The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album is a soundtrack album from the film of the same name, released by Arista Records on November 17, 1992. The first side of the album (in its original LP and cassette formats) features songs recorded by American singer Whitney Houston, who also stars in the film, while side two features the work of other artists. The record was co-executive produced by Houston and Clive Davis.

Music critics praised Houston's vocal performance and the album's production on The Bodyguard. The album was a massive global success, charting at number one in eighteen countries and reaching the top ten in dozens more. In the United States, the album earned Houston the distinction of having the most weeks at number one by a female artist on the Billboard 200, a record she held for 19 years before being surpassed by Adele's album 21. The Recording Industry Association of America has certified The Bodyguard as a Diamond, giving Houston three Diamond-selling albums.

Estimated sales: 45 million

Come On Over is Canadian country music singer Shania Twain's third studio album. It was released on November 4, 1997, and went on to become the best-selling country album, the best-selling album by a Canadian, and the biggest-selling studio album by a solo female artist, as well as the best-selling album in the United States by a solo female artist, according to Guinness World Records. It is the ninth best-selling album of all time in the United States and worldwide. In the United Kingdom, it is also the sixteenth best-selling album.

Come On Over had sold over 40 million copies worldwide as of 2020, with over 20 million copies shipped in the United States, with over 15.7 million copies sold according to Nielsen SoundScan, and another 1.99 million through BMG Music Clubs. The album debuted at No.1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and remained there for 50 non-consecutive weeks, making it the album with the most weeks at No.1 on the US Top Country Albums chart, according to Guinness World Records.

Estimated sales: 40 million

Alanis Morissette's third studio album, Jagged Little Pill, was released on June 13, 1995, by Maverick. It was her first album to be released on a global scale. It was a stylistic departure from her first two albums, Alanis (1991) and Now Is the Time (1993).

Jagged Little Pill was a commercial success on a global scale, topping the charts in thirteen countries. It is one of the best-selling albums of all time, selling over 33 million copies worldwide, and making Morissette the first Canadian to achieve double diamond sales. Jagged Little Pill was nominated for nine Grammy Awards, winning five of them, including Album of the Year, making Morissette the youngest artist to do so up to that point. Rolling Stone ranked Jagged Little Pill 69th on its list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" in 2020.

Estimated sales: 33 million

Falling Into You is Celine Dion's fourth English-language studio album, released on March 11, 1996 by Columbia/Epic Records. Falling into You, the follow-up to her commercially successful albums The Color of My Love (1993) and D'eux (1995), demonstrated Dion's musical progression. Throughout the project, she worked with Jim Steinman, who wrote and produced songs like "It's All Coming Back to Me Now". David Foster produced several songs, including Diane Warren's "Because You Loved Me". Dion collaborated on the album with fourteen producers and a wide range of songwriters and musicians.

Falling Into You went on to become Dion's best-selling album and one of the best-selling albums in history, selling over 32 million copies worldwide, including 12 million in the United States, over two million in the United Kingdom, and over one million in Germany, France, Canada, and Australia. It has sold over nine million units in Europe. It topped the charts all over the world, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, and many others.

Estimated sales: 32 million

Let's Talk About Love is Celine Dion's fifth English-language studio album, released on November 14, 1997 by Columbia and Epic Records. Let's Talk About Love, Dion's follow-up to the commercially successful Falling Into You (1996), demonstrated a further progression of her music. Let's Talk About Love and its songs have won numerous awards all over the world. "My Heart Will Go On" was nominated for four Grammy Awards: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television. Furthermore, the album was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album, and "Tell Him" was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.

Let's Talk About Love went on to become one of the best-selling albums of all time, selling over 31 million copies worldwide. The album also topped the charts in countries such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, and many others. It was one of the best-selling albums in various countries in 1997 and 1998, as well as one of the best-selling albums of the decade.

Estimated sales: 31 million

Adele's second studio album, 21 is her second studio album. It was released by XL Recordings in Europe on January 24, 2011, and Columbia Records in North America on February 22, 2011. The album was named after the singer's age at the time of its creation. 21 shares the Motown/soul influences of her 2008 debut album 19, but also draws influence from American country and Southern blues music, which Adele discovered during the North American leg of her tour An Evening with Adele. The album was written in the aftermath of the singer's divorce from her then-partner, and it explores themes of heartbreak, healing, introspection, and forgiveness.

