ARTIST /// COMBINED SALES TOTAL /// BIGGEST SELLING SINGLE 01MADONNA 17.8m INTO THE GROOVE 02RIHANNA 11.4m WE FOUND LOVE FT CALVIN HARRIS 03KYLIE MINOGUE 10.2m CAN'T GET YOU OUT OF MY HEAD 04 WHITNEY HOUSTON 8.5m I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU 05 LADY GAGA 7.329m POKER FACE 06 BRITNEY SPEARS 7.324m BABY ONE MORE TIME 07 BEYONCE 6.9m IF I WERE A BOY 08 CELINE DION 6.7m MY HEART WILL GO ON 09 MARIAH CAREY 6.62m ALL I WANT FOR XMAS IS YOU 10 OLIVIA NEWTON JOHN 6.61m YOU'RE THE ONE THAT I WANT
Madonna tops the chart with a combined UK singles sales total of 17.8 million. The Queen Of Pop made her British chart debut in January, 1984 with Holiday, which peaked at Number 6. However it wasn’t until a year later that she scored her first Official Singles Chart Number 1 with Into the Groove, which incidentally, is her biggest ever selling track. To date, as a lead artist, Madonna has enjoyed 59 Top 10 hits (including 13 Number 1s).
However, her Madge-sty might soon have a contender for her crown. With a combined singles sales tally as a lead artist of 11.4 million, Rihanna is at Number 2 in our chart. However, given that the 24-year-old Bajan superstar has sold 3 million singles in the last twelve months alone, if Riri continues selling singles at this rate, she could realistically overtake Madonna in the next two-and-a-half years. And she would still only be 27! Bonkers!
Rihanna is of course known for her prolific collaborations, and while the above figures focus solely on her sales as a lead artist, if you were to add in her collaborations, that would bring her total to a staggering 15.1 million!
Kylie Minogue, who is celebrating her 25th year in music this year, is at Number 3 in the chart with a combined singles sales total of 10.2 million copies. To date, Kylie has scored 35 Top 10 hits (including seven Number 1s). Her biggest selling track is 2001's Can’t Get You Out Of My Head.
Whitney Houston, who tragically passed away in February of this year, is at Number 4 with a sales total of 8.5 million singles, while Lady Gaga has overtaken Britney Spears in the last four months to take fifth place with 7.329 million UK singles sales.
The digital age messed up so many records. It's easy to sell bazillions of singles these days, as well as album tracks (something which wasn't possible back in the past)... and singles used to cost £2-3, even £4. Now it's just 79-99c.
Very true! So many artists will sell over 100 million records in the next few years off of singles ALONE! Yet, it just does not compare to how it used to be. That's why single sales are always looked down upon, especially now.
I wonder what her sales are without all of them collaborations
uhm rihanna always sings the chorus for all her collaborations and considering that the chorus is the most important part of a song, her collabs are just as important as her solo singles.
Gaga's number are the most impressive in that list, considering she is the newest and doesn't have a large singles category.
QUEEN
You're acting like that's a good thing. Artists with massive sales in the beginning of their career always end up falling afterwards. It's better to progress than shoot up quickly and lose your hype/public appeal.