List of best-selling albums by year in the United States
2010s
Table:
Year[I]

Performing artist(s)

Nationality

Album

Sales

Ref.

2010

Eminem

United States

Recovery

3,415,000

[52]

2011

Adele

United Kingdom

21

5,824,000

[53]

2012

Adele

United Kingdom

21

4,410,000

[54]

2013

Justin Timberlake

United States

The 20/20 Experience

2,430,000

[55]

2014

Taylor Swift

United States

1989

3,661,000

[56]

2015

Adele

United Kingdom

25

8,008,000[†]

[57]

2016

Drake

Canada

Views

4,140,000[†]

[58]

2017

Ed Sheeran

United Kingdom

÷

2,764,000[†]

[59]

2018

Drake

Canada

Scorpion

3,905,000[†]

[60]

2019

Post Malone

United States

Hollywood's Bleeding

3,001,000[†]

[61]

With reference to the provided table plus the supplementary paragraphs provided.

Respond to the question below: How many records has the author of the 2016 album Views sold ? Output only the correct answer as {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Use only the information given.

Marshall Bruce Mathers III ( born October 17 , 1972 ) , known professionally as Eminem ( /ˌɛmɪˈnɛm/ ; often stylized as EMINƎM ) , is an American rapper , songwriter , record producer , record executive and actor . He is one of the most successful musical artists of the 21st century . In addition to his solo career , Eminem was a member of the hip hop group D12 . He is also known for collaborations with fellow Detroit-based rapper Royce da 5 ' 9 ; the two are collectively known as Bad Meets Evil . After his debut album Infinite ( 1996 ) and the extended play Slim Shady EP ( 1997 ) , Eminem signed with Dr. Dre 's Aftermath Entertainment and subsequently achieved mainstream popularity in 1999 with The Slim Shady LP and its lead single My Name Is . His next two releases The Marshall Mathers LP ( 2000 ) and The Eminem Show ( 2002 ) were worldwide successes and were both nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year . As a result of being a leading figure in a form of black music , Eminem was subject to comparisons to Elvis Presley at the time . After the release of Encore in 2004 , which faced heavy criticism by fans and critics for its lackluster quality , Eminem went on hiatus in 2005 partly due to a prescription drug addiction . He released Relapse in 2009 and Recovery the following year , which both won Grammy Awards for Best Rap Album . Recovery was the best-selling album of 2010 worldwide , making it his second album , after The Eminem Show in 2002 , to be the best-selling album worldwide . In the following years , he released the US number one albums The Marshall Mathers LP 2 , Revival , Kamikaze and Music to Be Murdered By . Eminem starred in the drama film 8 Mile ( 2002 ) playing a fictionalized version of himself , which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for Lose Yourself , making him the first hip hop artist to ever win the award .
Recovery is the seventh studio album by American rapper Eminem . It was released on June 18 , 2010 , by Aftermath Entertainment , Shady Records , and Interscope Records . It serves as the follow-up to Eminem 's sixth studio album Relapse ( 2009 ) . Originally planned to be released as Relapse 2 , the album was renamed to Recovery when Eminem found the album to be musically different from its predecessor . Production of the album took place during 2009 to 2010 at several recording studios and was handled by various record producers , including Alex da Kid , Just Blaze , Boi-1da , Jim Jonsin , DJ Khalil , Mr. Porter , and Dr. Dre . Eminem also collaborated with artists such as Pink , Lil Wayne , Slaughterhouse and Rihanna for the album . Recovery featured more introspective and emotional content than its predecessor and the theme of the album revolved around his positive changes , anxiety , and emotional drives . Recovery debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 , with first week sales of 741,000 copies . It also reached number one in 16 other countries . It spawned four singles ; Not Afraid , Love the Way You Lie , No Love , and Space Bound , with the former two both reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 . Recovery was the best-selling album worldwide and best-selling album in the US of 2010 . To promote the album , Eminem performed the album 's songs live on televised shows , at award ceremonies , musical events and also headed The Recovery Tour .
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins MBE ( /əˈdɛl/ ; born 5 May 1988 ) is an English singer-songwriter . After graduating from the BRIT School in 2006 , Adele signed a recording contract with XL Recordings . In 2007 , she received the Brit Awards Critics ' Choice Award and won the BBC Sound of 2008 poll . Her debut album , 19 , was released in 2008 to commercial and critical success . It is certified eight times platinum in the UK , and three times platinum in the US . The album contains her first song , Hometown Glory , written when she was 16 , which is based on her home suburb of West Norwood in London . An appearance she made on Saturday Night Live in late 2008 boosted her career in the US . At the 51st Grammy Awards in 2009 , Adele received the awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance . Adele released her second studio album , 21 , in 2011 . The album was critically well received and surpassed the success of her debut , earning numerous awards in 2012 , among them a record-tying six Grammy Awards , including Album of the Year ; two Brit Awards , including British Album of the Year ; and three American Music Awards , including Favorite Pop/Rock Album . The album has been certified 17 times platinum in the UK , and is overall the fourth best-selling album in the nation . In the US , it has held the top position longer than any album since 1985 , and is certified diamond .
