It's Nana Mouskouri, a Greek songstress who's still active at the ripe old age of 80. She's sold over 300 million albums worldwide. She's also possibly the most prolific musician of all time. Although it's hard to find an actual figure, it's estimated she's made 450 albums in total.
As of June 22, 2023, The Beatles have the highest total certified albums and Drake has the highest total certified digital singles. Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Eminem, and Taylor Swift are the only acts in the top 30 of both lists.
Most recorded artist in music history - Asha Bhosle
But what about music?
Who has recorded the most songs in history? Asha Bhosle is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as having recorded up to 11,000 solo, duet, and chorus backed songs in over 20 Indian languages.
Taylor Swift has once again made music history by claiming every single top 10 spot on Billboard's Hot 100 chart at once. No other artist has ever held all 10 spots at the same time, according to Billboard.
"Old Town Road" holds the record for the longest stretch at No. 1 with 19 weeks. It also became the fastest song in history to be certified diamond.
Michael Jackson
As the King of Pop, it makes sense to begin the list with Michael Jackson. The legendary singer achieved fame at a young age through his musical family and their group the Jackson 5. This led him to regular studio work and performances across the Midwest, notably through Motown Records.
Michael Jackson's Thriller, estimated to have sold 70 million copies worldwide, is the best-selling album ever. Jackson also currently has the highest number of albums on the list with five, Celine Dion has four, while the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Madonna and Whitney Houston each have three.
25 by Adele is the fastest-selling album of all time in the US with 3,378,000 copies sold in its first seven days.
The legendarily weird Frank Zappa has released 119 albums, with 100 studio albums, 13 compilations and 6 rock operas and bootlegs. If playback doesn't begin shortly, try restarting your device.
It's official: The Weeknd is statistically the most popular artist in the world according to Guinness World Records.
Queen of Pop is a nickname most commonly associated with American singer Madonna.
Canadian singer Justin Bieber is referred to as the "Prince of Pop". South Korean singer BoA is referred to as the "Queen of K-pop".
King of Pop is a nickname most commonly associated with American singer Michael Jackson (1958–2009). King of Pop may also refer to: Several other musicians, see honorific nicknames in popular music. King of Pop (album), a 2008 compilation album by Michael Jackson.
Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney and Phil Collins are the only musicians to have sold over 100 million albums as a solo artist and member of a group.
The Rolling Stones are the highest-grossing live music act of all time, collecting over $2.5 billion according to Billboard Boxscore.
Presley still had more in the top 10 (38 to 31) and the top 5 (32 to 29), but at the coveted #1 position, The Beatles dominated Elvis with 20 chart-toppers to Presley's 14.
It was never a hit single and got almost no play on Top 40 radio. There's even a dispute over the exact title. Yet “It's a Small World,” also known as “It's a Small, Small World” and “It's a Small World (After All),” is very likely the most played song in music history — nearly 50 million times.
- In just six months, Shallow sold more than seven million copies worldwide and became the most awarded song of all time (with more than 50 awards in 2019), which also makes Lady Gaga one of the most awarded artists in music history.
Cher's career as a recording artist spans seven decades and she is the only artist to have a number-one single on a Billboard chart in each of the past six decades.