Washington, DC (Top40 Charts/ RIAA) - The songs and sounds of summer are upon us, and some of America's leading chart-topping musicians received significant Gold and Platinum awards in May and June, while a number of international acts took top accolades too, according to the Recording
Industry Association of America (RIAA's) early summer G&P tally.
YouTube breakout artist Justin Bieber and his musical mentor Usher earned swift Platinum awards for their respective March releases My World 2.0 (Island Records) and Raymond v. Raymond (LaFace). Talk about a role model: all six of R&B phenomenon Usher's albums are certified Platinum or higher. Young Bieber is certainly making a name for himself among fans everywhere as well - his debut album My World (2009) and first single 'One Time' went Platinum in January, while his tracks 'One Less Lonely Girl' and 'Eenie Meenie' with Sean Kingston were certified Gold for selling 500,000 digital downloads.
Drake's ride was one full of precious metals in June. The Canadian R&B singer took his debut album So Far Gone (Universal Motown, 2009) Gold and earned three premiere Gold song nods for 'Over,' 'I'm Going In' and 'Best I Ever Had,' the final of which also went Platinum. Look for more certs to come from Drake's latest and greatest Thank Me Later.
With his edgy style and addictive songs, American Idol season eight runner-up Adam Lambert has enjoyed some notable post-Idol success in the past year. The San Diego-bred singer released his debut album For Your Entertainment on RCA Records in November and saw the album hit Gold in June. Glamberts go wild!
Prominent Atlanta rapper Ludacris earned his seventh Gold album for Battle Of The Sexes (Def Jam) in June, just three months after its release. Luda's vocals are also featured in British singer Taio Cruz's "Break Your Heart,' helping fuel the song to Gold, Platinum, and 2x multi-Platinum the same month. The certifications are Cruz's first, but it's likely there's more in store off his new album release Rokstarr (Mercury Records).
Veteran rockers Metallica earned double-Platinum honors for Death Magnetic (Warner Bros., 2008). Metallica's heavy metal career sales now surpass 60 million since unveiling their first album in 1983, while Death Magnetic marks their 11th multi-Platinum album certification to date.
Two undeniably popular Atlantic Records summer jams -'Billionaire' by Gym Class Heroes' lead vocalist Travie McCoy featuring Bruno Mars and 'Airplanes' by rapper B.o.B. with Hayley Williams- soared to Platinum heights in June, each selling more than a million downloads. B.o.B. also took 'Nothin' On You' featuring Bruno Mars double-Platinum to top off the hip hop act's sizzling month.
Los Angeles' own Black Eyed Peas -who have been rocking out for 15 years- swept May's digital honors by taking 'Boom Boom Pow' and 'I Gotta Feeling' 5x multi-Platinum, plus 'Imma Be' and 'Meet Me Halfway' 2x multi-Platinum, totaling their monthly certs at 14x multi-Platinum! Each of these hot songs comes from the Peas' double-Platinum The E.N.D. (Interscope, 2009).
California girl Katy Perry earned a quadruple-Platinum plaque for 'Hot N Cold,' her highest certification to date. The Capitol Records star's hit tune 'I Kissed A Girl' is currently triple-Platinum while her popular album One of the Boys is Platinum.
Country icon Brad Paisley scored his second Platinum single award for 'Then' (Arista Nashville, 2009). The West Virginian's other Platinum song is 'She's Everything' while seven more of his singles are certified Gold. Two more country VIPs, South Carolina's Josh Turner and Oklahoma's Carrie Underwood, earned Gold awards for their respective songs 'Why Don't We Just Dance' (Mercury Records, 2010) and 'Temporary Home' (Arista Nashville, 2009), each selling more than 500,000 downloads.
With their similar song names and same major label affiliation, Warner Bros. Records' R&B singers Jason Derulo and Iyaz both earned Gold awards in June. It was their respective 2010 releases 'Ridin' Solo' and 'Solo' that brought home the bling. Derulo also took a double-Platinum award for his beat-heavy hit 'In My Head' (2009).
In May and June combined, the RIAA awarded a total of 64 digital singles and 16 albums. All certifications are calculated by Gelfand, Rennert & Feldman. Complete lists of all album, single, mastertone and video awards can also be accessed at www.riaa.com.
