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CLASSIFICATIONS

The singers with the most ever sales in history: the Top 10

With the introduction and success of digital platforms, the way of releasing music and albums has also totally changed, as has the method of certifying sales.

Who are the female artists who have sold the most albums and singles ever in history? It is possible to make a ranking by taking cues from some authoritative sources such as Billboard, Rolling Stone, MTV, VH1, the Recording Industry Association of America and, finally, even the Guinness World Records.

Here is Top Ten of the best-selling female singers in music history.

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The singers with the most sales in the world: the Top Ten

Who are the female artists who have sold the most records and singles (both physical and digital) in history? It is possible to make a ranking by taking a cue from some authoritative sources such as Billboard, Rolling Stone, MTV, VH1, the Recording Industry Association of America and, finally, even Guinness World Records. Here is the Top Ten of the singers who have sold the most in music history. However, one must keep in mind that the figures are constantly changing and that, especially in the top positions, the numbers can fluctuate since it is complex to determine the exact number of sales.

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10. P!nk (135 million sales approx.)

P!nk surprisingly excludes from the top 10 two extraordinary artists such as Lady Gaga and Adele, 11th and 12th on the charts with 124 and 120 million sales between records and singles. In addition to having sold more than 80 million singles and more than 40 million albums in her career, P!nk has also received prestigious awards such as 7 MTV Video Music Awards and 3 Grammy Awards

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9. Shirley Bassey (140 million sales approx.)

With a powerful voice and unique vocal timbre, Shirley Bassey has achieved worldwide popularity thanks to her songs included in the soundtrack of several movies based on the saga of James Bond. Numerous artists have written songs for her: among them, Elton John.

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9. Donna Summer (140 million sales approx.)

Also tied with Shirley Bassey is the unforgettable Donna Summer, who unfortunately died in 2012. The queen of Disco Music still makes so many people dance thanks to extraordinarily successful songs such as "I Feel Love". Donna Summer during her incredible career also won 5 Grammy Awards.

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8. Katy Perry (143 million sales approx.)

One success after another, starting with "I Kissed a Girl" in 2008. Katy Perry is one of the leading figures of the pop world, capable of achieving incredible results: for example, the California singer holds the record (formerly of Michael Jackson) for the most consecutive weeks spent in the Billboard 100: between May 2010 and September 2011, she remained there for 69 weeks, placing five different singles on the charts.

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7. Barbra Streisand (150 million sales approx.)

An institution: Barbra Streisand is a worldwide icon of show business, one of the very few people to be part of the EGOT group , that is, those people who are able to obtain at least one Emmy Award, one Grammy Award, one Oscar and one Tony Award.

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6. Beyoncé (200-160 million sales approx.)

Beyoncé recently achieved yet another record in her career: she has become the artist with the most Grammy Awards won ever, 32, 22 of them solo. In Beyoncé's case, one must also take into account her success with Destiny's Child, certified with around 60 million sales between the group's records and singles.

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5. Taylor Swift (200-170 million sales approx.)

Taylor Swift's career started very early, but since her debut her success has been extraordinary: for example, her first album stayed on the US charts for 275 weeks, with a total of 5 million copies sold. On 31 October 2022, Taylor Swift became the first artist in history to occupy the entire Top 10 of the Billboard 100 chart.

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4. Céline Dion ( 200-175 million sales approx.)

Céline Dion is much loved by her audience, which has never left her alone, especially during the most difficult times such as the death of her husband René Angélil. Her sublime voice has allowed her to total incredible numbers in both sales and awards received in her career.

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3. Mariah Carey (220-200 million sales approx.)

An undisputed star of world music, Mariah Carey also contributed to the establishment of hip hop, introducing this genre of music to a much wider audience. Mariah Carey is also the singer with the most records sold in the 1990s, a period in which she remained on the Billboard 100 for 467 weeks.

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3. Whitney Houston (220-200 million sales approx.)

Tied with Mariah Carey in third place is Whitney Houston, who unfortunately also died in 2012. The singer conquered record after record thanks to her beautiful voice and in 2006 Guinness World Records declared her 'the most awarded and famous artist of all time'.

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2. Rihanna (220-200 million sales approx.)

