Taylor Swift Reigns Supreme: 'The Life of a Showgirl' Tops RIAA’s 2025 Year-End List
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Max Lyne
From Swift’s 5x Platinum domination to the surprising rise of a fictional K-Pop band, here is the full breakdown of the artists who went Gold and Platinum in 2025.
To absolutely no one's surprise, Taylor Swift has done it again.
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) released its annual certification tally on Thursday (Dec. 11), confirming that Swift's album "The Life of a Showgirl" was the highest-certified project of 2025. The album, which topped the Billboard 200, has already been certified 5x Platinum, cementing her status as the industry's undisputed titan.
This marks the second consecutive year Swift has topped the list, following the massive success of "The Tortured Poets Department" in 2024. Earlier this year, she also became the first female artist in history to surpass 100 million RIAA-certified album units across her catalog.
While Swift’s dominance was expected, 2025 brought some genuine surprises. Alex Warren scored the year's top single with his massive hit "Ordinary" . The track, which spent 10 weeks at #1 on the Hot 100, was certified 3x Platinum.
Perhaps most shockingly, the "Class of 2025" was led by a band that doesn't technically exist. HUNTR/X, the fictional group from the Netflix film "KPop Demon Hunters" , earned their first-ever RIAA plaques. Their viral hit "Golden" went 2x Platinum, while tracks like "How It’s Done" and "What It Sounds Like" also reached Platinum status.
The year saw a diverse range of genres hitting the million-unit mark.
Lady Gaga’s industrial-pop return "Mayhem" earned a Platinum certification.
Sabrina Carpenter continued her rise with the Platinum-certified "Man’s Best Friend".
Tate McRae proved her staying power with "So Close To What".
In the world of Hip-Hop and R&B, Drake was the most prolific, earning eight certifications. His collaborative album with PARTYNEXTDOOR, "$ome Sexy $ongs 4 U", achieved Platinum status, driven by the 2x Platinum single "Nokia".
Cardi B also made history with her album "Am I the Drama?", which secured the fastest certification of the year and is currently sitting at 3x Platinum.
Stray Kids stood out as the only artists with multiple albums certified this year, earning Gold for both "HOP" and "KARMA".
Meanwhile, Chappell Roan continued to build her legacy with Gold certifications for "The Giver" and "The Subway".
Want to know why these songs went Platinum? Dive into the full lyrics and meanings on LyricsWeb.
Taylor's Era: Read the lyrics to every track on the 5x Platinum "The Life of a Showgirl".
The Viral Hit: See why Alex Warren's "Ordinary" connected with millions.
Fictional Fame: Check out the lyrics for HUNTR/X's "Golden".
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