Albums of the 2010s: On the best-selling records of the decade...
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The best-selling albums of the 2010s - what was the new generation's favourite? Unlike previous lists, today you won't find here such loud and quickly recognisable names as the Beatles, Oasis, Robbie Williams... Today we will remember the works of more modern, young artists who managed to make a loud name for themselves all over the world! Who are they? And why did their albums become the UK's top-selling albums? Let's find out!
Progress (2010)
On the eve of its release, Take That's Progress album broke all records for pre-orders! And on the first day of release it sold over 230,000 copies (and that's just in the UK). This made Progress the best-selling album of the century... The album has sold approximately 2 million copies!
This work earned the Take That team their sixth number one in the UK!
"21" (2011)
"21" - singer Adele did not break the tradition, and gave her second studio work a laconic title (the last album of the performer was called "19", and the third "25", but about it a little later). Listening to the album one can feel a strong influence of such genres as pop, soul, rhythm and blues... By the way: the title of the record comes from the age when the singer started working on the disc.
As for the lyrics, "21" is dedicated to the theme of Adele's breakup with her boyfriend... Quite insightful and profound compositions such as "Rolling in the Deep" and "Set Fire to the Rain" have become thundering hits.....
The album was certified diamond in the United States and in several other countries! Its sales totalled around 4 million copies.
Our Version of Events (2012)
Our Version of Events was a successful debut for Scottish singer Emeli Sande! The album was released in early 2012. It didn't take long for critics and listeners to take notice....
Our Version of Events has a total circulation of about 1.5 million copies. Interesting fact: the singer started working on this album at the age of 11! It took Emeli Sandé more than ten years to realise her vision... However: it was definitely worth it!
Midnight Memories (2013)
Midnight Memories is the third studio work of the popular Anglo-Irish boy band One Direction! Critics have described the album as "a bit rockier" than the young band's previous work. As a result, Midnight Memories broke sales records on Amazon UK! The album debuted at number one on US Billboard... The release of Midnight Memories was preceded by the singles "Best Song Ever", "Story of My Life", "Midnight Memories" and "You & I".
Critics have particularly emphasised the depth of the lyrics, the musicianship of the album, and the level of involvement One Direction had in its creation!
"X" (2014)
The album "X", whose title is pronounced "multiply", topped a number of countries around the world, including the United States and New Zealand! It brought Ed Sheeran great international success: it was the most listened to streaming album of 2014! In one year alone, "X" received more than 430 million streams! As a result, it became the third best-selling album of the decade and the 20th best-selling album in music history...
The album contains a total of 12 tracks: "Thinking Out Loud", released as a single, became an international hit! The music video for the song has racked up over 3 billion views on YouTube....
"25" (2015 / 2016)
Another masterpiece from Adele. This time the singer explores the themes of longing for the old, nostalgia, melancholy over the passage of time... The album has 4 singles, one of which is the famous and incredibly powerful hit track "Hello": in just one week the single sold 9 million copies....
To promote the album, Adele organised the Adele Live 2016 world tour: as a result, the singer's concerts set new attendance records and brought in a total of almost $168 million. Not a bad figure for a 25-year-old performer, is it? The album itself remained at the peak of popularity for several years....
Divide (2017)
Singer and songwriter Ed Sheeran's third album, featuring the famous hit tracks "Shape of You" and "Perfect"! The album grossed 2.76 million equivalent album units in 2017, with traditional sales of 1.1 million.
All tracks from the album (and there are 12 in total) reached the top 20 of the UK chart! The single "Perfect" became Christmas number one!
Scorpion (2018)
Canadian artist Drake's double album of 25 tracks that weaves together the genres of pop, R&B and hip-hop. The album includes hits such as "God's Plan", "Is There More" and "In My Feelings".
The number of equivalent album units surpassed 3 million in 2018.
Hollywood's Bleeding (2019)
Third album by American rapper Post Malone, featuring the singles "Wow" and "Circles". The album was the best-selling album of 2019 with 3.001 million equivalent units.
The album also includes the single "Sunflower," which topped the Billboard Hot 100.