Miley Cyrus, Dua Lipa and Ellie Goulding: Women dominate the music charts for 2023
Women have dominated the UK music scene for 2023 as female artists spent the most weeks at number one in the official singles chart since its inception in 1952.
A few familiar names and some new entrants featured in the UK Top 40 as women claimed a record-breaking 31 weeks at number one, according to British Phonographic Industry (BPI), the record industry’s trade association.
Miley Cyrus led the way with her post-breakup song Flowers which stayed 10 weeks at the top of the charts, calculated by a combination of streaming and retail sales.
Dave and Central Cee’s track Sprinter took second place but it was followed by a string of female artists, with seven out of the top 10 featuring female acts.
Miley Cyrus’s Flowers was at the top of the charts for 10 weeks
London-born RAYE’s collaboration with US rapper 070 Shake on Escapism secured third spot.
Taylor Swift, whose 1989 (Taylor’s Version) was the best-selling vinyl album, made it onto the list with Anti-Hero, from her tenth studio album Midnights.
It was a successful year for Taylor Swift. Pic: AP
Singer Ellie Goulding’s track Miracle with Calvin Harris came in fifth, while US female rapper-singer SZA’s song Kill Bill took seventh.
Bath-born singer PinkPantheress came in eighth with Boy’s A Liar and Cameroonian American singer Libianca rounded off the top 10 with People.
The other male artists making up the rest of the top ten were Rema (Calm Down) and Harry Styles (As It Was).
Thirteen of the year’s top 20 tracks were by women, including UK artists Ella Henderson (React), and Venbee (Messy In Heaven) and global stars Olivia Rodrigo (Vampire) and Bebe Rexha (I’m Good [Blue] with David Guetta).
PinkPantheress featured in the top 20 tracks of the year
BPI chief executive Dr Jo Twist said 2023 had been a “brilliant year for women” which should be “celebrated but without complacency”.
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Streaming continues to dominate the music industry, with it making up 87.7% of the market for 2023.
There were over 179 billion streams across the past year, up by 12.8% in 2022.
BPI introduced the Brit Billion award which recognises artists who have achieved more than one billion streams in the UK including Ed Sheeran, The Rolling Stones, and Coldplay.
Cyrus’s Flowers was the year’s biggest hit with 198 million audio and video streams in the UK.
However, physical album sales continue to prove popular with 86% of the 44 albums that debuted at number one having more than half their chart sales made up of physical units.
Canadian singer The Weeknd hit the heights once more as his best-of album, The Highlights, was the year’s top record.
The Barbie album soundtrack became the year’s top compilation and included hits by Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice.
The biggest albums of the year were:
- The Weeknd – The Highlights
- Taylor Swift – Midnights
- Taylor Swift – 1989 (Taylor’s Version)
- Elton John – Diamonds
- Harry Styles – Harry’s House
- Fleetwood Mac – 50 Years – Don’t Stop
- Eminem – Curtain Call – The Hits
- SZA – SOS
- Arctic Monkeys – AM
- ABBA – Gold – Greatest Hits
Entertainment
BAFTA Games Awards: Astro Bot tops leaderboard – with psychological horror close behind
Astro Bot was the big winner at this year’s BAFTA Games Awards, taking home five prizes, including the coveted best game.
The 3D platformer, which was launched to critical acclaim in September to mark PlayStation’s 30th anniversary, was nominated for eight gongs, while Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, led with 11 nods.
But in the end, the critics – some of whom had dubbed Astro Bot a “perfect game” – were right as it dominated the awards at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, hosted by comedian Phil Wang for the second year running.
Astro Bot. Pic: Team Asobi
Nicolas Doucet with his five awards for Astro Bot. Pic: PA
BAFTAs for audio achievement, game design, animation, and best family game completed the set for developers Team Asobi, who designed multiple galaxies and dozens of levels for the titular Astro to journey through, retrieving spaceship parts and rescuing lost robots.
“We’re a team based in Japan, but we have over 12 nationalities. We really mix it up and get ideas from everyone,” Nicolas Doucet, president of Team Asobi, told Sky News.
“We do a lot of jokes in the game, but the joke has a different meaning depending on where you are in the world. So it’s really, really nice to go around and ask everyone ‘is that joke fine in your country?’ And then together we come to a kind of universal playfulness.”
Among the gongs for Astro Bot was the best game award. Pic: BAFTA
It’s a very different atmosphere than that generated by British psychological horror Still Wakes The Deep, which won three awards for best new intellectual property and best supporting and leading roles.
