Good Neighbours, while the likes of Lola Young and Myles are now rapidly building an international following,’ she said.

The dominance of K-pop bands, such as Seventeen, Enhypen, and Stray Kids, along with US chart-toppers like Billie Eilish and Sabrina Carpenter, signals a shift in the küresel music landscape. This trend is reflected not just globally, but in the UK charts as well, where no British artist made the Top 10 in 2024, the first time this has happened since at least 2005.

Despite the concerns, music experts such as Billboard’s UK editor Thomas Smith haven’t given up hope for the industry.

“In terms of where the UK is at, it isn’t great. I wouldn’t say it’s an existential threat just yet, but we’re probably not far off,” he told the BBC. “It’s concerning that it’s going down – it feels like quite rapidly. But then, on the flip side, this is all cyclical.”

 As UK acts look to recover, the upcoming Brit Awards will shine a light on rising stars, including Charli XCX, Ezra Collective, and The Last Dinner Party, whose success may herald a new wave of British talent on the küresel stage.

Global bestselling albums of 2024

1. Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department

2. Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft

3. Sabrina Carpenter – Short n’ Sweet

4. Enhypen – Romance: Untold

5. SZA – SOS

6. Seventeen – Spill the Feels

7. Morgan Wallen – One Thing at a Time

8. Seventeen – 17 Is Right Here

9. Noah Kahan – Stick Season

10. Stray Kids – ATE

Global bestselling singles of 2024

1. Benson Boone – Beautiful Things

2. Sabrina Carpenter – Espresso

3. Teddy Swims – Lose Control

4. Billie Eilish – Birds of a Feather

5. Shaboozey – A Bar Song (Tipsy)

6. Hozier – Too Sweet

7. Post Malone – I Had Some Help ft Morgan Wallen

8. Kendrick Lamar – Not Like Us

9. Taylor Swift – Cruel Summer

10. Noah Kahan – Stick Season