If there's any sign that women are gaining power in the music world, one can look to the Official UK Charts. The numbers don't lie.
Taylor Swift on the red carpet at the 65th Grammy Awards, Los Angeles, February 5, 2023.
According to a new report by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), female artists spent the most weeks at No. 1 on the UK's Official Singles Chart, with an astounding 31 out of 52 weeks in 2023. This figure — 60% for the entire year — is a record breaker, the most since the Official Chart's formation in 1952.
Leading the way, Miley Cyrus was a 10-week chart-topper with "Flowers." The single moved 1.7 million units plus 198 million audio and video streams. This was a return to form for Cyrus, whose commercial impact hasn't been felt since her two chart-toppers "We Can't Stop" and "Wrecking Ball" from 2013's Bangerz.
Miley Cyrus - Flowers (Backyard Sessions)
The numbers are also in favor of women elsewhere: nine of 2023's 16 No. 1 singles were by female artists, blended by a mix of both UK and international musicians.
Ellie Goulding came up the biggest success in 2023 with not only her fourth No. 1 single, the Calvin Harris collab dance track "Miracles," but also a No. 1 album Higher Than Heaven at the same time in April. Goulding is now sharing with Adele as the British female solo artist with the most No. 1 albums. Along with Dua Lipa's topper "Dance The Night" (from the Barbie soundtrack and an Oscar Best Song nominee) as her fourth UK No. 1 single, both women share this ranking with Rita Ora and Geri Halliwell.
Calvin Harris, Ellie Goulding - Miracle (Official Video)
The Barbie movie (directed and co-written by Greta Gerwig) was the summer blockbuster that not only spurred on "Dance The Night," but also gave Billie Eilish a UK No.1 for "What Was I Made For?," five Grammy nominations and also an Oscar nom for Best Original Song.
For the U.S., without a doubt, 2023 was the Year of Taylor. Her vault track "Is It Over Now" from 1989 (Taylor's Version) debuted at No. 1 and her "Cruel Summer" was No. 11 in the Top 20 biggest songs of the year. In addition, Swift's "Anti-Hero" was included in the year’s Top 20 songs, along with SZA ("Kill Bill"), Bebe Rexha ("I’m Good (Blue)" with David Guetta, Libianca ("People") and Olivia Rodrigo ("Vampire").
Olivia Rodrigo at the iHeartRadio z100 Jingle Ball, Madison Square Garden, New York City, December 8, 2023.
Dr. Jo Twist, BPI's Chief Executive, said in a statement: "Whilst work continues towards achieving full representation for women across the music industry, 2023 has been a brilliant year for women in the Official Charts. There is a more diverse range of recording artists than ever achieving great success with the backing of their labels... This should be celebrated, but without complacency, and our work in the music industry continues to ensure that this becomes the norm."