Throughout her career Rihanna has never ceased to be popular worldwide, despite stepping away from the music business on more than one occasion over the years. Rihanna is the third artist to have the most number one hits on the US charts, surpassing Michael Jackson (13 singles) and ranking behind only Mariah Carey (19 singles) and The Beatles (20 singles).

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1. Madonna (345-330 million sales approx.)

At the (possibly) unreachable top is Madonna, who is also according to Guinness World Records the best-selling female artist in music history. In 2015, thanks to the single 'Ghosttown', Madonna became the artist with the most number one singles on a music chart (45) - a simply incredible career!

Curiosities

24/04/2024

Songs that became hit long after their release

Sleeper Hit: this term refers to songs that achieved international fame long after their release as singles, months, years or even decades later.

There are many reasons why a song that initially went unnoticed can later become a hit: for example, the inclusion of the song on the soundtrack of a film or TV series, or the release of a remix of that single.

Here are some of the most famous cases of sleeper hits, songs that reached success late.

Rankings

23/04/2024

The best singers of all time: the updated 2023 rankings

In 2008, 'Rolling Stone' compiled a list of the 100 best singers of all time.

This ranking was compiled 15 years ago by 180 people, including several musicians (e.g. Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart, Justin Timberlake, George Michael, Keith Richards), journalists and music experts.

On 1 January 2023, however, 'Rolling Stone' published an update of the ranking that revolutionised the list, especially with regard to the Top Ten. As the well-known US magazine was keen to point out, this ranking does not only take into account technical and vocal abilities (it is not a list of the best voices of all time), but also the originality of the vocal timbre, the record catalogue, the writing ability and the musical legacy of the singers in question. Here are the top 20 positions.

Rankings

22/04/2024

Here are the most played songs at weddings: the ranking

What are the most listened to songs on the unforgettable wedding day? Spotify reveals the complete ranking of the most listened to songs in 2022.

There are almost 15 million playlists on the music streaming platform and many of them are dedicated to the wedding day itself: from the most romantic songs to those for going wild and dance.

To come up with this ranking, Spotify checked which songs are the most added on wedding-related thematic playlists: browse the photo gallery to find out which songs are the most played in the world

Curiosities

21/04/2024

Urban legends: singers supposedly dead and replaced by a lookalike

The world of music is full of legends, alleged secrets, anecdotes and little-known stories: some tales are true, others totally invented, the product of fantasy or some hypothesis that has never been verified.

These are urban legends, for which there is no certain source. Among the most interesting legends is the one about musicians and singers who may have died in the past and then been replaced by a double.

Proponents of this theory also cite evidence of, according to them, aesthetic differences or subliminal traces left behind in albums and songs: here are five of the most famous cases of singers who supposedly died and were replaced.

Rankings

20/04/2024

Musicians who have won the most Grammy Awards: the ranking

The Grammy Award is the most prestigious music award, as well as being one of the most important awards in the entertainment industry and is therefore generally regarded as the equivalent of the Oscars in the film world.

As with the Oscars, the choice of the winner is made by a vote of experts, namely the members of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, an association of US artists and technicians involved in the music industry.

Find out who the most awarded musicians are: there are not only singers, but also record producers and conductors!

Curiosities

19/04/2024

Singers who won Oscars for best actor

In the history of music, there are many singers who have also tried their hand at acting, including in Hollywood major productions.

Many musicians have also been nominated for best actor (lead and supporting), such as Lady Gaga or Mary J. Blige, but few have then managed to win the coveted statuette for their acting skills by entering this special ranking.

Here are some singers who have won the Oscar for best actor, lead and supporting.

Curiosities

18/04/2024

Worth a fortune: the world's most valuable vinyls

LoveAntiques.com, the leading online antiques resale web platform, has created a ranking of the world's most valuable vinyls.

To make this list, LoveAntiques.com turned to the invaluable help of Phil Barton, one of the world's leading experts on rare vinyls and records.

What determines the value of the record is not the high number of copies sold, but the factor that drives up the price is errors, such as a misprint or a censored cover. Here are what vinyls are worth a fortune, according to Phil Barton and LoveAntiques.com.

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