Apple Music Names a Surprising Artist of the Year—Here's the Scoop

Apple Music has officially named rapper and singer Bad Bunny as its artist of the year. 

This is quite a meteoric rise for the musician, as Apple Music named him the best up-and-coming artist just four years ago, and now he is ruling the roost. As such, Bad Bunny, also known as Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, had the most-streamed album on the platform in 2022. 

Bad Bunny's Un Verano Sin Ti was released in May and represented the artist's sixth album in four years. Not only was it the biggest album on the platform this year, but also the biggest Latin album of all time. Apple says this represents a "seismic shift" in the global music scene. 

"Watching Bad Bunny ascend from an Apple Music Up Next artist in 2018 to our Artist of the Year this year has been nothing short of extraordinary," said Oliver Schusser, Apple's vice president of Apple Music and Beats. "We congratulate him on his record-breaking year and for continuing to bring Latin music to a massive global audience."

Bunny’s recent album also holds the record for first-day streams worldwide, and the artist also held 22 simultaneous spots in the top 100 chart. His songs have reached the top spot in 34 countries worldwide and hit the top ten in 77 countries.

To celebrate, Apple let the artist curate the popular La Fórmula playlist and turned the live Apple Music 1 radio station into a Bad Bunny retrospective for the day.