Rihanna is one step closer to the RIAA diamond club.
Her hit single “Needed Me” advances to 9x multi-platinum just a month after it went 8x multi-platinum. It’s now surpassed U.S. sales of over nine million equivalent units.
“Needed Me” has caught up to Rihanna’s Drake-assisted “Work,” which was honored with a 9x multi-platinum award in late January. They are the best-selling songs from her last album, 2016’s ANTI, and each one million units shy of becoming her first diamond-selling singles.
The DJ Mustard-produced track went No. 1 on the following Billboard charts: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs, Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, Hot R&B Songs, R&B Streaming Songs and Rhythmic Airplay.
“Needed Me” also reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
In 2017, “Needed Me” was nominated for Best R&B Performance at the 59th Grammy Awards. The award ultimately went to “Cranes in the Sky” by Solange.
Rihanna’s latest RIAA award comes in wake of her scoring multiple plaques ahead of her Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show.
Her career-spanning set averaged 118.7 million viewers, giving it the second-highest viewership in Super Bowl history since Kate Perry’s 2015 performance.
More music by Rihanna has been gaining accolades, specifically “Lift Me Up,” from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack.
The emotional ballad won Outstanding Music Video/Visual Album at the 54th NAACP Image Awards. Upon its release, it topped several Billboard charts. It also reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart, making it her first leader.
“Lift Me Up,” which Rihanna co-wrote with Tems, Ludwig Göransson and Black Panther director Ryan Coogler, is nominated for Best Original Song at the 95th Oscars. It’s her first nod.
The song was written as a tribute to the life and legacy of Chadwick Boseman, who originally played King T’Challa/Black Panther in the 2018 film. Boseman died in 2020.
“Lift Me Up” earned a nomination for Best Original Song at the 80th Golden Globes. M. M. Keeravani took home the award for “Naatu Naatu,” played in RRR.
Stream Rihanna’s “Needed Me” below.
