21 Adele

Released on 24 January 2011, the album was named after the age of Adele during its production. 21 is only the second album ever to achieve over one million digital sales in the UK, and spent an incredible 23 weeks at No. 1, topping the chart on several occasions. A sleeper hit, it topped record charts in more than 30 countries and became the world’s best-selling album of the year for both 2011 and 2012, helping to revitalise the lagging sales of the global music industry. It is the best-selling album of the 21st century with over 31m sold. In 2018 was revealed to be the second best-selling studio album ever in the UK (behind only The Beatles‘ Sergeant Pepper). 21 was shortlisted for the 2011 Mercury Prize, and won the 2012 Grammy Award for Album of the Year and the Brit Award for British Album of the Year.

The Eminem Show – Eminem

The fourth studio album by American rapper Eminem was released on May 26, 2002. The Eminem Show debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200 and stood there for six non-consecutive weeks. It sold over 1.3 million copies in its second week in the US, it also topped the UK Albums Chart for five consecutive weeks and topped the charts in 18 other countries. The album features political commentary on the United States, including references to 9/11, Osama bin Laden, the war on terror, President George W. Bush, Lynne Cheney and Tipper Gore. With worldwide sales of 27 million copies makes it one of the best-selling albums of all time, the second-best-selling album of the 21st century, and the best-selling hip hop album of all time.


Come Away With Me – Norah Jones

The debut album by American recording artist Norah Jones (the daughter of Indian sitarist and composer Ravi Shankar), was released on February 26, 2002 where it debuted at number 139 on the US Billboard 200 selling just 10,000 copies in its first week. The album eventually climbed to the top of the Billboard 200 in January 2003, almost a year after it was released. Jones has won several awards for her music and, as of 2023, has sold more than 53 million records worldwide. Billboard named her the top jazz artist of the 2000s decade. She has won ten Grammy Awards. With over 27 million copies worldwide as of 2016, it is one of the best-selling albums of all time, the highest-selling debut album from a female artist of all time, and the highest-selling debut album by a solo artist in the 21st century.

American Idiot – Green Day

Formed in Rodeo, California, in 1987, by 15-year-old singer and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and the bassist Mike Dirnt, before taking its current name the band was named Sweet Children. The seventh studio album by the American rock band Green Day released on September 21, 2004, was one of the most anticipated releases of 2004. It marked a career comeback for Green Day. Charting in 27 countries, it reached No.1 on the Billboard 200, a first for the group, as well as charts in 18 other countries. As of August 2024, American Idiot has sold 23 million units worldwide. In 2025, the Official Charts Company labelled American Idiot as the most successful rock album of the 21st century in the United Kingdom. Green Day has sold roughly 75 million records worldwide as of 2024, making them one of the highest-selling artists of all time.

25 – Adele

Following the release of 21 (2011), Adele was considering quitting music. However, in early 2012, she announced she was simply taking a hiatus from music to “take time and live a little bit”. Initially, recording sessions for 25 were unsuccessful, in which Adele suffered from writer’s block. Her third studio album released on 20 November 2015, debuted at No.1 in 32 countries, breaking first-week sales records in multiple countries. In 2015, it was reported that Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Sam Smith, and One Direction had pushed back their album releases to avoid chart competition with Adele. 25 was the world’s best-selling album of the year for 2015, with 17.4 million copies sold within the year, and has gone on to sell over 23 million copies worldwide. Journalists credited 25 with renewing interest in physical formats over downloads or streaming, amidst dwindling physical sales in the music industry.

Back to Black – Amy Winehouse

The second and final studio album by the English singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse, was released on 27 October 2006 by Island Records has now sold over 20m. The album reached No.1 the following year and has gone on to spend an incredible 60 weeks in the album Top 10 in the UK. At the 2008 Grammy Awards, Back to Black won Best Pop Vocal Album and was also nominated for Album of the Year. At the same ceremony, Winehouse won four additional awards, tying her with five other artists as the second-most awarded female in a single ceremony. ‘Rehab’, the debut single from Back to Black, was written with Mark Ronson shortly after they met for the first time. The hook “They tried to make me go to rehab but I said no, no no” was a line Amy used in conversation with Mark while they were clothes shopping in New York.

The Flame – Lady Gaga

Producer Rob Fusari has claimed to have been the first person to call her “Lady Gaga“, which was derived from Queen’s song “Radio Ga Ga”. According to his account, the name was coined when on one occasion he attempted to call her “Radio Ga Ga” via text message, but the spell checker autocorrected “Radio” to “Lady”. Her debut studio album released on August 19, 2008, has worldwide sales of over 18m. The first two singles off the album, ‘Just Dance’ and ‘Poker Face’, gained international success, topping the charts in several countries worldwide, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The Fame topped the Dance/Electronic Albums chart for 193 non-consecutive weeks, the most time on top in history. With the release of The Fame, Gaga was credited for reviving electronic dance music during the late 2000s on radio. In 2020, Stephen Daw from Billboard stated that “The Fame not only changed the course of Gaga’s career, but corrected the course of modern pop music for generations to come.”

Fallen – Evanescence

The debut studio album by American rock band Evanescence was released on March 4, 2003. Fallen is Evanescence’s most commercially successful album to date, selling 10 million copies in the US and over 17 million copies worldwide, making it the sixth best-selling album of the 21st century. Co-founders singer and pianist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody began writing and recording songs as Evanescence in 1994. Some of the album’s songs were written when they were just 15 and 16. Fallen has sold more than 17 million units worldwide, with 10 million in the US, since its 2003 release. By October 2011 the album had spent 106 weeks on the Billboard 200, with 58 of those weeks in the top 20. Peaking at number three on June 14, 2003.

Let Go – Avril Lavigne

As a teenager, Avril Lavigne performed at country fairs, singing songs by Garth Brooks, the Chicks, and Shania Twain, and began writing her own songs. At age 16, she signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records. Her debut album Let Go is now widely regarded as one of the most influential albums of the early 2000s, credited with helping integrate pop-punk into the mainstream and contributing to the rise of both female-fronted pop-punk acts and female singer-songwriters. The album has sold over 16 million copies worldwide, making it Lavigne’s highest-selling album to date and the best-selling album of the 21st century by a Canadian artist. Lavigne achieved a Guinness World Record as being the youngest female solo artist to top the UK album chart, on January 11, 2003, at the age of 18 years and 106 days.

Meteora – Linkin Park

Linkin Park was founded by three high school friends: Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdon, and Brad Delson. The three attended Agoura High School in Agoura Hills, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. They later recruited Chester Bennington, a vocalist from Arizona who was recommended to the band in 1999. Bennington, formerly of alternative rock band Grey Daze, became a standout among applicants because of the dynamic in his singing style. Their debut album Hybrid Theory, was a massive commercial success; selling more than 4.8 million copies during its debut year, earning it the status of best-selling album of 2001. Meteora, their second studio album, released on March 25, 2003,has sold around 16 million copies worldwide. Linkin Park became the first rock band to achieve more than one billion YouTube views.

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