RIAA: Adele’s ’21’ Breaks Tie with Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’ for Highest-Certified Female Album of the Century

Not so fast, Taylor Swift!

Just days after the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) reported a massive update to the Pop diva’s certification logs, she learned a title she held for just 24 hours was quickly snatched by Adele.

On Tuesday (September 30), the RIAA reported Swift’s 2014 crossover album ‘1989‘ had been certified 14x Platinum – a feat that denotes 14 million in sales in the United States.

With the certification upgrade, the project – home to singles ‘Shake It Off,’ ‘Blank Space,’ ‘Bad Blood,’ ‘Style,’ and ‘Wildest Dreams’ – tied Adele’s blockbuster ‘21‘ LP for highest-certified album of the century released by a female act.

Just as Swift’s fans (affectionately called #Swifties) trumpeted the news across social media, the RIAA came back with an update of Addy’s stats and announced the 2011-released opus now sits at 17x Platinum for sales of 17 million in the U.S.

This update makes ’21’ the overall best-selling album of the century among all genres and genders, leaving its nearest competitors (14 million-sellers Swift’s ‘1989’ and Usher‘s 2004 ‘Confessions‘) in its rear view.

The news came just ahead of reports Tay’s latest album, the October 3-released ‘Life of a Showgirl,‘ has snatched Adele’s record for highest first-week sales of all-time – a record the Brit-born beauty achieved with the 2015 release of ’21.’

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