Adele Best Selling Artist in US for 2012; Second Consecutive Year (VIDEO)
Adele was the best selling artist in the United States over 2012, it has been confirmed this week. The feat. is made all the more apparent as this is the second year running that Adele has been the highest selling artist in the U.S.
The record was announced by Nielsen SoundScan on Thursday along with the 2012 sales figures, and confirmed the British artist's grip on the album charts.
According to the released statistics Adele sold 4.4 million copies of her album "21" in 2012, which followed even higher sales in 2011 when she shifted an amazing 5.8 million in 2011.
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It's the first time in the SoundScan era that an artist has taken the prestigious record of highest selling musician two years straight.
The only person who came close to Adele was Taylor Swift, who came in second with "Red."
Some analysts have predicted that "21" will continue to sell well into 2013 and enter the top 10 album sales list of all time - since 1993 when SoundScan tracked sales using their current method.
Adele's success story has been an inspiring one. The British singer was initially found and offered a recording contract from XL Recordings after a friend posted her demo on Myspace in 2006.
In 2007 she received the Brit Awards "Critics' Choice" award and won the BBC Sound of 2008.
Her debut album, "19," was released in 2008 to huge commercial and critical praise. It certified four times platinum in the UK, and double platinum in the US.
Her career in the United States was boosted by a Saturday Night Live appearance in late 2008, and at the 2009 Grammy Awards, Adele received the awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
In 2011 Adele released her second album, 21, in early 2011, which again was widely praised by critics and fans alike. The album has since surpassed the success of her debut, earning the singer six Grammy Awards in 2012 including Album of the Year, equalling the record for most Grammy Awards won by a female artist in one night.
The album has also helped her receive numerous other awards, including two Brit Awards and three American Music Awards. The album has been certified 16 times platinum in the UK; in the US the album has held the top position longer than any other album since 1985, and is certified Diamond. The album has sold 25 million copies worldwide.
Here is the music video of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep":
