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US Biggest female album artists by year (1991-2020)


Green

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I tried to do this list based on the calendar years (January-December) to reflect the best selling female album artists each year since 1991 which was the year when Soundscan started to track album sales in the US. I'll post overall numbers for each year if they are available.

 

* Since 2016 I used SPS numbers.

 

 

US Biggest female album artists by year (1991-2020)

 

1991

 

Mariah Carey (album) - Wikipedia

 

Mariah Carey

Biggest Album: Mariah Carey: 3.4 million

Other Charting Albums: Emotions

 

 

1992

 

TheBodyguardSoundtrack.jpg

 

Whitney Houston

Biggest Album: The Bodyguard (soundtrack): 3.3 million

 

 

1993

 

TheBodyguardSoundtrack.jpg

 

Whitney Houston

Biggest Album: The Bodyguard (soundtrack): 5.5 million

 

 

1994

 

Music Box Mariah Carey.png

 

Mariah Carey

Biggest Album: Music Box: 2.7 million

Other Charting Albums: Merry Christmas: 1.9 million

 

 

 

1995

 

TLC - CrazySexyCool album cover.png

 

TLC

Biggest Album: CrazySexyCool: 4.8 million

 

 

 

1996

 

Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill.jpg

 

Alanis Morissette

Biggest Album: Jagged Little Pill : 7.4 million

Overall Album Sales: 7.4 million

 

 

1997

 

You Light up My Life - Inspirational Songs (album).jpg

 

LeAnn Rimes

Biggest Album: You Light Up My Life - Inspirational Songs: 2.9 million

Other Charting Albums:

Blue: 2.7 million

Unchained Melody/The Early Years: 2 million

Overall Album Sales: 7.6 million

 

 

1998

 

Lets talk about love.jpg

 

Celine Dion

Biggest Album: Let's Talk About Love: 5.9 million

Other Charting Albums: These Are Special Times: 2.7 million

 

 

1999

 

... Baby One More Time (album).png

 

Britney Spears

Biggest Album: ...Baby One More Time: 8.4 million

Overall Album Sales: 8.4 million

 

 

2000

 

Britney Spears - Oops!... I Did It Again.png

 

Britney Spears

Biggest Album: Oops!... I Did It Again: 7.9 million

Other Charting Albums: ...Baby One More Time: 1.6 million

Overall Album Sales: 9.5 million

 

 

2001

 

Enya7.jpg

 

Enya

Biggest Album: A Day Without Rain: 4.4 million

 

 

2002

 

Let Go cover.png

 

Avril Lavigne

Biggest Album: Let Go: 4.1 million

Overall Album Sales: 4.1 million

 

 

2003

 

Norah Jones - Come Away With Me.jpg

 

Norah Jones

Biggest Album: Come Away With Me: 5.1 million

Overall Album Sales: 5.1 million

 

 

2004

 

Norah Jones - Feels Like Home.jpg

 

Norah Jones

Biggest Album: Feels Like Home: 3.84 million

Other Charting Albums: Come Away With Me: 1.32 million

Overall Album Sales: 5.2 million

 

 

2005

 

A bronzed woman wearing a gold dress and heels, standing behind a black backdrop.

 

Mariah Carey

Biggest Album: The Emancipation of Mimi: 4.97 million

Overall Album Sales: 5.54 million

 

 

2006

 

Carriesomehearts.jpg

 

Carrie Underwood

Biggest Album: Some Hearts: 3 million

Overall Album Sales: 3 million

 

 

 

2007

 

Hannah Montana 2.png

 

Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus

Biggest Album: Hannah Montana 2/Meet Miley Cyrus: 2.48 million

Other Charting Albums: Soundtrack - Hannah Montana: 1.36 million

Overall Album Sales: 3.85 million

 

 

 

 

2008

 

Taylor Swift - Fearless.png

 

Taylor Swift

Biggest Album: Fearless: 2.1 million

Other Charting Albums: Taylor Swift: 1.6 million

Overall Album Sales: 4 million

 

 

 

 

2009

 

Taylor Swift - Fearless.png

 

Taylor Swift

Biggest Album: Fearless: 3.2 million

Other Charting Albums: Taylor Swift: 0.78 million

Overall Album Sales: 4.64 million

 

 

 

2010

 

The cover image features Taylor Swift in a flying purple gown. Title of the album appears at bottom in cursive script.

 

Taylor Swift

Biggest Album: Speak Now: 2.96 million

Other Charting Albums: Fearless: 0.88 million

Overall Album Sales: 4.5 million

 

 

 

2011

 

Adele - 21.png

 

Adele

Biggest Album: 21: 5.82 million

Other Charting Albums: 19: 0.86 million

Overall Album Sales: 6.74 million

 

 

 

2012

 

Adele - 21.png

 

Adele

Biggest Album: 21: 4.4 million

Other Charting Albums: 19: 0.72 million

Overall Album Sales: 5.2 million

 

 

 

 

2013

 

A black background; the word "Beyoncé" is stylized in an uppercase pink font and located in the center of the image.

