200th RIAA – The Recording Industry Association of America has certified its 200th diamond single: Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night,” awarded on December 16, 2025. The diamond mark—reserved for songs reaching at least 10 million equivalent units—has been rolled out sparingly si
At the moment the 200th diamond single was confirmed, the RIAA wasn’t just adding another title to a database. It was marking a rare milestone in a system that has grown increasingly relevant as streaming has reshaped how music sales are counted.
On December 16, 2025, “Last Night” by Morgan Wallen became the 200th song to be certified diamond in RIAA history. The certification followed the same core standard that has governed diamond awards for more than two decades: a song must reach at least 10 million equivalent units. combining sales and streaming numbers.
The diamond award itself was unveiled by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1999. Since then. the recognition has been bestowed sparingly—certification only happens if an artist or label requests it through an application process. That request can lead to delays in updated sales figures. which means even when a song’s performance is already massive. the diamond milestone may arrive later.
The first diamond certified under the current structure set a precedent for how dramatic the bar could be. “Something About The Way You Look Tonight / Candle in the Wind” by Elton John became the first-ever song to be certified diamond on October 9. 1997—even though the RIAA recognized the song’s multi-platinum success two years before the diamond award was officially established. It also remains the only physical single in history to be certified diamond and the highest-certified song released in the ‘90s.
In the years that followed, a pattern emerged in what the RIAA chose to elevate: songs that weren’t just popular, but persistent—tracks that kept accumulating “equivalent units” long enough to eventually clear 10 million.
Justin Bieber’s “Baby” was released in 2010 and was certified diamond on May 9, 2013. Eminem’s “Not Afraid,” released in 2010 as the lead single for “Recovery,” reached diamond status on June 10, 2014. Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance. ” released in 2009. earned the diamond award on May 29. 2015. while Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive. ” released in 2012. was certified diamond on July 6. 2015.
As the list widened, it also began to show how modern pop culture can accelerate a song’s trajectory. Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” holds the title as the fastest song to go diamond, receiving the honor on October 22, 2019, less than one year after its original release.
Still, speed wasn’t the only story. Some tracks became diamonds years after release, reflecting how streaming can keep a catalog alive. Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You. ” released in 1994. was certified diamond on December 3. 2021. and the song continues to hit No. 1 on Billboard charts each holiday season.
The economic reality underneath the music business is simple: each diamond certification is a signal that a song has crossed a high-performing threshold measured in both sales and streaming. That matters in a market where money increasingly follows attention—and where those numbers are tracked, certified, and marketed.
The list also chronicles dominance by particular artists and genres. Drake has the most diamond songs of any artist, followed by Post Malone. Imagine Dragons has the most among bands. Modern hitmakers like Rihanna, The Weeknd, Bruno Mars, and Katy Perry each have more than one diamond song.
Rihanna’s record is especially prominent inside the list’s later chapters. “Stay” became Rihanna’s seventh diamond single on May 31. 2024. and she holds the record among female artists. trailing Post Malone and Drake for the all-time record. When the certification news landed, Rihanna reacted on X, writing, “ain’t no back n forth.”.
Some diamond moments came with extra milestones attached. “Shake It Off” was certified diamond on March 13. 2020. making Swift the first female artist in US history to have both a diamond-certified single and album (2008’s “Fearless”). She later added a second diamond album to her resume (2014’s “1989”).
There were also public timing moments that fed back into streaming performance. “Yeah!” by Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris was certified diamond on February 9, 2024, and mere days later the song received a major boost in streaming after Usher’s Super Bowl halftime show.
Another illustrative example came through Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy,” released in 2019 and certified diamond on July 31, 2023, described as widely considered her signature hit.
Even when the songs are different, the logic of the certification system stays consistent. The diamond award begins with a high threshold—10 million equivalent units—and ends with a procedural step that requires action from an artist or label through an application process. which can delay updated sales figures. In between, every diamond date becomes a public marker of where long-running songs eventually landed.
By December 16, 2025, that arc culminated in the 200th certification: “Last Night” by Morgan Wallen, awarded as the 200th song to be certified diamond in RIAA history.
The diamond list. from the first certification tied to Elton John on October 9. 1997. to “Last Night” on December 16. 2025. is ultimately a business ledger as much as a cultural one—proof that in today’s music economy. streaming can turn years of listening into a concrete number. and concrete numbers eventually become milestones.
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