As Alicia Keys is one of the best-selling R&B artists of the century, seeing her name attached to jaw-dropping sales reports is nothing new.
And although she’s already cemented the position, Monday (September 19) saw the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) reiterate the standing due to the continued streaming and digital download love shown to some of her timeless hits like ‘My Boo’ (with Usher), ‘You Don’t Know My Name,’ and ‘No One.’
Look inside for more.
The RIAA took to press earlier this week to announce several of Keys’ classics had certification upgrades. Leading the charge is her Billboard Hot 100 #1 smash ‘No One,’ which now sits at 8x Platinum (meaning it’s sold the equivalence of 8 million units in the United States alone).
The impressive positioning means the 2007 hit is only 2 million records sold from Diamond status, a win that could spell historic as no other solo female singer – at the time of this report – boasts owning such a plaque with a pure R&B song. Although Whitney Houston‘s ‘I Will Always Love You’ made her the first Black female singer to own a solo Diamond plaque, the ‘Bodyguard’ soundtrack tune is not considered R&B.
Until we find out when she crosses that sales threshold, look below to see the full list of recent updates.
8x Platinum
- ‘No One’ (Single)
6x Platinum
- ‘Girl on Fire’ (Single)
5x Platinum
- ‘If I Ain’t Got You’ (Single)
4x Platinum
- ‘My Boo’ with Usher (Single)
3x Platinum
- ‘Un-thinkable’ (Single)
- ‘Fallin’ (Single)
1x Platinum
- ‘You Don’t Know My Name’ (1x Platinum)
- ‘Underdog’
Gold (denotes sales of 500,000 units in the United States)
- ‘Doesn’t Mean Anything’ (Single)
Collectively. the updates blast Keys’s catalog past SZA’s and make her the third best-selling female R&B artist of the digital era. The only R&B female acts to sell more than ‘Fallin’ hitmaker are Beyonce (114 million) and Mariah Carey (46 million).
Among all female acts, Alicia ranks 14th on the all-time digital sales list following Rihanna (155.5 million), Taylor Swift (134 million), Beyonce, Katy Perry (109.5 million), Lady Gaga (80.5 million), Ariana Grande (63.5 million), Cardi B (52 million), Mariah Carey, Billie Eilish (41.5 million), Halsey (41 million), Nicki Minaj (36 million), Adele (35.5 million), and Kesha (35.5 million).