Queen receive prestigious award to mark 1 BILLION streams

Roger Taylor and Brian May have been presented with the honour

Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor with their BRIT Billion Award
Author: Scott ColothanPublished 20th Jul 2023
Last updated 20th Jul 2023

Queen have been named as the latest recipients of the British Phonographic Industry’s (BPI) BRIT Billion Award.

The BRIT Billion Award is dished out to artists who have surpassed the landmark of one billion career streams in the UK, as calculated by the Official Charts Company.

ABBA and Coldplay were among the first recipients when the BRIT Billion gong was first announced in May, and Queen have been honoured today (20th July) to coincide with the recent 50th anniversary of their debut album ‘Queen’.

Brian May and Roger Taylor were each presented with a personalised BRIT Billion trophy created for the BPI by Gaudio Awards, and they’ve been honoured alongside Queen band members John Deacon and the late-great Freddie Mercury.

Commenting on the BRIT Billion Award, Sir Brian May said: “Thank you for presenting Queen with a BRIT Billion Award. We’re grateful to all our fans that support us and continue to enjoy our music. Rock on BPI.”

Drummer Roger Taylor added: “I’m thrilled to accept the BRIT Billion Award on behalf of Queen, celebrating being streamed over a billion times in the UK, which is incredible.

“I would like to say thanks to everyone who has extracted a morsel of enjoyment from our music. We are still around and we hope to entertain you a little. Thank you.”

Queen in 1989

Dr Jo Twist OBE, BPI Chief Executive, says: “There can be few artists who have done more to popularise and promote British music around the world than Queen. The term iconic barely does justice to their monumental achievements as recording artists – with their Greatest Hits the most successful album ever in the UK and their body of classic songs now celebrated for having being streamed more than a billion times in the UK.

“Queen occupy a special place in the heart of the BPI – their self-titled debut album came out the same year we were formed and they were among the very first artists to win an inaugural BRIT Award – so we couldn’t be happier that they have now been honoured with a BRIT Billion Award in this, our 50th anniversary year.”

More than 85% of the UK’s recorded music consumption now takes place through streaming, and in 2022 there were a record 160 billion audio streams in the UK in total.

Freddie Mercury's life in photos:

Freddie Mercury's early years

Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara in Stone Town in the British protectorate of Zanzibar on 5th September 1946. Here's Freddie as a baby. His parents, Bomi (1908–2003) and Jer Bulsara (1922–2016) were from western India.

Freddie Mercury's childhood

Freddie Mercury spent much of his childhood in India and attended St. Peter's School from the age of 8. Pictured is Freddie at St Peter's in 1958.

Freddie Mercury's childhood home

In 1964, Freddie Mercury and his family fled to England from Zanzibar to escape the violence of the revolution. They lived at two properties in Feltham, Middlesex before eventually settling at 22 Gladstone Avenue. Pictured is Brian May and Freddie's sister Kashmira Cooke at the property when a blue plaque was unveiled in September 2016.

Freddie Mercury at Ealing Art College

Freddie at Ealing Art College in London in 1969. He earned a diploma in Art and Graphic Design.

Freddie Mercury in 1969

Freddie Mercury in Kensington, West London in August 1969. Prior to fame he worked as a market stall trader in the now-demolished Kensington Market in London.

Freddie Mercury with band Ibex

Freddie Mercury (left) on the road in St Helens, Merseyside with the short-lived Liverpool band Ibex. When they failed to take off, he joined another band called Sour Milk Sea but by early 1970 they had split too

Freddie Mercury in early 1970s

Although famously shy, Freddie Mercury was an extrovert on stage. Here he is wearing a typically flamboyant outfit on stage in the early 1970s

Queen in 1973

Queen's Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor, Brian May and John Deacon photoshoot in London in 1973.

Freddie Mercury in 1973

Freddie Mercury in 1973.

Freddie Mercury in rehearsals

Freddie Mercury rehearses for Queen's first major tour on 9th July 1973

Freddie Mercury in London in 1973

Freddie Mercury in London in August 1973.

Queen accept gold disc for debut album

Queen are presented with a gold disc for their eponymous debut album 'Queen' in Tokyo, 1974

Queen in 1974

Queen arrive back from their successful Australian tour in 1974.

Freddie Mercury in 1976

Freddie Mercury at Heathrow airport in January 1976 ahead of Queen's USA tour

Queen before receiving British Phonographic Institute awards

Queen in London, September 1976, to receive a British Phonographic Institute Platinum, Gold and Silver award for record sales.

Freddie Mercury at Madison Square Garden in 1977

Freddie Mercury in his imperious live prime at Madison Square Garden in January 1977.

Queen at Earls Court in 1977

Queen at Earls Court in London, June 1977.

Queen in 1978.

Queen looking cool in 1978.

Freddie Mercury in Paris in 1979

Freddie Mercury in his element, live in Paris in 1979.

Freddie Mercury in California in 1982

Freddie Mercury performing live in Oakland, California in 1982.

Freddie Mercury at Live Aid in 1985

Freddie Mercury during Queen's legendary Live Aid performance at Wembley in 1985. It's widely regarded as one of the finest concert performances of all time.

Freddie Mercury at Live Aid with Paul McCartney, Bono and David Bowie

Freddie Mercury performing with Paul McCartney, Bono, David Bowie and more at Live Aid, 1985.

Freddie Mercury in Sydney in 1985

Freddie Mercury on stage in Sydney in 1985.

Queen in 1985

Queen pose for a portrait in 1985.

Freddie Mercury and Anita Dobson in 1988

Freddie Mercury with Brian May's second wife Anita Dobson in 1988.

Freddie Mercury and Monserrat Caballe in 1988

Freddie and Monserrat Caballe perform 'Barcelona' at Barcelona's Montjuich park, to celebrate the arrival of the Olympic flag from Seoul, October 1988

Queen in 1989

Queen pose together in smart attire in 1989.

Queen at The BRIT Awards 1990

Freddie Mercury's appearance at The BRIT Awards in February 1990 was his last public appearance.

Flowers left outside Freddie's home after his death

Fans leave flowers outside Freddie's London home on 24th November 1991 – the day of his untimely death aged 45.

Freddie Mercury statue in Montreux

The iconic Freddie Mercury statue overlooking Lake Geneva in Montreux. Standing three metres high, the Irena Sedlecka sculpture was unveiled five years after Freddie's death by Montserrat Caballé and Freddie's mother Jer.

Freddie Mercury exhibition at Sotheby's

In 2023 Freddie Mercury's closest friend Mary Austin (to whom Freddie left half of his £75 million estate) announced that she was finally selling his life's possessions, which had been stored in his Kensington mansion since his death. Before the auction, Sotheby's displayed the 1,500 items at an exhibition in London, with members of the public able to view Freddie's outfits, artworks, lyric sheets, instruments, furniture and more.

Now read:

Brian May insists John Deacon is still 'very much part of Queen'

Queen: The band who gave us 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and many more hits

Queen: A celebration of the legendary band in pictures

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Listen to Greatest Hits Radio on the free Rayo app, online or on your DAB digital radio. You can also listen on your smart speaker by saying “Play Greatest Hits Radio”.