Lewis Capaldi’s emotional ballads became the biggest soundtrack of the 2020 pandemic as music streaming rises by 20% in lockdown
- The Scottish singer’s album Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent You Go was the most streamed album for the second year running in the U.K
- Dua Lipa, Stormzy and Harry Styles also made it into the top five albums
- Some 155 million albums or their equivalent were streamed or bought in 2020
- There were also 139 billion audio streams, British Phonographic Industry said
Lewis Capaldi became the soundtrack for 2020 in Britain with the nation finding solace in his emotional ballads during the battle against coronavirus.
The Scottish singer’s album Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent You Go was the most streamed album for the second year running in the U.K.
Music streaming rose by 20% in lockdown, with eight UK singers, including Harry Styles, Stormzy and Dua Lipa, making up the top 10 albums.
Number one: Lewis Capaldi became the soundtrack for 2020 in Britain with the nation finding solace in his emotional ballads during the battle against coronavirus (pictured last year)
Capaldi, 24, who has penned Someone You Loved and Before You Go, also recorded two of the top 10 selling singles but missed out on first place to The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights.
But the British Phonographic Industry said a new wave of talent, such as AJ Tracey, Aitch, J Hus, Joel Corry, Mabel, KSI, Headie One, Jorja Smith and Gerry Cinnamon, are also driving growth.
Some 155 million albums or their equivalent were either streamed or bought last year, an 8.2 per cent rise on 2019, and there were 139 billion audio streams, up by over a fifth, the record labels association BPI revealed.
Hit: The Scottish singer’s album Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent You Go was the most streamed album for the second year running in the U.K (pictured last year)
Brits: Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia and Harry Styles’ Fine Line were among the top five albums last year
Grime artist: Stomzy’s Heavy Is The Head also made up the top five (pictured last year)
The figures, which also showed that nearly 200 artists were streamed more than 100 million times, have been released as streaming giants come under mounting pressure to increase payments to singers and musicians during the pandemic.
Sir Paul McCartney recently became the latest star to highlight the issue, saying ‘they probably don’t pay enough. But (the platforms are) in such a powerful position. What can people do?’.
Streaming now accounts for 80 per cent of UK music consumption although vinyl and cassette sales have continued to grow.
BPI chief executive Geoff Taylor said: ‘The performance of recorded music in 2020 was remarkable, and reminds us how important music is to our country, even when our lives are disrupted.
‘But any satisfaction we can take is tempered by the devastating impact of the pandemic on live music.
‘Recorded music is only one element of artists’ incomes, and we renew our calls on Government to support our culturally important venues, nightclubs and festivals until they can safely reopen.’
He said: ‘Record labels are investing heavily in new artists to secure the future of British music, boosting the UK’s exports and soft power.’
Capaldi learned to play drums and guitar when he was two, and began his musical career singing in pubs aged 9.
By 17 he had committed to a career in music.
In 2019 he had his big breakthrough single Someone You Loved, which charted in over 29 countries.
The song spent seven weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart.
His debut album Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent followed in May which became the best selling album in the UK in five years, spending five weeks at number one in its first six weeks of release.
Capaldi also made history by becoming the first artist to sell out an arena tour before the release of an album.
In September 2020 the album passed one million UK chart sales.
Impressive: Capaldi, who has penned Someone You Loved and Before You Go, also recorded two of the top 10 selling singles but missed out on first place to The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights