Taylor Swift wins recording artist of the year crown for fifth time

Her record-breaking ‘Eras’ tour boosted interest in her past albums, says IFPI

Taylor Swift performs as her record-breaking The Eras Tour comes to an end with the first of her three concerts in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Dec 6, 2024. REUTERS/Jennifer Gauthier/File Photo

Taylor Swift has been named global recording artist of the year for 2024 by the IFPI, the fifth time she has won the honour from the organisation that represents the recorded music industry.

The megastar's "The Tortured Poets Department" record also topped four IFPI charts - global album, global vinyl album, global streaming album and global album sales, the IFPI said in a statement on Tuesday.

It had a strong lead on the 2024 global album sales chart, which calculates physical purchases and full album downloads, with 5.6 million units. K-pop group ENHYPEN's "Romance: Untold" took the second spot with 3.4 million units sold.

Swift's record-breaking "Eras" tour, the first to surpass $1 billion in revenue, also boosted interest in her past records, with several appearing in the 2024 vinyl album and streaming album charts, the IFPI said.

"This has been a huge year for Taylor, and it has been incredible to see the extent to which fans all over the world are connecting with her superb catalogue of music," IFPI Chief Executive Victoria Oakley said.

Swift was first named IFPI global recording artist of the year in 2014 and then in 2019, 2022 and 2023, the most times for any performer since the award was introduced 12 years ago.

Presented to whoever tops the IFPI global artist chart, the prize is calculated by looking at an artist's or group's worldwide sales for streaming, download and physical music formats during the calendar year and covers their whole body of work, according to the organisation.

Canadian rapper Drake and K-pop group SEVENTEEN came in second and third respectively on that chart for 2024.