It's a Four-Peat for Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift just notched another music milestone—one that puts her in a league of her own. The IFPI has named her the world's top-selling artist of 2025, marking her fourth straight year at No. 1 on its Global Artist Chart and her sixth time at No. 1 overall thanks to first-place finishes in 2014 and 2019. (Billboard notes BTS grabbed the top spot in 2020 and 2021.) The trade group, which represents the recording industry worldwide, says the title reflects combined physical, digital, and streaming performance.

Fueling the repeat crown: Swift's 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, which debuted atop the Billboard 200 in October and stayed parked there for 12 weeks. Singles "Opalite" and "The Fate of Ophelia" have also been fixtures on the Hot 100. Rolling Stone reports another jolt came when Swift regained control of her catalog for the first time in six years, prompting a surge in listening to her original, non–"Taylor's Version" albums; Reputation alone saw sales jump more than 1,100% and streams more than double after the news.

Rounding out IFPI's 2025 Global Artist Chart: K-pop boy band Stray Kids at No. 2 (up from No. 5 last year), followed by Drake, The Weeknd, and Bad Bunny, with Kendrick Lamar, Sabrina Carpenter, Billie Eilish, and Lady Gaga also making the list. IFPI's global singles and albums rankings arrive later this week.