Ed Sheeran and Rihanna lead Spotify's 2015 Year In Music list

Ed Sheeran and Rihanna have been named the U.K.'s most popular artists after topping Spotify's 2015 Year In Music list.

Bosses at the streaming service have released their annual countdown showing which acts garnered the most plays throughout the year (15), and pop star Ed was named 2015's top artist.

The Sing star saw off competition from The Weeknd, who landed the number two slot, and Drake, who came in at number three.

Fellow British pop singer Sam Smith failed to match Ed's streaming figures and entered the rundown at number four, ahead of rapper Kanye West at five.

Rihanna was named the top female artist, seeing off competition from Beyonce at two and Ellie Goulding at three. The Umbrella star managed the feat despite having yet to release her highly-anticipated new album Anti.

The U.K.'s top track of the year was named as Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Remix) by OMI, which snatched the top spot from Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars, and the most-played album honour went to The Weeknd's Beauty Behind The Madness.