🎸 Taylor Swift at No. 1. Stray Kids at No. 2. Drake at No. 3.
And squeezed into No. 13, a three-piece rock band from Tokyo
that most people outside Japan have never heard of.
Here's why the world needs to start paying attention to Mrs. GREEN APPLE.

What Is the IFPI Global Artist Chart, and Why Does It Matter?

The IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) represents the recorded music industry in more than 60 countries, with over 8,000 member record labels worldwide. Each year, it releases the IFPI Global Artist Chart, which ranks the biggest-selling artists on the planet by combining streaming, digital downloads, and physical sales, like CDs and vinyl records, into a single global figure using a proprietary calculation method.

Unlike chart systems that only count one format or one country, the IFPI chart captures the full picture of global music consumption. Breaking into this list means your music is genuinely being heard and purchased across borders, genres, and platforms. For reference, this is the same chart where Taylor Swift, K-pop megastars, and the biggest hip-hop names compete. Cracking the top 15 is an extraordinary achievement for any artist.

The 2025 Rankings: Taylor Swift Reigns Again, but Look Who's at No. 13

Released on February 18, 2026, the IFPI Global Artist Chart for 2025 confirmed Taylor Swift as the biggest-selling artist for the sixth time overall and fourth year in a row. Rounding out the top five were Stray Kids, Drake, The Weeknd, and Bad Bunny.

Then comes a name that surprised the global music industry:

IFPI Global Artist Chart 2025, Top 15

  1. Taylor Swift ／ 2. Stray Kids ／ 3. Drake
  2. The Weeknd ／ 5. Bad Bunny ／ 6. Kendrick Lamar
  3. Morgan Wallen ／ 8. Sabrina Carpenter ／ 9. Billie Eilish
  4. Lady Gaga ／ 11. Ariana Grande ／ 12. Tyler, The Creator
  5. Mrs. GREEN APPLE ／ 14. Seventeen ／ 15. Eminem

Mrs. GREEN APPLE became the first Japanese artist ever to enter the IFPI top 15. Notably, they ranked higher than legendary rock acts like Linkin Park (No. 16) and global superstars like Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber. This is not a regional popularity contest, this is the world's most comprehensive music industry ranking, and a Japanese band built almost entirely on domestic success just cracked it.

Their 10th-anniversary best-of album "10" simultaneously reached No. 10 on the IFPI Global Album Chart, another unprecedented milestone for a Japanese artist. The album also placed No. 19 on the Global Album Sales Chart, with total physical and digital units exceeding 1.11 million worldwide.

Who Are Mrs. GREEN APPLE? A 10-Year Story from Tokyo

Mrs. GREEN APPLE (stylized in capital letters, often called "Misesu" by Japanese fans) is a rock trio from Tokyo that made their major label debut in 2015 under EMI Records, part of Universal Music Japan. The band consists of three members:

  • Motoki Ohmori, vocals and guitar, sole songwriter for the band
  • Ryuto Wakai, bass
  • Hazuki Fujisawa, keyboards and backing vocals

After taking a hiatus in 2020, all three members returned in 2022 as a more streamlined, artistically focused unit. This comeback era, which the band calls "Phase 2", saw them evolve into one of Japan's most dominant musical forces, a status confirmed when they launched "Phase 3" in January 2026.

What sets Mrs. GREEN APPLE apart is the versatility of Ohmori's songwriting. He blends pop melodies with rock energy, orchestral textures, and introspective lyrics in a way that resonates across age groups. Their music is a staple of anime soundtracks, primetime television dramas, and major brand campaigns, the Japanese equivalent of being everywhere, all at once.

Songs You Should Know

"Ao to Natsu" (Blue Summer), Released in 2018 as a film tie-in, this track has accumulated over 1 billion streams and remains their most globally recognized song. It's the kind of effortless summer anthem that crosses language barriers.

"Que Sera Sera", The theme for NHK's hit morning drama series Boogie Woogie (2023–2024), this song introduced the band to older Japanese audiences who had previously missed them. Warm, forward-looking, and unforgettable.

"Lilac", Their most streamed song in Japan for 2025, it embodies the band's signature blend of poetic imagery and propulsive pop-rock energy.

"Watashi wa Saikyou" (I Am the Strongest): written by Motoki Omori for the film One Piece Film Red (2022) and performed by Ado, the song brought Omori's songwriting to anime fans worldwide.

"Dance Hall", A fan favorite known for its theatrical structure and emotional depth, this song became a staple of their legendary live performances.

The Album That Changed Everything: "10"

Released on July 8, 2025, the album "10" (pronounced "Ten") is a 19-track collection celebrating the band's first decade of music. It was released exactly on the band's 10th major-label anniversary, a symbolic gesture typical of Japanese artists who plan milestone releases with careful intentionality.

On its release day, it sold 592,000 copies, setting a new personal record. By December 2025, total sales had surpassed 1 million copies, the band's first-ever million-seller and, in a streaming-dominated era, a remarkable achievement for a physical album release.

IFPI's chart methodology counts both streaming and physical sales, weighted by the economic value of each format in each country. A million-selling CD in Japan, where physical music still commands a premium, carries significant weight in the global calculation. "10" didn't just chart; it carried the band into the global top 15.

Spotify Japan: 1,500 Days at the Top

To understand how deeply rooted Mrs. GREEN APPLE are in Japanese pop culture, consider this: according to Spotify's 2025 annual ranking, they were named Japan's most-streamed artist for the third consecutive year. More strikingly, they have maintained the No. 1 position on Spotify Japan's daily artist chart for over 1,500 consecutive days. No other Japanese artist has come close to this record.

In Spotify Japan's 2025 year-end rankings, seven of the top 10 most-streamed songs in the country belonged to Mrs. GREEN APPLE. That is not a typo: seven out of ten.

Going Global: Seoul, Domes, and Phase 3

While the IFPI ranking reflects music consumed globally, Mrs. GREEN APPLE has also been making concrete steps toward international growth:

  • February 2025: Their first-ever solo overseas concert in Seoul, South Korea, at Tiger Dome, a milestone that showed growing interest outside Japan.
  • Late 2025: Their "BABEL no TOH" dome tour covered five major venues across Japan, drawing 550,000 total attendees across 12 shows.
  • 2026 and beyond: "Phase 3" launched in January 2026. A new original album is expected in autumn 2026, and their song "Kaze to Machi" (Wind and Town) was chosen as the theme for NHK's Kaze, Kaoru morning drama series, one of Japan's most-watched television programs.

What This Means for J-Pop on the World Stage

K-pop's global success came partly through deliberate, coordinated international campaigns, multilingual content, overseas fan events, and strategic digital marketing targeting non-Korean audiences. Mrs. GREEN APPLE's path has been different: their success was built almost entirely within Japan's domestic ecosystem. They sing exclusively in Japanese, they rarely tour outside the country, and their lyrics are deeply rooted in Japanese emotional expression.

Yet they made the IFPI top 15 anyway.

This raises an interesting question: does a language barrier actually matter if the music is compelling enough? Could the "Japan-first" approach that built Mrs. GREEN APPLE's foundation become a viable model for other J-pop artists aiming at global recognition?

What do you think? Have you heard Mrs. GREEN APPLE's music in your country? Is Japanese pop music finding its way onto playlists where you live, and what would it take for J-pop to achieve the global reach of K-pop? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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