The track topped Spotify’s global list as well, although Justin Bieber’s ‘Stay’ took the most streamed song crown on Apple Music.
Glass Animals’ ‘Heat Wave’ came second in Spotify’s UK list, ahead of Dave’s ‘Starlight’. The return to popularity of Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’ is highlighted by the fact it came fourth in Spotify’s UK chart.
‘As It Was’ racked up a total of 1.5 billion streams on Spotify, worth roughly £1.5 million. Styles has described the song as being about “metamorphosis”, reflecting on loneliness, growing up and moving on.
For the third consecutive year, Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny was the most-played artist overall on Spotify, while Taylor Swift was the most popular artist in the UK.
The numbers are based on Spotify, Apple Music and Deezer, while YouTube and Amazon Music are yet to release their numbers.
Each year, Spotify releases its ‘Wrapped’ selection, allowing users to see and interact with the music they’ve listened to during the last year. Apple Music’s equivalent is called ‘Replay’.
