The late Whitney Houston has become the first Black artist to earn a third diamond-certified album.
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Legacy Recordings announced on Wednesday (October 28) that the legendary singer’s 1987 sophomore album, “Whitney,” has reached diamond status.
Diamond status is equivalent to selling 10 million albums. Her self-titled 1985 album and Whitney’s 1992 “The Bodyguard” soundtrack were already diamond successes, selling 13 million and 18 million units, respectively.
“Whitney” featured four songs that topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart: the Grammy-winning “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me),” “Didn’t We Almost Have It All,” “So Emotional” and “Where Do Broken Hearts Go.” The single “Love Will Save the Day” peaked at No. 9 on the chart.
Garth Brooks currently holds the record for most diamond-certified albums with nine.
The RIAA awards diamond plaques to albums and singles that reach 10 times platinum status. That once was the equivalent of selling 10 million songs or albums, but has changed since 2016, when the RIAA began incorporating streaming from YouTube, Spotify and other digital music services.
Houston died in 2012, and she will be posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 2020 class. The ceremony will air at 7 p.m. November 7 on HBO.
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