 

Beyoncé

Biggest Album: BEYONCÉ: 1.3 million

Overall Album Sales: 1.57 million

 

 

 

2014

 

The cover is a polaroid of Swift with shoulder-length blonde hair wearing red lipstick and a long-sleeved sweater with a picture of birds in the sky. Her face is cut off by the frame above the nose and "T. S." and "1989" are written on the white polaroid frame with black marker.

 

Taylor Swift

Biggest Album: 1989: 3.66 million

Overall Album Sales: 4.1 million

 

 

 

2015

 

Adele - 25 (Official Album Cover).png

 

Adele

Biggest Album: 25: 7.44 million

Overall Album Sales: 8 million 

 

 

 

2016

 

Beyonce - Lemonade (Official Album Cover).png

 

Beyoncé

Biggest Album: Lemonade: 2.2 million SPS

Overall Albums SPS: 3.2 million SPS

 

 

 

2017

 

Black-and-white image of Taylor Swift with the album's name written across it

 

Taylor Swift

Biggest Album: Reputation: 2.34 million SPS

Overall Albums SPS: 3.4 million SPS

 

 

 

2018

 

Cardi B - Invasion of Privacy.png

 

Cardi B

Biggest Album: Invasion of Privacy: 2.1 million SPS

Overall Albums SPS: 2.1 million SPS

 

 

 

 

2019

 

Eilish sits on the edge of a white bed, in front of a dark background. She wears white clothing, with white eyes while smiling demonically at the camera.

 

Billie Eilish

Biggest Album: When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?: 2.52 million SPS

Overall Albums SPS: 3.94 million SPS

 

 

 

------------------------------------

 

* If I had used pure sales for the last 4 years instead of SPS these would have been the best selling females each year since 2016:

 

2016: Adele - 2.2 million 

2017: Taylor Swift - 2.2 million

2018: Lady Gaga - 0.82 million

2019: Taylor Swift - 1.3 million

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Taylor appearing 5 times :deadbanana2:

Mariah / Adele next with 3 

 

2020 is also in the bag lol 

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33 minutes ago, istan4badgalriri said:

2016 would be Anti with 3.7m SPS (in Billboard units) :celestial5:

 

This is based on album sales/SPS during the calendar year

 

Rihanna did 2.6 million in 2016 overall and ANTI did 1.96 million that year based on the Soundscan report.

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Enya slaying in her 3rd decade :clap3:

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Britneys numbers :clap3:best selling teenage artist of all time 

Edited by BGood2Me
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Nnnn Adele being just 40k behind Beyonce in overall units in 2016 after already doing 8m in 2015 I just :jonny5:

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30 minutes ago, Cockney Cupcake said:

Nnnn Adele being just 40k behind Beyonce in overall units in 2016 after already doing 8m in 2015 I just :jonny5:

 

They were really close in 2016:

 

1. Drake  6.4 million

2. Beyoncé 3.2 million

3. Adele 3.16 million

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3 minutes ago, Green said:

 

They were really close in 2016:

 

1. Drake  6.4 million

2. Beyoncé 3.2 million

3. Adele 3.16 million

Yeah 25 beat Lemonade in SPS that year but overall Bey has a bigger catalogue that pulled her ahead a-bit. 
 

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Taylor will get it again this year :jonny5:

2.1 M for folklore

.8M for Lover

.5M for evermore

and her previous albums probably did .5M - 1M combined 

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2008-17 being three people :dies:  I can't wait for Adele's comeback

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Not Billie moving almost 4m units in 2019 :dies:

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49 minutes ago, Green said:

 

They were really close in 2016:

 

1. Drake  6.4 million

2. Beyoncé 3.2 million

3. Adele 3.16 million

How close was 2013? I was surprised Red didn’t sell more than 1.57 that year

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30 minutes ago, Thisisit said:

How close was 2013? I was surprised Red didn’t sell more than 1.57 that year

 

Most of the sales of Red were in 2012

 

Beyoncé was the only female in the top 10 of 2013:

 

2013 Top Ten Selling Artists
(Based on total album sales in 2013)

 

1    TIMBERLAKE*JUSTIN    3,445,000
2    BRYAN*LUKE    2,740,000
3    EMINEM    2,518,000
4    ONE DIRECTION    1,973,000
5    SHELTON*BLAKE    1,720,000
6    MARS*BRUNO    1,708,000
7    DRAKE    1,605,000
8    BEYONCE    1,573,000
9    MUMFORD & SONS    1,534,000
10.    IMAGINE DRAGONS    1,434,000

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17 hours ago, Brando said:

Taylor appearing 5 times :deadbanana2:

Mariah / Adele next with 3 

 

2020 is also in the bag lol 

Truly the biggest female artist of ALL TIME in the US 

Theres no question about it at this point :deadbanana2:

 

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