21 is the second studio album by English singer-songwriter Adele . It was released on 24 January 2011 in Europe and on 22 February 2011 in North America by XL Recordings and Columbia Records . The album was named after the age of the singer during its production . 21 shares the folk and Motown soul influences of her 2008 debut album 19 , but was further inspired by the American country and Southern blues music to which she had been exposed during her 2008-09 North American tour An Evening with Adele . Composed in the aftermath of the singer 's separation from her then partner , the album typifies the near dormant tradition of the confessional singer-songwriter in its exploration of heartbreak , self-examination , and forgiveness . Adele began writing 21 in April 2009 , when still involved in the relationship that subsequently inspired the record . Dissatisfied with once again portraying herself as the musical tragedian of her debut , she had intended to compose a more upbeat and contemporary follow-up . However , studio sessions ended prematurely due to a lack of inspiration . She resumed production immediately after the breakdown of her relationship , channelling her heartbreak and depression into her songs . Adele collaborated with various songwriters and producers , including Columbia Records co-president Rick Rubin , Paul Epworth , Ryan Tedder , Jim Abbiss , and Dan Wilson . Praised by critics for its understated production , vintage aesthetic , and Adele 's vocal performance , 21 defied the modest commercial expectations of her independent record label XL Recordings . The album topped the charts in more than 30 countries and became the world 's best-selling album of the year for 2011 and 2012 .
Justin Randall Timberlake ( born January 31 , 1981 ) , occasionally known by his initials JT , is an American singer , songwriter , actor , and record producer . Raised in Tennessee , he appeared on the television shows Star Search and The All-New Mickey Mouse Club as a child . In the late 1990s , Timberlake rose to prominence as one of the two lead vocalists and youngest member of NSYNC , which eventually became one of the best-selling boy bands of all time . Timberlake began to adopt a more mature image as an artist with the release of his debut solo album , the R & B-focused Justified ( 2002 ) , which yielded the successful singles Cry Me a River and Rock Your Body , and earned his first two Grammy Awards . His critically acclaimed second album FutureSex/LoveSounds ( 2006 ) , characterized by its diversity in music genres , debuted atop the U.S . Billboard 200 and produced the Hot 100 number-one singles SexyBack , My Love , and What Goes Around . Comes Around . Established as a solo artist worldwide , his first two albums both exceeded sales of 10 million copies , and he continued producing records and collaborating with other artists . From 2008 through 2012 , Timberlake focused on his acting career , effectively putting his music career on hiatus . He held starring roles in the films The Social Network , Bad Teacher , Friends with Benefits , and In Time . Timberlake resumed his music career in 2013 with his third and fourth albums The 20/20 Experience and The 20/20 Experience - 2 of 2 , exploring neo soul styles , partly inspired by the expansive song structures of 1960s and 1970s rock . The former became the best-selling album of the year in the US with the largest sales week , and spawned the top-three singles Suit & Tie and Mirrors , while the latter produced the top-ten song Not a Bad Thing .
The 20/20 Experience is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake . It was released on March 15 , 2013 , by RCA Records , as the follow-up to his second studio album FutureSex/LoveSounds ( 2006 ) . It is considered the first half of a two-piece project , later being supplemented by his fourth studio album The 20/20 Experience - 2 of 2 ( 2013 ) . The album incorporates neo soul styles with elements of older soul music ; its lyrics discuss themes of romance and sex . Production is handled by Timbaland , Timberlake , who also serves as the album 's executive producer , and Jerome J-Roc Harmon , with Rob Knox contributing to the album 's deluxe edition . The 20/20 Experience received generally positive reviews from critics , many of whom praised its organic sound and hailed it as a significant pop release . The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 968,000 copies - the biggest sales week of the year , becoming Timberlake 's second number one album on the chart and best-selling debut week of his solo career . The 20/20 Experience became the best-selling album of 2013 in the US , making it the Billboard Year-End number-one album . The album also became Timberlake 's third consecutive number-one album in the United Kingdom , topped the charts in various other countries and set a digital sales record for being the fastest-selling album on the iTunes Store . As of July 2014 , joint sales of The 20/20 Experience with 2 of 2 stands at six million copies globally . Three singles have been released from The 20/20 Experience . Its lead single , Suit & Tie , peaked within the top five in several countries worldwide , and reached number three in the US .
Taylor Alison Swift ( born December 13 , 1989 ) is an American singer-songwriter . She is known for narrative songs about her personal life , which have received widespread media coverage . At age 14 , Swift became the youngest artist signed by the Sony/ATV Music publishing house and , at age 15 , she signed her first record deal . Her 2006 eponymous debut album was the longest-charting album of the 2000s in the US . Its third single , Our Song , made her the youngest person to single-handedly write and perform a number-one song on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart . Swift 's second album , Fearless , was released in 2008 . Buoyed by the pop crossover success of the singles Love Story and You Belong with Me , it became the US 's best-selling album of 2009 and was certified diamond in the US . The album won four Grammy Awards , and Swift became the youngest Album of the Year winner . Swift was the sole writer of her 2010 album Speak Now , which won two Grammy Awards and was her first to debut with over a million copies sold in the first week in the US . Her fourth album , Red ( 2012 ) , yielded her first Billboard Hot 100 number-one single , We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together . For her fifth album and first all-pop project , 1989 ( 2014 ) , she won three Grammy Awards , including Album of the Year , and became the first woman to replace herself at number one on the Hot 100 , with the singles Shake It Off and Blank Space . Her sixth album , Reputation ( 2017 ) , made her the only act to have four consecutive albums each sell one million copies in their first week in the US , while yielding her fifth Hot 100 number-one song , with Look What You Made Me Do .
1989 is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift , released on October 27 , 2014 , through Big Machine Records . Following the release of her fourth studio album Red ( 2012 ) , which critics considered Swift 's emergence from her trademark country styles to straightforward pop , Swift sought to completely move away from country . Inspired by 1980s synth-pop , she enlisted a production team whose key figures included herself , Max Martin , Shellback , Ryan Tedder , and Jack Antonoff , who shaped the album 's overall 1980s-styled sonic coherence . Martin and Swift served as the album 's executive producers . Titled after Swift 's birth year , 1989 is a synth-pop record that uses heavy synthesizers , programmed percussion , and processed background vocals . While the album is primarily about reflections on past romantic relationships , Swift 's recurring theme , it presents more mature and wistful perspectives , expressing self-discovery . Critical reaction to 1989 was generally positive ; the pop production polarized reviewers , but Swift 's songwriting received mostly favorable responses . The album was included in the top ten in year-end lists issued by publications including Billboard , Rolling Stone , and Time . It won Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album at the 58th Grammy Awards , making Swift the first female solo artist to win the former category twice . The album debuted atop the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 1.287 million copies , making Swift the first artist to have three million-selling albums within first week of release in the country . It also reached number one in several markets including Australia , Canada , and the UK . 1989 was among the best-selling albums of 2014 and 2015 globally , and has sold 6.2 million copies in the US and 10.1 million copies worldwide .
25 is the third studio album by English singer-songwriter Adele , released on 20 November 2015 by XL Recordings and Columbia Records . Issued nearly five years after her previous album , the internationally successful 21 ( 2011 ) , the album is titled as a reflection of her life and frame of mind at 25 years old and is termed a make-up record . Its lyrical content features themes of Adele yearning for her old self , her nostalgia , and melancholia about the passage of time according to an interview with the singer by Rolling Stone , as well as themes of motherhood and regret . In contrast to Adele 's previous works , the production of 25 incorporated the use of electronic elements and creative rhythmic patterns , with elements of 1980s R & B and organs . Like when recording 21 , Adele worked with producer and songwriter Paul Epworth and Ryan Tedder , along with new collaborations with Max Martin and Shellback , Greg Kurstin , Danger Mouse , the Smeezingtons , Samuel Dixon , and Tobias Jesso Jr . Upon its release , 25 received generally positive reviews from critics , who commended Adele 's vocal performance and the album 's production . It was a massive commercial success , debuting at number one in 32 countries and breaking first-week sales records in multiple countries , including the United Kingdom and United States . In the US , the album sold over 3.38 million copies in its first week of sales , marking the largest single-week sales for an album since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking point-of-sale music purchases in 1991 . 25 eventually became the world 's best-selling album of the year for 2015 , with 17.4 million copies sold within the year , and has gone on to sell over 22 million copies worldwide , making it one of the best-selling albums of all time , and the sixth-best selling album of the 21st century . Following 21 , it was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA ) , denoting equivalent sales of 10 million copies in the US , making Adele the only artist of the 2010s to achieve this certification with two albums . Globally , 25 was the biggest-selling music release in 2015 and 2016 , with many journalists crediting it with impacting the music industry by encouraging a renewed interest in buying physical releases rather than downloading or streaming ; much like 21 , it was also credited for saving the dwindling sales of the UK and US music industry . 25 received the BRIT Award for British Album of the Year , while its lead single Hello won British Single of the Year at the 2016 Brit Awards .
Aubrey Drake Graham ( born October 24 , 1986 ) is a Canadian rapper , singer , songwriter , producer , actor , and businessman . Drake initially gained recognition as an actor on the teen drama television series Degrassi : The Next Generation in the 2000s ; intent on pursuing a career in music , he left the series in 2007 after releasing his debut mixtape Room for Improvement . He released two further independent projects , Comeback Season and So Far Gone , before signing to Young Money Entertainment in June 2009 . Drake released his debut studio album Thank Me Later in 2010 , which debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and was soon certified platinum . His next two releases , 2011 's Take Care and 2013 's Nothing Was the Same , were critically and commercially successful ; the former earned him his first Grammy Award for Best Rap Album . In 2015 , he released two mixtapes - the trap-influenced If You 're Reading This It 's Too Late and a collaboration with Future titled What a Time to Be Alive - both of which earned platinum certification in the U.S. His fourth album , Views ( 2016 ) , broke several chart records . The dancehall-influenced album sat atop the Billboard 200 for 13 nonconsecutive weeks , becoming the first album by a male solo artist to do so in over a decade . The album 's second single , One Dance , topped the charts in several countries , and became his first number-one single as a lead artist . That year , Drake led both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard 200 charts simultaneously for eight weeks . Views achieved quadruple platinum status in the US , and earned over 1 million album-equivalent units in the first week of its release , and became Drake 's best-selling album to date . Its lead single Hotline Bling peaked at number two on the Hot 100 and received Grammy Awards for Best Rap/Sung Performance and Best Rap Song . In 2017 , he released the playlist More Life .
Views is the fourth studio album by Canadian rapper Drake . It was released on April 29 , 2016 , by Cash Money Records , Republic Records , and Young Money Entertainment . Recording sessions took place from 2015 to 2016 , with both Drake and his longtime collaborator and record producer 40 serving as the record 's executive producers . 40 also primarily handled the production on the album alongside each of these several other record producers such as Nineteen85 , Maneesh Bidaye , Kanye West , and Jordan Ullman , among others . The album contains the elements of genres such as R & B , dancehall , hip hop , and pop , among others . Views was supported by five singles : Hotline Bling , One Dance , Pop Style , Controlla , and Too Good . The album received lukewarm reviews from critics , many of whom found it to be an overlong retread of Drake 's previous work . Despite this , it spent 13 non-consecutive weeks at number one on the US Billboard 200 . It was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA ) . The album was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Rap Album at the 2017 Grammy Awards . As of April 2018 , Views sold 1.73 million copies and a total of 5.41 million album-equivalent units in the United States .
Edward Christopher Sheeran , MBE ( /ˈʃɪərən/ ; born 17 February 1991 ) is an English singer , songwriter , record producer , and actor . In early 2011 , Sheeran independently released the extended play , No . 5 Collaborations Project . After signing with Asylum Records , his debut album , + ( pronounced plus ) , was released in September 2011 and topped the UK Albums Chart . It contained his first hit single The A Team . In 2012 , Sheeran won the Brit Awards for Best British Male Solo Artist and British Breakthrough Act . Sheeran 's second studio album , x ( pronounced multiply ) , was released in June 2014 . It was named the second-best-selling album worldwide of 2015 . In the same year , x won Album of the Year at the 2015 Brit Awards , and he received the Ivor Novello Award for Songwriter of the Year from the British Academy of Songwriters , Composers and Authors . A single from x , Thinking Out Loud , earned him the 2016 Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance . Sheeran 's third album , ÷ ( pronounced divide ) , was released in March 2017 , and was the best-selling album worldwide of 2017 . The first two singles from the album , Shape of You and Castle on the Hill , broke records in a number of countries by debuting in the top two positions of the charts .
