As country music consumption on streaming services has surged in recent years, so has the slate of country songs reaching the coveted milestone of being certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), signifying 10 million units moved (with each permanent digital download counting as one unit, while 150 on-demand audio and/or video streams count as one unit).
Earlier this week, it was revealed that Luke Combs notched the 10th and 11th country singles to earn Diamond status from the RIAA, with his songs “Hurricane” and “When It Rains It Pours.” These are added to his previous RIAA Diamond-certified song “Beautiful Crazy,” which reached the milestone last year, making Combs the country artist with the most Diamond-certified singles.
RIAA Chairman & CEO Mitch Glazier said in a statement, “The power of artists’ voices and their ability to create connections with fans through music resonates across live shows and playlists that builds community and shapes culture. RIAA has the honor of celebrating the impact of those moments, and today we acknowledge the 10th (and 11th) country singles to earn Diamond recognition for US sales and streams — each surpassing 10 million. Congratulations to these amazing artists and incredible label partners who continue serving hits to loyal fans and those just discovering them!”
In addition to Combs, the country artists who have had songs reach the RIAA Diamond milestone include Lady A, Kane Brown, Brett Young and Darius Rucker.
During a celebration held in Nashville in March to celebrate the Diamond certification for Brett Young’s “In Case You Didn’t Know,” the singer-songwriter stated, “This has truly been the song that keeps on giving. As grateful as I am to this song, and what it is meant to my career, I’m even more grateful to all the people behind the scenes that works so hard to make sure it would be the successful. I think we all had high hopes, but never imagined this song earning an RIAA Diamond certification. Thank you to everybody that came out, and everybody that had a hand in all of the success.”
Notably, the Bebe Rexha/FGL hit “Meant to Be,” which is certified Diamond by the RIAA and topped the Hot Country Songs chart for 50 weeks (and rose to No. 2 on the Hot 100), is classified in the pop genre in the RIAA’s tally, while the Diamond-certified Lil Nas X/Billy Ray Cyrus collaboration “Old Town Road” is classified in the country genre in the RIAA’s tally — based on how the songs were classified when submitted for certification. There are, of course, more country songs on the cusp of being added to the Diamond club, such as Morgan Wallen’s “Whiskey Glasses,” which is currently certified 9x Platinum by the RIAA. Meanwhile, songs from Taylor Swift, pre-pop stardom ascension, are also close in the running, such as “Love Story,” which has been certified 8x Platinum.
Here, we look at the 11 country songs that have earned the Diamond certification distinction from the RIAA, starting with the most recently certified.
