Adele released 21, her second album, in February and has sold nearly 13 million globally, more than any artist in the world which helped Billboard’s decision in naming her Artist of the Year for 2011.
The British singer recently had surgery to remove a benign polyp from her throat and was not allowed to sing or even talk for weeks, but she used email to chat with Billboard after the honor.
The list is complied by album sales, charting singles, radio airplay along with some other factors.
Check out the top 10 list of Billboard’s top artist of 2011.
1. Adele
2. Rihanna
3. Katy Perry
4. Lady Gaga
5. Lil Wayne
6. Bruno Mars
7. Nicki Minaj
8. Taylor Swift
9. Justin Bieber
10. Chris Brown