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Adele's 2nd album "21" tops the 11,000,000 mark in US sales this week, making it the 12th album to do so in the Nielsen SoundScan era (from billboard chart dated May 25th, 1991). She is only the 4th female solo act to manage this and the only British act with an original album (The Beatles compilation "1" has sold 12.4m).

 

The most recent album to cross the 11 million threshold since Nielsen Soundscan began tracking the Billboard charts was "Come Away With Me" by Norah Jones in May 2014 (sales w/e May 18, 2104).

 

The last album to get to 11 million faster than Adele is Creed's "Human Clay" which got there in 165 weeks in November 2002 (sales w/e Nov 24, 2002).

 

The 12 albums to cross 11 million in the Nielsen Soundcan era are:

• Metallica - "Metallica" - 16.04 million
• Shania Twain - "Com On Over" - 15.58 million
• Alanis Morissette - "Jagged Little Pill" - 14.95 million
• The Beatles - "1" - 12.41 million
• Backstreet Boys - "Millennium" - 12.25 million
• Various Artists - "The Bodyguard Soundtrack" - 12.14 million
• Santana - "Supernatural" - 11.85 million
• Creed - "Human Clay" - 11.69 million
• Bob Marley & the Wailers - "Legend" - 11.66 million
• NSync - "No Strings Attached" - 11.16 million
• Norah Jones - "Come Away With Me" - 11.02 million
• Adele - "21" - 11 million

"21" has spent 24 weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200 and generated three #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100: "Rolling In The Deep", "Someone Like You" and "Set Fire To The Rain". It also topped the year end sales charts in 2011 and 2012, the first album to do so two years in a row in Nielsen Soundscan history. It has spent 178 of its 189 weeks (so far) in the Top 100

 

Released on February 22nd, 2011, "21" sold 351,649 in its first week (billboard chart date Mar 12, 2011). Its biggest sales week came in the week after the grammys in 2012 (billboard chart date Mar 3, 2012), when the album sold 729,900.

 

In total, the album has generated 7 grammy wins. In 2012 (Feb 12), "21" won 6 grammys - 'Album Of The Year', 'Best Pop Vocal Album', 'Record Of The Year' - (for "Rolling In The Deep"), 'Song Of The Year' - (for "Rolling In The Deep"), 'Best Short Form Music Video' - (for "Rolling In The Deep") and 'Best Pop Solo Performance' - (for "Someone Like You"). In 2013 (Feb 10), a live version of a song from "21" won a grammy for 'Best Pop Solo Performance' - (for "Set Fire to the Rain (Live)"), which appeared on the "Live At The Royal Albert Hall" DVD/CD.

 

Below are the weeks in which every million in sales was crossed, her weeks on chart, her chart position on the Billboard 200, her sales that week and her total sales to that date:

• 1m - 7 wks - sales w/e Apr 10, 2011 - #1 - 88,233 (1,029,926) - (billboard chart date Apr 23, 2011)
• 2m - 15 wks - sales w/e Jun 5, 2011 - #2 - 120,900 (2,095,200) - (billboard chart date Jun 18, 2011)
• 3m - 26 wks - sales w/e Aug 21, 2011 - #2 - 80,018 (3,061,539) - (billboard chart date Sep 3, 2011)
• 4m - 35 wks - sales w/e Oct 23, 2011 - #1 - 105,568 (4,101,312) - (billboard chart date Nov 5, 2011)
• 5m - 42 wks - sales w/e Dec 11, 2011 - #3 - 187,379 (5,003,988) - (billboard chart date Dec 24, 2011)
• 6m - 47 wks - sales w/e Jan 15, 2012 - #1 - 104,047 (6,052,173) - (billboard chart date Jan 28, 2012)
• 7m - 52 wks - sales w/e Feb 19, 2012 - #1 - 729,900 (7,352,609) - (billboard chart date Mar 3, 2012)
• 8m - 55 wks - sales w/e Mar 11, 2012 - #2 - 194,643 (8,090,330) - (billboard chart date Mar 24, 2012)
• 9m - 64 wks - sales w/e May 13, 2012 - #2 - 101,351 (9,087,721) - (billboard chart date May 26, 2012)
• 10m - 92 wks - sales w/e Nov 25, 2012 - #35 - 27,772 (10,020,181) - (billboard chart date Dec 8, 2012)
• 11m - 189 wks - sales w/e Oct 5, 2014 - #95 - approx 4,000 (11,000,000+) - (billboard chart date Oct 18, 2014)

Congratulations Adele :cheer:

 

 

Amazing. If you took into account the massive decline in album sales this would totally be the best selling album of all time.

 

It took just 8 weeks for her to go from 6 million to 8 million :o

 

 

Incredibly impressive, what was the average length of time it took the other albums mentioned to sell 11 million?

Thanks for putting all of that together, britster.

Incredibly impressive, what was the average length of time it took the other albums mentioned to sell 11 million?

The only one I have info for is Norah Jones. "Come Away With Me" was released February 26, 2002, and crossed 11m in sales w/e May 18, 2014 (billboard chart date May 31, 2014).

 

It took her 638 weeks - approx 12¼ years :lol:

 

 

So impressive!

Just saw this, really amazing! It is such a pity the album sales climate is the way it is right now, I would love to see what this would have sold in 2000. 12 million some time in the distant future?

Very weak list.

Only "1" (even if I never was a Beatles fan) and "Come On Over" deserved to have such huge sales.

 

Never heard about Creed. :lol:

 

 

AWFUL taste in that list right thur.

 

Adele snatching all weaves :wub:

 

However, is it fair to say she's flopping in comparison to the others on the list??

However, is it fair to say she's flopping in comparison to the others on the list??

tbh I would say that everyone in that list is flopping

Oh dear! That makes her floppier then as she is at the bottom of it :/

Oh piss off. If only eleven acts in the last fourteen years aren't 'flopping' then you're beyond hope.

Oh piss off. If only eleven acts in the last fourteen years aren't 'flopping' then you're beyond hope.

 

#SILENCE, BEIGE!