Ed Sheeran crowned most listened to artist of 2019

Ed Sheeran has been named the most listened to artist of 2019.

The 'Perfect' hitmaker - who scored number one albums in the US and UK with last year's star-studded 'No.6 Collaborations Project' - has topped music licensing firm PPL's top 10 list for the fourth time, beating Calvin Harris and Sam Smith, who came in second and first place respectively, to the feat.

The company has also unveiled their top 10 most played songs of last year, with Calvin and Rag'n' Bone Man's mega-hit 'Giant' coming in first place.

'Shape of You' singer Ed's Justin Bieber collaboration 'I Don't Care' made it to fourth place.

Whilst Sam and former Fifth Harmony member Normani's track 'Dancing with a Stranger' came third and Mark Ronson and Miley Cyrus' 'Nothing Breaks Like a Heart' narrowly missed out on first place, coming second.

Chief executive of PPL, Peter Leathem, commented: ''From rising stars to established names, the PPL Most Played Charts for 2019 showcase the songs and artists that soundtracked our year.

''British music was particularly popular, with Ed Sheeran maintaining his popularity while acts such as Tom Walker and Mabel established themselves on the airwaves.

''Congratulations to all those featured in our charts as well as the music businesses that invest in and support their success.''

The 'Supermarket Flowers' musician's latest feat comes after he topped The Sunday Times Rich List for young musicians for the second year running.

The 29-year-old star - who is currently in the midst of a break from music - has seen his wealth increase by £40 million over the last year, to reach £200 million overall, meaning he remains the richest musician in the UK aged 30 or under.

Since March 2017, Ed has played more than 250 shows to more than seven million fans around the world, with his 'Divide' tour becoming the most attended and highest grossing tour of all time.

One Direction also remain a prominent feature on the new list, with Harry Styles (£63 million) and Niall Horan (£50 million) in second and third place respectively.

And after Little Mix collectively in fourth place with £48 million comes Louis Tomlinson (£45 million), Liam Payne (£44 million) and Zayn Malik (£36 million).

The top ten is rounded out by Sam Smith (£33 million), Rita Ora (£20 million) and Stormzy (£20 million).

Stormzy's wealth increased by £4 million this year, thereby putting him alongside Rita in joint-ninth position.

Elsewhere, Dua Lipa and George Ezra both made their debuts in the list, with the duo sharing 11th place with £16 million each.