21 was nominated for the 2011 Mercury Prize and won the 2012 Grammy Award for Album of the Year as well as the Brit Award for British Album of the Year. It was praised for its understated production, vintage aesthetic, and Adele's vocal performance. It has since been named one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone and is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Estimated sales: 31 million

Mariah Carey's third studio album, Music Box, is her third studio album. Columbia Records released it in North America on August 31, 1993. The album consists primarily of ballads written by Carey and Walter Afanasieff, with whom she previously collaborated on Emotions (1991), as well as a few urban dance tracks. Carey wanted to broaden her audience during the album's development, so she chose a more pop/R&B oriented sound.

The album's four singles were released. The first three, "Dreamlover", "Hero", and "Without You", all became global chart-topping singles, with the latter becoming Carey's highest charting international single of her career. "Without You" was Carey's first number-one single in most European markets, and it also charted in the top three in the United States. Carey embarked on the short but successful Music Box Tour, which visited select cities in North America, to promote Music Box. Carey was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Dreamlover" at the 1994 Grammy Awards, and for "Hero" at the 1995 Grammy Awards.

Estimated sales: 28 million

Carole King's second studio album, Tapestry, was released in 1971 on Ode Records and was produced by Lou Adler. In 1972, it received four Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. The album's lead singles, "It's Too Late" and "I Feel the Earth Move", spent five weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and Easy Listening charts. It was ranked 74th in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums in 2000.

Tapestry was certified 13 Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in the United States and has sold an estimated 25 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time. Tapestry was ranked 25th on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time in 2020.

Estimated sales: 25 million

True Blue is American singer-songwriter Madonna's third studio album, released on May 30, 1986 by Sire Records. With Stephen Bray and Patrick Leonard, she co-wrote and produced the entire album. True Blue is about Madonna's visions of love, work, dreams, and disappointments, and was inspired by her then-husband Sean Penn, to whom she dedicated the album. Musically, the songs on the album deviated from her previous efforts, incorporating classical music in order to engage an older audience who had previously been skeptical of her music.

True Blue was an instant global success, debuting at number one in a record-breaking 28 countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It topped the European Top 100 Albums chart for 34 weeks in a row, the longest run of any album in history. It went on to become the world's best-selling album in 1986, as well as the best-selling album by a female artist in the 1980s. True Blue is one of the best-selling albums of all time, with over 25 million copies sold worldwide.

Britney Spears' debut studio album is titled ...Baby One More Time. It was released by Jive Records on January 12, 1999. It is Spears' most successful album, selling more than 25 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time and the best-selling debut album by a female artist. ...Baby One More Time has been cited as a pop music landmark and is credited with revitalizing the teen pop genre. At the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards, the album received two nominations: Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

...Baby One More Time received mixed reviews from music critics at the time of its release, with many praising its commercial appeal but dismissing it as silly and premature. In retrospect, it has been lauded for its significant impact on pop culture, with many citing it as one of the most influential pop records of all time. The album was a worldwide smash, topping the charts in five countries and reaching the top ten in 17 others. Spears became the fifth artist under the age of 18 to reach the top of the Billboard 200 chart.

Estimated sales: 25 million

Spice is the debut studio album by the English girl group the Spice Girls, released by Virgin Records in Japan on September 19, 1996 and in the United Kingdom on November 4, 1996. Producers Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard, as well as the production duo Absolute, recorded the album between 1995 and 1996 at Olympic Studios in Barnes, London, and Strongroom Studios in Shoreditch, London. Spice is a pop album that incorporates dance, R&B, and hip hop styles.

Spice was a worldwide commercial success, topping the charts in more than 17 countries and being certified Multi-Platinum in 27 countries, Platinum in 14 countries, and Gold in three countries, including 10-times Platinum in the UK and Canada, eight-times Platinum in Europe, and seven-times Platinum in the US. It went on to become the world's best-selling album in 1997, selling 19 million copies in less than a year. The album sold a total of 23 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling album by a girl group in music history and one of the best-selling albums of all time.

Estimated sales: 23 million

Whitney Houston is the self-titled debut studio album by American singer Whitney Houston, released by Arista Records on February 14, 1985. The album received a slow commercial response at first, but began to gain popularity in the summer of 1985. It eventually topped the Billboard 200 for 14 weeks in 1986, spawning three number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 — "Saving All My Love for You", "How Will I Know", and "Greatest Love of All" (a cover of "The Greatest Love of All", originally recorded in 1977 by George Benson) — making it both the first debut album and the first album by a solo female artist to do so.

On January 26, 2010, the album was reissued as Whitney Houston - The Deluxe Anniversary Edition, an expanded edition with five bonus tracks, including an a cappella version of "How Will I Know", that original 12-inch remixes, a booklet on the history of the original album, and a DVD of live performances and interviews with Whitney Houston and Clive Davis.

Estimated sales: 22 million