Shania Twain is the best-selling female artist in the history of country music. That impresses us—much.
Shania Twain is No. 3 on our list of the Top 20 Best-Selling Country Artists of All Time, according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Not only is Shania the best-selling female artist in the history of country music, but also she is the No. 6 best-selling solo female artist across all genres.
The RIAA tracks album sales in the U.S. with its precious certifications: Gold (500,000 units), Platinum (1 million units), Multi-Platinum (2 million units and more), and Diamond (10 million units).
- No. 20: Carrie Underwood
- No. 19: Johnny Cash
- No. 18: Vince Gill
- No. 17: Toby Keith
- No. 16: Faith Hill
- No. 15: Brooks & Dunn
- No. 14: Linda Ronstadt
- No. 13: Kenny Chesney
- No. 12: Willie Nelson
- No. 11: The Chicks
- No. 10: John Denver
- No. 9: Tim McGraw
- No. 8: Reba McEntire
- No. 7: Alan Jackson
- No. 6: Taylor Swift
- No. 5: Alabama
- No. 4: Kenny Rogers
No. 3 – Shania Twain
- 48 Million Units Sold
- 3 Diamond Albums
- 1 Multi-Platinum Album
- 1 Platinum Album
- 2 Multi-Platinum Singles
- 2 Platinum Singles
- 7 Gold Singles
Double Diamond
Shania Twain’s best-selling studio album, Come On Over, is a monster.
Come On Over, which Shania released in 1997, has been certified 2X Diamond for sales of 20 million units. Only Garth Brooks’ 1998 album, Double Live, has sold more units (21 million) on the country music front. In fact, Come On Over is the best-selling album of all time—in any genre—for a solo female artist.
Come On Over tallied 50 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Albums chart, a record matched only by Luke Combs’ 2017 debut album, This One’s for You.
In addition, Shania can claim two more Diamond-certified albums, 1995’s The Woman in Me (12 million units) and 2002’s Up! (11 million units).
Still the Woman
Shania Twain’s best-selling singles are 1998’s “You’re Still the One” and 1999’s “Man! I Feel Like a Woman.” Both have been certified 2X Platinum for sales of 2 million units.
In addition, Shania can claim two Platinum singles and seven Gold singles, including “That Don’t Impress Me Much,” “Forever and Always,” and “Any Man of Mine,” among others.
In Defense of Shania
Shania Twain ain’t in the Country Music Hall of Fame . . . yet. And I stress yet. Make no mistake, Shania will take her place in the CMHOF someday. Soon? Who knows, but she’ll end up there eventually. For about a decade between 1995 and 2005, Shania was one of the most powerful forces country music has ever seen—or heard. Shania’s streak of three consecutive Diamond-certified albums is unfathomable in today’s country landscape.
And here’s a fun fact. Before she dominated the genre with her blend of country and pop, Shania Twain caught the attention of Sean Penn, who directed the video for her 1993 sophomore single, “Dance With the One That Brought You.”
