Whitney Houston: Singing Her Way into Our Hearts and Record Books (Probably with Sequins)
Whitney Houston. The name itself evokes power, range, and enough power ballads to melt a glacier. But what about her record sales? Did her voice shatter sales records as much as it shattered glass ceilings? Buckle up, music lovers, because we're about to dive into the glorious world of Whitney's record-breaking reign.
Whitney: The Album-Selling Machine (But Like, a Chic Machine)
Let's not mince words: Whitney Houston sold a truckload of albums. We're talking over 220 million records worldwide. That's enough to build a pyramid (out of CDs, obviously) that would make even the Egyptians jealous.
Here's the Juicy Breakdown:
- RIAA Diamond Certification Hall of Fame: Whitney became the first Black artist ever to snag three diamond-certified albums in the US. That means her albums, Whitney Houston (self-titled, duh), Whitney (another self-titled masterpiece), and The Bodyguard soundtrack, all sold over 10 million copies each in the US alone. Can you imagine the stacks of cassettes in record stores back then?
- Queen of the Charts: Whitney wasn't just a sales queen, she was a chart-topping goddess. Her second album, Whitney, made history as the first female artist to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Basically, she said, 'Move over, fellas, this is my chart real estate now.'
- Global Takeover: Whitney's voice transcended borders. Her albums weren't just topping charts in the US, they were selling out internationally. The Bodyguard soundtrack holds the title for the world's best-selling soundtrack album of all time, with over 44 million units sold. That's like everyone on Earth with at least a partial copy of "I Will Always Love You."
So, How Many Albums Did She Sell? A LOT.
We can't give you an exact number because counting records sold worldwide is like counting glitter – it gets everywhere and there's always more. But here's the gist: Whitney Houston was a record-breaking, chart-topping, global phenomenon. Her voice not only touched our hearts, it touched wallets around the world.
And let's be honest, who wouldn't buy an album with that smile and that voice?