Compared to John Carpenter’s 1980 sci-fi horror The Thing but on a Scottish oil rig, the game sees players take on the role of an electrician trapped on a damaged facility while being pursued by monsters.
Still Wakes The Deep. Pic: Sumo Digital Limited
Developer The Chinese Room has been praised for using home-grown talent to voice the characters, including comedian and actress Karen Dunbar, who picked up best performer in a supporting role for voicing Finlay.
“I’ve been nominated for quite a few BAFTAs in my time in Scotland, and I’ve never won one,” said Dunbar.
“It was such a great category, so many great performances. When they shouted my name, I think I started clapping for someone else!”
Read more: See full list of winners
Still Wakes The Deep star Karen Dunbar won best performer in a supporting role. Pic: BAFTA
Meanwhile, best multiplayer game went to Helldivers II – a satirical, sci-fi shooter that sees players fight bugs, aliens and robots with the gumption and gullibility of the characters in Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers.
It has gained a cult following since launching in February 2024 with so much initial interest it created server problems.
“Games for me are about connecting people and forging those bonds of friendship and the multiplayer award is exactly what it stands for,” said Johan Pilestedt, chief executive of Arrowhead Game Studios.
Helldivers II. Pic: Arrowhead/Sony
From outer space to a fictional Yorkshire town called Barnsworth. Thank Goodness You’re Here! – a cartoonish, comedy platformer – won Best British Game. Like Still Wakes The Deep, it has won praise for the authenticity of its actors and setting.
“I think it’s been a real privilege to be able to represent Barnsley on the silver screen,” said Will Todd, who is from the town and one of two game designers behind the project.
Thank Goodness You’re Here! Pic: Coal Supper/Panic Inc
Co-creator James Carbutt added: “Me and Will wrote everything in our tone of voice, quite literally. The further along development we got, the more we lent into it. I think the voices from different parts of the UK and different voices in gaming are super important, and hopefully we’re one of them.”
By the time the BAFTAs wrapped up, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II was only handed one of the 11 BAFTAs it was nominated for, technical achievement.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. Pic: Ninja Theory
But developers Ninja Theory are already adding this year’s win to a tally of five BAFTAs they were awarded for the first game in the series, which created a protagonist with psychosis by drawing on clinical neuroscience and the experiences of people living with the condition.
Blondie drummer Clem Burke has died at the age of 70
The band said Blurke had been diagnosed with cancer, and described his death as a “profound loss”.
He featured on all the Debbie Harry-fronted group’s studio albums since joining a year after their formation in 1975.
Blurke was with the band from their self-titled debut, through their 1978 classic Parallel Lines, to 2017’s Pollinator.
Drummer Burke.
Pic: Reuters
In a statement on Blondie’s Instagram, Harry and the band’s guitarist, Chris Stein, said: “It is with profound sadness that we relay news of the passing of our beloved friend and bandmate Clem Burke following a private battle with cancer.
“Clem was not just a drummer, he was the heartbeat of Blondie.
“His talent, energy, and passion for music were unmatched, and his contributions to our sound and success are immeasurable.
“Beyond his musicianship, Clem was a source of inspiration both on and off the stage. His vibrant spirit, infectious enthusiasm and rock solid work ethic touched everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.
“Clem’s influence extended far beyond Blondie, a self-proclaimed ‘rock and roll survivalist’, he played and collaborated with numerous iconic artists.”
Burke in his performance at Festival Estereo Picnic 2023.
Pic: AP
Burke featured on Iggy Pop’s 1982 album Zombie Birdhouse and also performed with Bob Dylan, The Ramones, The Who guitarist Pete Townshend and Joan Jett.
The statement went on to say Burke had left an “indelible mark on every project he was part of”.
It added: “We extend our deepest condolences to Clem’s family, friends, and fans around the world. His legacy will live on through the tremendous amount of music he created and the countless lives he touched.”
Burke, who performed on classic tracks such as Call Me, Heart Of Glass and One Way Or Another, made his final live appearance with Blondie last year.
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Blondie performing during Glastonbury Festival in 2023.
Pic: Invision/AP
Among those paying tribute to him was Kinks guitarist Dave Davies, who said: “I feel saddened that Clem Burke was taken from us so soon.
“May he rest in peace, spectacular drumming, we were friends.”
Nancy Sinatra said: “My heart is shattered. Clem became an icon as a member of Blondie, but he was also an important part of my band, the K.A.B. I was blessed to call him my friend.
“If I ever needed him, he was there. Always. Sending healing prayers and comfort to his widow, Ellen, his family, and all who loved him.”
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