The late singer's 1985 debut Whitney Houston and her sophomore 1987 Whitney album are also Diamond, making her the only female artist to have three albums of that status. Only two other women in music history can say they have a Diamond-certified single and album: Taylor Swift and Mariah Carey.
Currently, country singer Garth Brooks holds the record for the most diamond-certified albums with nine. Other artists who have three or more diamond-certified records include The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Shania Twain and the Eagles.
Garth Brooks holds the record for most diamond-certified albums, with nine. Others with three or more albums that have reached diamond status include The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Shania Twain and the Eagles.
Out of more than 100 diamond-certified albums, only 29 are by women or female-fronted bands. Whitney Houston, Shania Twain, Britney Spears, and others have multiple entries on this list.
Gaga is now tied for the most diamond-certified singles among women, as both Katy Perry and Cardi B have also earned as many of these wins.
The Beatles come in second. But neither of those artists have an album in the top five. At 33 million certified units sold, the best-selling album of all time has achieved triple-diamond status — the only album to do so. Here's a look at the albums that have sold 16 million copies or more.
Madonna is believed to have sold the most records among any female music artists in history, with 300 million records sold worldwide.
Brooks' seven diamond albums are his self-titled debut, No Fences, Ropin' The Wind, The Hits, Double-Live, The Ultimate Hits and, coincidentally, Sevens.
Come On Over by Shania Twain is recognized by Guinness World Records as the biggest-selling studio album by a solo female artist with over 40 million copies.
In 1993, Carey released her most successful studio album to date, Music Box, which was certified Diamond in the United States and topped the charts in many countries around the world.
For starters, unlike Adele, Taylor Swift or Usher, Beyoncé has no diamond-selling albums (not even her double-album I Am … Sasha Fierce, which would've had to sell only 5 million to earn that certification).
"Bodak Yellow" made Cardi B the first female rapper to have a song certified Diamond by the RIAA, a record which she has since extended to three Diamond-certified songs.
4. Imagine Dragons. Imagine Dragons has four diamond-certified songs.
Lauryn Hill's 1998 debut The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill has sold over 10,000,000 units; making her the first female rapper to have a diamond album.
The late Whitney Houston has earned her third diamond-certified album, becoming the first black artist to achieve the feat.
Queen's timeless "Bohemian Rhapsody" has achieved yet another top distinction for recorded music — this month, it gets certified "diamond" by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for reaching 10 million or more in sales and stream equivalents in the United States.
On Instagram, Minaj showed off her diamond silver-and-pink plaque, which included a crystal-encrusted border, 10 silver CDs to symbolize the 10 million units, and a single large diamond to decorate the center for the most prominent disc.
Garth is the only artist—in any genre—to have nine albums certified for sales of 10 million units in the United States. The Beatles are No.
1: Aretha Franklin
Topping our list of the best female singers of all time, Aretha Franklin also stands as the most-charting female singer in history. Starting out in the gospel choir at her Baptist church, in Detroit, Franklin began her career as a recording artist in 1960, aged just 18.
Madonna is arguably not only the most famous female vocalist of all time, but she is certainly also the most successful.
With 40 top 10 hits in the Hot 100 over her career, Swift surpassed Madonna as the woman with the most top 10s in the chart's history. (Madonna has 38 top 10 singles.) Swift is only surpassed by Drake, who counts 59 top 10 hits.
Both the Eagles' 'The Greatest Hits (1971-1975)' and Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' have actually achieved Triple Diamond status, topping over 30 million units sold. As far as just Double Diamond, there's The Eagles' 'Hotel California,' AC/DC's 'Back in Black,' and Led Zeppelin's 'Led Zeppelin IV.
Although 50 Cent mentions diamond status in his posts, his first two albums haven't yet been certified diamond on the Recording Industry Association of America's website. According to the RIAA, as of February 2020, Get Rich or Die Tryin' — which celebrated its 18th anniversary last month — went platinum nine times.
The award levels are Silver (20,000+), Double Silver (40,000+), Gold (75,000+), Double Gold (150,000+), Diamond (200,000+), Platinum (400,000+) and Double Platinum (800,000+).