Rihanna the most streamed female artist in the world

To mark International Women's Day - 8th March 2013 - music streaming service Spotify has today revealed Bajan pop sensation Rihanna as the most streamed female artist across the globe.

Hits such as Diamonds and We Found Love have helped chart-topper Rihanna take the top spot. Britney Spears and Taylor Swift followed closely as the second and third most streamed female artists by Spotify users all over the world.

In the UK, however, music lovers crowned Taylor Swift as their number one female artist – beating Rihanna into second place – despite her much-hyped, and short-lived, love affair with 1D's Harry. NME award winner, Florence Welch, took third and darling of the Brits, Emeli Sandé, came in fourth.

When it comes to the listening habits of women, analysis of Spotify streaming data also revealed that the most popular song with UK women over the last six months was Will.i.am's Scream and Shout, featuring female icon of our times, Britney Spears. Drinking from the Bottle by Calvin Harris and Ho Hey by The Lumineers took second and third place respectively.

To further celebrate 'girl power' ahead of International Women's Day, Spotify has curated a unique playlist packed full of 101 inspirational tracks from a diverse list of strong female music icons, ranging from Beyoncé and Bjork to Billie Holiday and Barbara Streisand.