Adele, "21"
Adele's "21" has been the best selling album for the past two years, selling approximately 10.2 million copies between 2011 and 2012. Wikipedia

Adele’s sophomore effort, “21”, was the best-selling album of 2012.

The chart-topping LP takes the accolade for the second year in a row; it was also the best-selling album of 2011. The British songstress sold 4.4 million copies of her album in 2012 and 5.8 million in 2011, the UK Guardian said.

Released in the U.S. on Feb. 22, 2011, the record has remained on the weekly top 40 charts since then after having debuted at No. 1, the newspaper said.

The album in November also reached diamond certification, which means it has sold more than 10 million copies. It was the first album to go diamond in eight years.

Adele joins an exclusive club of artists with consecutive best-selling years. The last album to receive such an accolade was Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” in 1983 and 1984, before that was West Side Story in 1962 and 193, and My Fair Lady in 1957 and 1958.

Adele kept a relatively low profile during 2012, CBS News noted, releasing only one song -- the theme music for the latest James Bond film, "Skyfall.” It is nominated for a Golden Globe for best original song.

Adele and her partner, Simon Konecki, announced the birth of a son in October.

If “21” continues to sell well throughout 2013, CBS News reported that the recording could make it onto the top ten list for best sales since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking album sales in 1993.