RIAA: Whitney Houston’s ‘Wanna Dance with Somebody’ On Pace for Diamond Certification / ‘Bodyguard’ Soundtrack Set for Double Diamond

Beyond being one of the best-selling artists of all time, Whitney Houston sits in Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) record books for a myriad of accomplishments – most notably being the first Black artist to have three Diamond albums to her credit.

With the ongoing success of her timeless classics, a recent update from the RIAA has proven she is just a stone’s throw away from even more unprecedented achievements.

In late June, the RIAA revealed 11 titles from Houston’s discography got the certification upgrade treatment.  See the full list below.

19x Platinum

‘Bodyguard’ (Album)

11x Platinum

‘I Will Always Love You’ (Single)

8x Platinum

‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’ (Single)

4x Platinum

‘I Have Nothing’ (Single)

3x Platinum

‘How Will I Know (Single)

‘Higher Love’ (Single)

2x Platinum

‘Saving All My Love for You’ (Single)

‘Heartbreak Hotel’ (Single)

‘My Love Is Your Love’ (Single)

1x Platinum

‘Run to You’ (Single)

‘Count on Me’ (Single)

For context, ‘Platinum’ denotes sales of 1 million in the United States while ‘Diamond’ refers to 10 million sold in the same country.

Of particular note, the updated statuses of ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’ and ‘The Bodyguard’ soundtrack would mark historic advancements for Houston’s catalog.

As ‘Somebody’ is only 2 million sales shy of Diamond certification, its ascension would make Whitney the first female act with multiple albums and singles certified as high. At writing, her only Diamond-certified single is ‘I Will Always Love You’ while ‘Bodyguard’ and her first two studio albums are similarly certified.

The blockbuster soundtrack is only 1 million sales shy of double Diamond status – a certification that would make her the first American female in RIAA history to achieve such a feat.

At writing, the only album by a woman to be acquainted with the sales threshold is Canadian Country Queen Shania Twain thanks to her 1997-released 20 million-seller ‘Come on Over.’