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LOS ANGELES, Nov 28 (Reuters) - British singer and Grammy
darling Adele reached the 10 million sales mark in the United
States on Wednesday with her heartbreak album "21" becoming the
first British woman to reach the milestone, Nielsen SoundScan
said.
"21," released in February 2011, produced the hits "Someone
Like You" and "Rolling In The Deep" and became the top-selling
album of 2011. Earlier this year, Adele swept the Grammy Awards
with six, including song, record and album of the year.
"21" became the third album to cross 10 million in 2012,
along with Linkin Park's "Hybrid Theory" and Usher's
"Confessions." But it is the only album to reach the milestone
in less than two years in the last decade, Nielsen said.
"What an incredible honor," Adele said in a statement. "A
huge, huge thank you to my American fans for embracing this
record on such a massive level."
"21" will receive the diamond certification from the
Recording Industry Association of America, marking its 10
million milestone, joining the ranks of albums by artists such
as Michael Jackson, The Beatles and Madonna.
"Adele's unique talent is a gift to music fans, and her
success is certainly cause for a celebration of Diamond
magnitude," Cary Sherman, RIAA's chairman & CEO, said in a
statement.
Adele, 24, is enjoying the success of her latest single
"Skyfall," the official theme song for the James Bond film of
the same name. It has sold more than 2 million copies worldwide.
The singer also gave birth to her first child earlier this year.
On the Billboard 200 chart this week, R&B star Rihanna
scored her first No. 1 album with "Unapologetic," selling
238,000 copies.
She held off new entries from "American Idol" winner Phillip
Phillips, who landed at No. 4 with his debut album "The World
From the Side of the Moon," and country-rock singer Kid Rock,
who rounded out the top five with his latest album "Rebel Soul."
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy Editing by Jill Serjeant, Grant
McCool and Andre Grenon)