LOS ANGELES, Dec 13 (Reuters) - British singer Adele notched
another accolade on Thursday as iTunes announced that her
Grammy-winning album "21" was the top-selling record of 2012 in
its U.S. store, extending the disc's successful run almost two
years after it was released.
Adele, 24, who last year became the first artist to secure
three iTunes milestones with top-selling album, single and
artist of the year, came in ahead of country-pop star Taylor
Swift's "Red" and British folk band Mumford & Sons' "Babel."
ITunes did not reveal its sales or download figures.
British boy band One Direction's debut album "Up All Night"
and current Grammy nominees fun.'s debut "Some Nights" rounded
out the five top-selling albums on iTunes in the United States.
"21," released in February 2011, has performed strongly in
the U.S. music charts this year following the singer's
Grammy-sweeping win in six categories in February 2012.
Adele also landed Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe
nominations for her sultry James Bond theme song "Skyfall" this
week, becoming a strong contender in the best song category for
Hollywood's awards season.
"Thank you so much for the honour of being included in
something as brilliant as the Golden Globes! Never in a million
years did I ever think I'd come close to such a thing! Truly
wonderful ... thank you to the Bond family for giving me the
opportunity," the singer said in a statement on Thursday.
ITunes U.S. compiled their Best of 2012 list by looking at
the most downloaded items from the Apple iTunes store.
Canadian pop star Carly Rae Jepsen had the top-selling track
for her infectious breakthrough summer single "Call Me Maybe."
Post-apocalyptic action film "The Hunger Games" was the
best-selling movie while the second season of British
aristocratic period drama "Downton Abbey," another Hollywood
awards favorite, was iTunes' top-selling television series.
The iTunes Best of 2012 lists can be seen at
www.itunes.com/AppStoreBestof2012
(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy, editing by Jill Serjeant and
Mohammad Zargham)