Earlier today, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) declared that Rihanna is the highest selling singles artist in its history. The "BBHMM" singer became the first artist ever to cross the mind-boggling threshold of 100 million gold and platinum song certifications. Rihanna is a full 12 million ahead of her competition Taylor Swift, who has sold 88 million singles in the United States, followed by the "Bad Blood" singer's rival Katy Perry at 79 million.
The list then drops off to Kanye West at 46.5 million and Lady Gaga at 39.5 million, which probably hasn't moved much lately due to her lack of recent hits.
A quarter of Rihanna's success from 5 different titled including the 9x platinum "We Found Love" with Calvin Harris, the 6x multi-platinum singles "Stay," "What's My Name" and "Only Girl In The World." With a new album R8, on the way at some point this year (we hope), there should be many more singles that should elevate Rihanna well past the 100 million mark and open up her lead on the fast rising Taylor Swift.
"Gold & Platinum is the industry's premier way to celebrate achievement in the marketplace," said Cary Sherman, Chairman & CEO, RIAA in a press release. "We've given awards to artists for nearly 60 years, but it's rare that we have the opportunity to recognize a milestone like the one Rihanna has reached. Congratulations to Rihanna! She has not only surpassed RIAA's one-hundred million mark, but also is the first artist to do so. It's an historic feat and a testament to an extraordinary career."
It is important to note that the numbers have been updated to include equivalent streams, much like the Billboard charts.
