21 — Adele (2011)

21 transformed Adele’s personal heartbreak into a global phenomenon, selling over 30 million copies to become the UK’s best-selling album of the 21st century. Its lead single “Rolling in the Deep” spent seven weeks at No. 1, and the album itself remained on the Billboard 200 for 374 weeks — a duration 50% longer than the typical top-selling album’s 250-week average. With a voice that commands raw emotion and a production that balances soul and pop, 21 outperforms #3 Lemonade in critical acclaim, winning seven Grammys to Lemonade's six, though its sales trail #1 Thriller by 40 million units.