Ed Sheeran tops UK airplay charts again
Ed Sheeran was the most played artist in the UK last year and Feel It Still by Portugal The Man was the most-played song.
The music licencing company PPL has published its annual ‘Most Played Charts’, the only music charts that show which tracks are being played the most by Radio, TV and in public across the UK.
Sheeran has held the top spot in three of the last four years and since his first album was released in 2011, he’s been in the top five most played artists five times.
Second and third place went to Calvin Harris and Little Mix.
Nine out of the ten most played artists were British, with P!nk the only non-UK artist. Calvin Harris, Little Mix, Clean Bandit and Jess Glynne have been in the top ten many times in recent years, which reflects the current strength of UK music.
Although Portugal The Man’s Feel It Still was released in 2017, it remains popular and received enough plays to come out on top as the biggest radio hit of the year.
For the second year in a row, Pink’s What About Us was in the top 10 and that has only happened once before, by Maroon 5’s Moves Like Jagger in 2011 and 2012.
PPL’s Most Played Artists 2018
- Ed Sheeran
- Calvin Harris
- Little Mix
- Rita Ora
- Coldplay
- P!nk
- Clean Bandit
- Dua Lipa
- George Ezra
- Jess Glynn
PPL’s Most Played Track 2018
- Feel It Still – Portugal. The Man
- These Days (feat. Jess Glynne, Macklemore & Dan Caplen) – Rudimental
- For You (Fifty Shades Freed) – Liam Payne & Rita Ora
- One Kiss – Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa
- Shotgun – George Ezra
- Lullaby – Sigala & Paloma Faith
- Anywhere – Rita Ora
- Flames – David Guetta & Sia
- Paradise – George Ezra
- 10. What About Us – P!nk