There’s plenty more evidence that the best-selling albums in more recent decades are surprising and unpredictable. Much more so than just looking at the best-selling albums of all time. The top ten sellers for the 2000s illustrated that well.
If we take a step closer to the 2010s, it’s an even stronger case. The heavyweights of classic rock don't dominate the list. Rock music, in fact, has taken a huge backstep. The decade has much more of a focus on pop and RnB instead. Changing times and music indeed!
Looking at the top ten best-selling albums of the 2010s decade, based on worldwide sales as reported by Bestsellingalbums.org, each one makes sense. It becomes obvious why they are ranking so high. But it would have been a struggle, for me anyway, to guess at more than half of them beforehand. See what you reckon.
Top ten best-selling albums of the 2010s
10. Bruno Mars - Doo-Wops and Hooligans
What a massive debut album this is. Bruno Mars launched his solo career with it in 2010. The album was very well received and picked up five Grammy nominations. Mars also won a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance with “Just The Way You Are” from the album. It takes tenth place with 11.2 million sales.
As a side note, Mars was just ahead of Eminem in 11th spot. Recover by Eminem was released in 2010 and has 10.8 million sales. The rapper had two records in the top ten best sellers of the previous decades and just missed out here.
9. Ed Sheeran - X
The mighty Ed Sheeran starts to make his impact felt with X, his second studio album. Released in 2014, it has recorded 11.9 million sales. The album brought more of Sheeran's talents to the fore and continued his rise to global superstar.
8. Katy Perry - Teenage Dream
It's easy to overlook the scale of Katy Perry’s popularity back in 2010. Teenage Dream gave Perry five number-one Billboard Hot 100 singles. Only Michael Jackson had achieved this from one album, Bad, before her.
In Perry’s case, a sixth single, aptly titled “The One That Got Away,” came close to a record, reaching number three. That chart success will have helped propel this album to number 8 with 12.1 million sales.
7. Frozen Soundtrack
This might have caught a few people out if trying to guess the top ten. The Disney film, and all the other media that go with it was enormously successful. And still is, so it's no wonder Frozen ranks so highly. Released in 2013, the soundtrack album has 12.6 million sales to its name globally.
6. Ed Sheeran - Divide
A second listing for the prolific Ed Sheeran. His 2017 follow-up to X ranks slightly ahead with 13.8 million sales. His + album from 2017 isn't far behind on 7.7 million sales either. Quite a decade from Sheeran and more to come too.
5. Justin Bieber - Purpose
Justin Bieber's fourth album, Purpose, from 2015, certainly made a mark. He tried extensively with it; his Purpose World Tour the next year saw him make the step up to huge stadiums around the world. It is his biggest-selling album and marked a commercial peak for the singer,
4. Taylor Swift - 1989
How little we knew of what was yet to come. Taylor Swift would dominate the music world, and this 2014 album was a big step on the way. Always a popular album from her catalog, it scored 14.7 million sales and fourth place.
3. Michael Bublé - Christmas
I know this is a popular album, but to see a seasonal one rising at 3rd place is surprising. Still, Michael Bublé does Christmas remarkably well; 15 million sales for his 2011 album show just how well. His songs must be on most people's playlists for that time of year, which will help their sales figures hugely.
2. Adele - 25
This one makes sense. Adele’s albums were huge, and still are. This 2015 release introduced us to her songs written at the age of 25. The 25 album sold 23 million copies and took her to second place on this top ten list.
1. Adele - 21
And that second place was superseded by her 21 album from 2011. It soared past 25 with 30 million sales. It’s a huge achievement to get two albums in the decade's best sellers, never mind taking the first and second slot. Over 50m sales combined is a stunning success.