Madonna cements status as biggest-selling female recording artist of all time

By Vicki Newman
Published
madonna on stage close up

Queen of Pop Madonna seems to be unreachable when it comes to music sales.

The iconic American singer, who is currently touring the world on her Celebration Tour, has renewed her record-breaking status as the biggest-selling female recording artist.

Madonna, 65, said during an interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last year that she had sold over 400 million records – albums, singles and digital – during her career.

While precise sales figures are difficult to obtain, it’s widely acknowledged that only The Beatles, Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson have sold more records worldwide, making Madonna the best-selling female singer.

Even more impressively, she’s held this record since 2009, with no one else coming close to beating her.

madonna on stage for her celebration tour

Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé make up the rest of the top five.

Madonna is also the highest-grossing female touring artist, having made a box-office gross of $1,389,746,222 (£1,157,136,058) from her tours, as of July 2022.

She’s ranked fifth overall, behind The Rolling Stones, U2, Elton John and Bruce Springsteen, but of course, her figure will soon increase thanks to her latest outing.

Her Sticky & Sweet tour in 2008-09 was the highest-grossing music tour by a female artist after it made $411 million (then £252.9 million).

Madonna has been having a great time on her latest tour, posting thank you messages to the cities she’s performed in.

She called the opening night in London “an evening I will never forget” and thanked Antwerp for “shining your light for me”.

These world records are just three of the many titles Madonna has claimed – here’s a rundown of the rest:

• Highest-ranked female on Billboard’s “Greatest of All Time Hot 100 Artists” chart – overall No.2 behind The Beatles

• First act to have 50 US No.1s on one Billboard chart

• Most No.1s on the US Dance Club Songs chart – 50

• Most US multi-platinum albums by a female artist – 12, shared with Barbra Streisand

• Most Top 5 entries on the US Hot 100 by a female artist – 28

• Most UK No.1 albums by a female artist – 12 including the Evita soundtrack

• Most UK No.1 singles by a female artist – 13

• Most Top 10 entries on the UK’s Official Singles Chart by a female artist – 63

• Most cumulative weeks at No.1 on the UK’s Official Singles Chart by a female artist – 29

• Most simultaneous No.1s on the UK’s singles and albums charts by a female artist – 4 (in 1986, 1989, 2005 and 2008)

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