Just a year after Rihanna joined powerhouse vocalists Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston in an exclusive Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) diva club, the trio has welcomed a new member to the privileged fold: Alicia Keys.
Details inside.
Taking to press on Wednesday (July 24), the RIAA announced ‘Empire State of Mind‘ – Keys’ chart-topping 2009 duet with JAY-Z – had met its threshold for Diamond certification. This means it’s sold the equivalent of 10 million copies in the United States.
The accomplishment not only makes ‘Empire’ the R&B diva’s best-selling single to date but also her first Diamond-certified hit. For JAY, it’s his second following the 10 million-seller ‘Ni**as in Paris‘ with Kanye West.
Alicia now joins Houston, Carey, and Rihanna as the only Black female vocalists to own a Diamond single in the RIAA’s 71-year history. Among all Black female acts, only rappers Cardi B and Nicki Minaj can also boast inclusion in this club.
With the recent update attached to ‘Empire,’ Keys’ cumulative single sales now equal 38 million in the United States – making her one of the best-selling female R&B singers of all time. [via RIAA]
