Women pop stars as popular as men in 2018 in UK Top 40 chart
- Five of the top 10 acts in 2018 were women and they spent 310 weeks in the UK charts, up from 226 weeks
- The number of women working in the music industry has also increased
Female pop stars have seen their popularity in Britain rocket in comparison with their male counterparts, according to analysis of time spent in the UK Top 40 chart this year.
Data analysis by the Press Association found that five of the top 10 most popular acts of 2018 were all female; they racked up a total of 310 weeks on the chart versus the 328 weeks achieved by men.
According to the Press Association, in 2017 the figure was just 226 weeks for female artists, with 386 weeks for men.
The 2018 list is topped by the Canadian rapper Drake, who had a total of 102 weeks on the chart for 13 hits. The female rapper Cardi B came second, and British-Kosovan pop singer Dua Lipa third, while Jess Glynne, Ariana Grande and Anne-Marie all featured in the top 10.
The data is slightly complicated by the fact that some of the music tracks on which the women performed were produced by men.
Dua Lipa’s hit One Kiss was made in collaboration with Calvin Harris, so both would be credited in terms of chart weeks; Electricity was produced by the duo Silk City; 22 of Jess Glynne’s weeks on the chart were from her track with Rudimental and Macklemore, These Days; and Anne-Marie’s Friends was a hit with the EDM producer Marshmello.