Adele tops 21st century album list

London - Singer Adele notched a new record on Monday, when the Official Charts Company (OCC) confirmed that her second album 21 had become the biggest seller in Britain this century.

The record, which looks set to be the world's most successful album of 2011, has passed sales of 3.4 million copies, eclipsing the late Amy Winehouse's 2006 LP Back To Black which has sold 3.3 million.

According to the OCC, 21 has never left the British top 10 since its release in January, and on Sunday clocked its 45th week in the upper end of the rankings, rising to No 5 from ninth.

This week's rise was attributed to the publicity surrounding Adele's six Grammy nominations, including album of the year for 21 as well as record of the year and song of the year for Rolling in the Deep.

Adele's success in her native Britain has been matched by that in the United States, the world's biggest music market, where 21 passed the four-million copy mark in October.

The 23-year-old was forced to cancel a string of live dates and award show appearances when she underwent surgery in Boston last month to treat a benign polyp on her vocal cords.