LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 12: Recording artist Adele performs onstage during The 59th GRAMMY … [+]
Adele’s comeback release 30 has been named the bestselling album in the world in 2021, surprising nobody. The superstar singer has shown time and time again that she can sell CDs and digital albums like nobody left in the music industry, and whenever she returns with a new release, the world snaps up a copy.
The British powerhouse vocalist’s 30 ends up in first place on IFPI’s (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) annual ranking of the albums that actually sold the most copies. The list does differ slightly from the roster of the most-consumed efforts on the planet, taking streaming activity into consideration.
While Adele may sit at No. 1, two artists claim a pair of spots on the 10-rung list of bestsellers, showing that they are capable of some truly incredible things when they have new music to share with their fans. Highest-ranking among that pair is Seventeen, one of the most successful South Korean boy bands in history. The group enjoyed a massive 2021, as their projects Attaca and Your Choice come in at Nos. 3 and 8, respectively.
Taylor Swift also manages to chart a pair of bestsellers with the two re-releases albums she dropped in 2021. Both of her efforts appear in the lower half of the top 10, with Red (Taylor’s Version) landing at No. 7 while Fearless (Taylor’s Version) launches at No. 10.
Back up toward the top of the bestsellers list is ABBA, who returned after decades of relative silence (at least when it came to releasing new music) with their album Voyage. The set became the second-bestselling title in the world of 2021, proving that their fan base is still massive.
BTS was more focused on singles than albums in 2021, but they still manage to claim one of the 10 bestselling titles in the world last year, as their Japanese-language compilation BTS, the Best starts at No. 4. Behind the South Korean boy band are two solo male pop superstars, with Ed Sheeran’s = (Equals) landing at No. 5 while Justin Bieber’s Justice ended the year as the sixth-bestseller. The only other unaccounted for spot, ninth place, belongs to Japanese all-male vocal troup Snow Man. Their debut full-length Snow Mania S1 appears at No. 9.
These were the 10 bestselling albums in the world in 2021.
1. Adele – 30
2. ABBA – Voyage
3. Seventeen – Attaca
4. BTS – BTS, the Best
5. Ed Sheeran – = (Equals)
6. Justin Bieber – Justice
7. Taylor Swift – Red (Taylor’s Version)
8. Seventeen – Your Choice
9. Snow Man – Snow Mania S1
10. Taylor Swift – Fearless (Taylor’s Version)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2022/03/01/adele-taylor-swift-bts-and-seventeen-rule-the-list-of-the-bestselling-albums-in-the-world-in-2021/