Canadian rapper Drake has been named the Global Recording Artist of the Year for 2016, beating the late David Bowie and British singer-songwriter Adele, thanks to his mammoth streaming and sales accomplishments.
The musician enjoyed a hugely successful year with his fourth studio album Views, which topped the UK chart as well as many around the world.
He has now landed the accolade of heading a list of the top 10 artists, compiled by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).
The 30-year-old is the fourth recipient of the industry award, which reflects a series of triumphs for an artist including the sales of physical and digital formats.
Drake’s One Dance, the second single from Views, became the first song to be played one billion times on streaming service Spotify, while the album was the first to reach a billion streams on Apple Music.
IFPI chief executive Frances Moore said: “I’m delighted to be able to honour Drake as the IFPI Global Recording Artist 2016.
“Drake’s phenomenal success reflects how deeply his unique sound appeals to an enormous global audience. The Global Top 10 list features a number of amazing artists, and the variety and vibrancy of their art speaks volumes about the exciting state of music today.”
Bowie, who died in January 2016 just two days after the release of his album Blackstar, is second on the IFPI’s top 10 list.
British rock band Coldplay are in third place and last year’s winner Adele is in fourth place due to the continuing success of their 2015 albums A Head Full Of Dreams and 25 respectively.
Canadian pop star Justin Bieber is at number five, with American music duo Twenty One Pilots in sixth place, ahead of singers Beyonce and Rihanna at seventh and eighth respectively.
Pop icon Prince, who died in April last year, is in ninth place and Canadian artist The Weeknd rounds off the list at number 10.
Previous recipients of the Global Recording Artist of the Year were Adele in 2015, Taylor Swift in 2014 and One Direction in 2013.
