Adele's Album '21' Turns 15, Setting a Historic Sales Record

Adele's '21' Becomes Best-Selling Female Album of All Time
British singer Adele's album '21' celebrates its 15th anniversary this Saturday, giving the artist a significant reason to celebrate as it has become the best-selling female album of all time with over 56 million copies sold.

The work by the 37-year-old London artist officially broke a record this week previously held by Whitney Houston since 1992 with 'The Bodyguard', the soundtrack of the film of the same name.

With 56,375,000 copies sold—compared to 56,372,000 for the American singer—'21' achieved a historic milestone on Wednesday for a work created three decades ago in an ever-changing market.

A Landmark Achievement in the Streaming Era
The album catapulted Adele to international stardom at a time when digital downloads and live streaming were beginning to dominate, adding even more value to the physical format's sales figures when compared to an iconic rival from the previous century.

Analysis from the website ChartMasters, which compiles data on albums, singles, plays, and downloads, confirms the cult status achieved by the English singer-songwriter's second album, following her debut in 2008 with '19'.

The Emotional and Musical Legacy of '21'
Conceived after a painful breakup, '21' is the vehicle through which Adele expressed very intimate emotions, with heart-wrenching lyrics in songs that combined classic soul with the pop of the era.

Tracks like 'Turning Tables', 'Rumour Has It', and, above all, 'Someone Like You' are authentic anthems that have united different generations and, 15 years later, defy the passage of time, remaining highly relevant on radio, television, and platforms, and, according to CSPC, still selling well at retail counters.

Surpassing Icons and Critical Acclaim
But the success of '21' is measured not only by surpassing 'The Bodyguard', a cultural phenomenon in the '90s thanks to cinema and Houston's vocal torrent in hits like 'I Will Always Love You', 'I Have Nothing', 'I'm Every Woman', and 'Run To You'.

It also places ahead of albums by some of the most influential artists in music history.

According to the aforementioned list, Adele has sold more copies of '21' than Shania Twain's 'Come On Over' (1997) and Celine Dion's 'Let's Talk About Love' (1997), which reached 47,633,000 and 47,501,000 copies, respectively.

Enduring Influence and Recognition
While commercial figures sometimes clash with expert opinion, the critical reception at the time left no doubt about the quality of the British artist's second album.

'Rolling Stone' magazine chose '21' as the best album of 2011, aligning with other media outlets like 'Associated Press', 'Entertainment Weekly', 'TIME magazine', and 'USA Today'.

Additionally, in February 2012, Adele received seven Grammy Awards, including 'Album of the Year', 'Best Pop Vocal Album', 'Song of the Year' for 'Rolling in the Deep', and 'Best Pop Solo Performance' for 'Someone like You'.

Its importance and influence still endure, as demonstrated by the fact that just five years ago, 'Rolling Stone' included '21' at number 137 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.