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The UK may be waning as a pop superpower – but a new generation is being nurtured

No British artists were in the top 10 biggest albums and singles globally last year. But big acts were between projects, and Charli xcx and Central Cee are hitting their stride

It has proved infinitely more adept at marketing manufactured pop than Britain or the US in recent years, with K-pop fans actually spending money on albums: when you remove streaming from the equation and look at pure sales, 17 of the top 20 biggest global sellers are South Korean. But Raye’s next album could capitalise on the critical acclaim afforded her debut in the US, while Lola Young, whose UK No 1 single Messy is currently outstreaming hits by Lady Gaga, Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter globally on Spotify, could be another bright prospect. Outside the period covered by the list, Central Cee’s debut album Can’t Rush Greatness entered the US charts at No 9: nothing to give Kendrick Lamar sleepless nights, but an achievement so extraordinary, given America’s traditional resistance to rap artists from outside its borders, that it would have seemed completely unimaginable even a few years ago.

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