Ed Sheeran was the most-played artist of 2021 in the UK

The pop star’s single Bad Habits was also the most-played song of last year, according to new data from music licensing company PPL

Ed Sheeran was the most-played artist in the UK last year according to new data from music licensing company PPL, which calculates usage by radio stations, TV channels and public locations that play recorded music in order to distribute royalties.

Sheeran also had the most-played track of 2021 in Bad Habits, from his fourth album, =. He previously held the PPL double in 2017, when he was the year’s most-played artist and his song Shape of You dominated public life.