The same day Ed Sheeran fans (affectionately called #Sheerios) celebrated the September 29 release of his latest album, ‘Autumn Variations,’ the global superstar was greeted with news that various singles from his prized discography had seen their statuses upgraded at the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) – some even to historic measure.
See what we mean inside.
Taking to press Friday (September 29), the RIAA revealed several Sheeran titles had been pushed up the certification ladder thanks to ongoing attention on digital streaming and download outlets.
See the full list below.
16x Platinum
- ‘Thinking Out Loud’ (Single)
13x Platinum
- ‘Perfect’ (Single)
- ‘Shape of You’ (Single)
3x Platinum
- ‘Bad Habits’ (Single)
2x Platinum
- ‘Shivers’ (Single)
1x Platinum (for sales of 1 million in the U.S.)
- ‘Equals (=)’ (Album)
Gold (for sales of 500,000 in the U.S.)
- ‘Autumn Leaves’ (Single)
Among the slew of updates, the standout is easily the 2014 megahit ‘Thinking Out Loud‘ which now sits at 16x Platinum for sales equivalence of 16 million in the United States.
With the certification refreshment ‘Thinking’ becomes the highest-certified solo hit in the RIAA’s 70-year history – a title once held by rapper Drake‘s 15x Platinum-certified 2018 smash ‘God’s Plan.’ In fact, the only three songs to be certified as high or higher than ‘Thinking’ are Imagine Dragons‘ ‘Radioactive‘ (16x Platinum), Lil Nas X‘s Billy Ray Cyrus-assisted hit ‘Old Town Road’ (17x Platinum), and Post Malone‘s 18x Platinum-certified ‘Sunflower’ (which features Rae Sremmurd star Swae Lee).
Collectively, the recent RIAA updates listed above push Ed’s cumulative digital single sales to 95 million – making him one of the best-selling artists in music history.
Among all acts, only Drake (188 million), Rihanna (166.5 million), Eminem (166 million), Kanye West (152 million), Taylor Swift (137.5 million), Post Malone (134 million), Justin Bieber (120.5 million), Beyonce (114.5 million), The Weeknd (113 million), Katy Perry (112 million), and Imagine Dragons (98 million) have sold more.