÷ ( pronounced divide ) is the third studio album by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran . It was released on 3 March 2017 through Asylum Records and Atlantic Records . Castle on the Hill and Shape of You were released as the album 's lead singles on 6 January 2017 . The album won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards . The album debuted at number one in the United Kingdom , selling 672,000 copies in its first week , making it the fastest-selling album by a male artist there and the third-highest opening behind Adele 's 25 and Oasis ' Be Here Now . It also topped the charts in 14 countries , including the United States , Canada , and Australia . In April 2018 , the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry named ÷ the best-selling album worldwide of 2017 . In October 2019 it was ranked the fifth best-selling album of the 21st century in the UK . All the tracks on the album reached the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart in the week of the album 's release . The dominance of its tracks on the UK chart led to calls for change on how the single chart is compiled , and the Official Charts Company then introduced new rules limiting tracks eligible for entry in the top 100 to three per main artist , as well as adjusting the streams-to-sales ratio for older songs . His fourth single from ÷ , Perfect , reached number one in the US , Australia and the UK , where it became the Christmas number one in 2017 . To promote the album , Sheeran embarked on a worldwide concert tour , entitled the ÷ Tour .
Scorpion is the fifth studio album by Canadian rapper Drake . It was released on June 29 , 2018 , by Cash Money Records , Republic Records , and Young Money Entertainment . Scorpion is a double album consisting of 25 tracks . Its first disc is primarily hip hop , while its second disc has been described as R & B and pop . Scorpion features guest appearances from Jay-Z and Ty Dolla Sign , as well as posthumous appearances from Michael Jackson and Static Major . It is executively produced by Drake himself , alongside frequent collaborator Noah 40 Shebib and manager Oliver El-Khatib . Despite receiving lukewarm reviews from critics , Scorpion performed well commercially , debuting atop the US Billboard 200 with 732,000 album-equivalent units , of which 160,000 came from pure sales . The album was supported by the singles God 's Plan , Nice for What , I 'm Upset , Do n't Matter to Me , In My Feelings , Nonstop , and Mob Ties . All seven singles reached the top twenty on the US Billboard Hot 100 , with three of them reaching number one : God 's Plan , Nice for What , and In My Feelings . As of January 2019 , Scorpion was certified five-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA ) . In its first day of release , Scorpion broke Spotify 's one-day global record for album streams with 132.45 million streams . It also broke Apple Music 's single-day record with 170 million streams , breaking Drake 's own record set with More Life .
Austin Richard Post ( born July 4 , 1995 ) , known professionally as Post Malone , is an American rapper , singer , songwriter , and record producer . Known for his introspective songwriting and laconic vocal style , Post has gained acclaim for bending a range of genres including hip hop , pop , country , and rock . He first attained recognition in 2015 following the release of his debut single White Iverson . He subsequently signed a recording contract with Republic Records . Post 's debut album Stoney ( 2016 ) , which was trap and cloud rap focused , was a commercial success and featured the hit single Congratulations . In 2018 , the album broke the record for most weeks on the US Billboard Top R & B/Hip-Hop Albums chart after it reached its 77th week on the chart . Post 's second album Beerbongs & Bentleys ( 2018 ) debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and broke several streaming records upon release . Featuring the Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Rockstar and Psycho , it was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2018 Grammy Awards . In 2018 , Post collaborated with Swae Lee on the song Sunflower for the soundtrack to the film Spider-Man : Into the Spider-Verse , which reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 . He later inaugurated his own festival , Posty Fest , which took place at Dos Equis Pavilion on October 28 and featured Travis Scott alongside him as the headliners . His third album Hollywood 's Bleeding , released in late 2019 , explored more into indie pop and rock . It became his second number-one album on the Billboard 200 and featured the Billboard Hot 100 number-one single Circles .
Hollywood 's Bleeding is the third studio album by American rapper and singer Post Malone . It was released on September 6 , 2019 , by Republic Records . The album features guest appearances from DaBaby , Future , Halsey , Meek Mill , Lil Baby , Ozzy Osbourne , Travis Scott , SZA , Swae Lee , and Young Thug . The production was handled by Andrew Watt , BloodPop , Brian Lee , Carter Lang , DJ Dahi , Emile Haynie , Frank Dukes , and Malone himself , among others . Hollywood 's Bleeding received generally positive reviews and debuted atop the US Billboard 200 . It is Malone 's second US number-one album . The album was the second-biggest first week sales of 2019 and biggest in streams . It was supported by six singles : Wow , Goodbyes , Circles , Enemies , Allergic , and Take What You Want . The first three songs peaked at number two , three , and one on the US Billboard Hot 100 , respectively . The album also includes the Billboard Hot 100 number one single , Sunflower , a collaboration with American rapper Swae Lee , from the Spider-Man : Into the Spider-Verse soundtrack .