Lady Gaga‘s 2008 debut single, ‘Just Dance,’ may have started as a sleeper hit, but 15 years later the tune is cemented in history books as one of the most successful songs of all time.
See how inside.
On Wednesday (April 12), the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) took to press to announce ‘Dance’ – the lead single from Gaga’s debut studio album ‘The Fame’ – had waltzed across the organization’s threshold for Diamond status. ‘Diamond’ denotes sales equivalence of 10 million in the United States.
Now sitting at 11x Platinum for sales of 11 million in the country, the updated christening of ‘Dance’ marks the third time the songstress (born Stefani Germanotta) has collected a Diamond plaque for a single as her other hits ‘Bad Romance’ and ‘Poker Face’ have both been dealt similar certifications.
She joins former rival Katy Perry as the only female acts to own three Diamond-certified singles. Among all artists, the only performers to own more Diamond-certified singles are Bruno Mars (5), The Weeknd (5), Imagine Dragons (4), and Post Malone (4).
The update to ‘Just Dance’ brings Germanotta’s cumulative single sales to a whopping 82.5 million – making her the fifth best-selling woman in digital music history. When all female artists are considered, her count is bested only by Rihanna (163.5 million), Taylor Swift (137.5 million), Beyonce (114.5 million), and Perry (109.5 million).
Finally, it’s worth noting that the RIAA only credits certifications to songs’ leading acts. As such, while Cardi B is attached to three songs that have been certified Diamond (‘Bodak Yellow,’ ‘I Like It,’ and Maroon 5‘s ‘Girls Like You’), she is only credited for the former two as she was a guest star on the latter.
Katy’s done this with less albums than all of them, and in the shortest time span.