Ed Sheeran, Miley Cyrus, Fifth Harmony named Spotify's most influential artists under 25

Music streaming service Spotify has revealed its list of the 25 most influential artists under the age of 25 with pop crooner Ed Sheeran topping the bill. Among the other musicians featured in the countdown are US girl group Fifth Harmony, hip hop duo Rae Sremmurd and Grammy award-winner Sam Smith.

Sheeran, 24, was named number one on the list after enjoying an incredibly successful year which included the release of his second studio album x (Multiply) and winning two Brit awards for best male solo artist and album of the year. The second single released from the LP, Thinking Out Loud, was not only a huge hit on the charts but also Spotify where it has clocked up more than 452.7m streams so far.

Following Sheeran in second place is pop darling Ariana Grande, whose 2014 summer singles have continued to dominate playlists with her solo track Problem notching up more than 267m plays and Bang Bang, which features Jessie J and Nicki Minaj currently sitting on 283m streams. One Direction have proved to be more popular than ever despite losing a member as Spotify reveals their streaming figures increased by a staggering 796% when Zayn Malik quit the group in March 2015.

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Earlier in August, the boy band's numbers were given a huge boost with the release of their latest single Drag Me Down, which became the most streamed song in 24 hours after acquiring 4.75m plays. Singer Sam Smith, who won four Grammys in February, sits in third place thanks to his ballad Stay With Me, which has amassed more than 378m streams since its release in April 2014.

Spotify compiled the list based on the amount of number ones each artist has received as well as the volume and frequency of streams and the performance of the musician's song on the service's viral chart. Surprising entries come from newer artists who have only just emerged on the music scene but have still made an impact on the industry with a small catalogue.

Hip hop brothers Rae Sremmurd have proved to be hugely popular on Spotify with their hit single No Type reaching 79m streams on the service while rapper Vince Staples, who has been heavily promoted by Kanye West, has enjoyed three million views with his track Blue Suede.

Other singers included on the list include Fifth Harmony, 5 Seconds Of Summer, Selena Gomez, Meghan Trainor, Justin Bieber and James Bay. Notably missing is Shake It Off songstress Taylor Swift who controversially pulled all of her music from the service in November 2014 due to a dispute over how artists are paid.