RIAA REVEALS ROOKIES

The RIAA Class of 2022—the 39 artists who scored their first gold and platinum certifications last year—has been announced, with GAYLE, Bailey Zimmerman and Lauren Spencer Smith leading the way.

Warner Nashville/Elektra’s Zimmerman was the lone artist with two platinum singles—“Fall in Love” and “Rock and a Hard Place”—while two of Spencer Smith’s Island/Republic singles went gold: “Fingers Crossed” and “Flowers.” GAYLE scored the highest certification for a first-time-certified artist this year as “abcdefu” went triple platinum, the only multiplatinum single by a rookie in 2022.

In total, seven singles achieved platinum status, Muni Long’s “Hrs & Hrs” (Supergiant/MPR) among them, and 33 were deemed gold, including songs by Darkroom/Interscope’s d4vd, CMG/Interscope’s GloRilla, Republic’s JESSIA and Records/Columbia’s Dax.

“Whenever a gold, platinum or diamond certification is earned, it represents massive engagement from an artist’s fans and a remarkable achievement by the artist, their creative teams and their record label. And when it's your very first RIAA award, it’s even more special. We're so encouraged by the success of the RIAA Class of 2022 and honored to help celebrate its immense talents,” said RIAA COO Michele Ballantyne.