Rihanna’s career path to further crossover success reaches a notable milestone: with an 11-9 rise, “Stay,” featuring Mikky Ekko, marks her first top 10 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. (Earlier this month, the ballad likewise became her highest-charting entry on Adult Pop Songs, having reached No. 2.) In contrast, last month “Stay” became Rihanna’s record-setting 10th No. 1 on Pop Songs, where she also holds the marks for most top 10s (23) and appearances (36). She first arrived on the latter list eight years ago with the No. 2 dancehall-ready “Pon De Replay,” but she didn’t grace AC until three years later, when “Take a Bow” nudged to a No. 21 peak.

The ultimate benefits that acts reap from adding AC success after scoring at pop? Reaching adult consumers, who are more affluent and, thus, more likely to buy albums than younger pop audiences. AC hits can also have much longer shelf lives – by years – than pop-only titles, so a song like “Stay” might become an AC staple in a way that only a handful of pop hits do on current-based pop radio. It may also open programmers’ thinking to her prior hits. Rihanna’s “Umbrella” was too young-leaning for AC in 2007, but it receives play at the format now, just like “Holiday” has become an AC standard for Madonna.

Essentially, “Stay” might be putting a song to the name Rihanna for adult listeners, who are likely familiar with her pop culture-wise but might not have been that familiar with her music. Now, she’s gaining that musical familiarity. (So, too, for that matter, are bands like fun., Mumford & Sons and Of Monsters and Men, as acts that start at rock likewise are only the right hit away from scaling the AC chart.)

So, while the run of “Stay” on Pop Songs (where it falls 7-10 in its in 19th week) is waning, the song’s AC rise may mean that its radio lifespan is only beginning.

Buy “Stay” on iTunes, watch the video and RIHquest!

Rihanna’s “Diamonds” tops the 3 million mark in digital sales in the United States this week. It’s Rihanna’s 11th 3 million-seller, which extends her lead as the artist with the most 3-million-sellers in digital history. “Diamonds” reaches the 3 million mark one week after Rihanna’s follow-up hit, “Stay” (featuring Mikky Ekko), hit the mark.

Here are Rihanna’s 11 3-million-sellers, in descending order of sales: Eminem’s “Love The Way You Lie” (5,892,000), “We Found Love” (featuring Calvin Harris, 5,013,000), “Disturbia” (4,593,000), T.I.’s “Live Your Life” (4,511,000), “Umbrella” (featuring Jay-Z, 4,236,000), “S&M” (3,543,000), “Don’t Stop The Music” (3,521,000), “Only Girl (In The World)” (3,459,000), “Run This Town” (co-equal billing with Jay-Z and Kanye West, 3,229,000), “Stay” (featuring Mikky Ekko, 3,092,000), “Diamonds” (3,004,000).

Rihanna’s “Stay,” featuring Mikky Ekko, jumps 6-3 on the Hot 100 (returning to its peak position), fueled in part by a milestone 2-1  coronation on Radio Songs (134 million, up 4%). The ballad becomes Rihanna’s 11th No. 1 on Radio Songs, tying her with Mariah Carey for the most leaders dating to the BDS-based chart’s December 1990 inception. Usher ranks third with seven Radio Songs No. 1s, followed by Ludacris and Kanye West, each with six, and 50 Cent, Beyonce, Boyz II Men, Bruno Mars and Katy Perry (five each). “Stay” bullets at No. 4 on Digital Songs (162,000, up less than 1%) and No. 15 on Streaming Songs (2.9 million, up 10%).

Buy “Stay” on iTunes, watch the video and RIHquest!

Rihanna becomes the first artist in the 20-year history of Billboard’s Nielsen BDS-based Pop Songs radio airplay chart to tally 10 No. 1s, as “Stay,” featuring Mikky Ekko, rises 2-1.

Buy “Stay” on iTunes, watch the video and RIHquest!

Rihanna breaks a tie with Katy Perry, who’s notched nine No. 1s since her 2008 arrival; also impressively, Rihanna has rung up her No. 1 sum since just 2006, when “SOS,” her first leader, reached the summit. She’d last led with “We Found Love,” featuring Calvin Harris, for eight weeks, marking her longest command, in late 2011/early 2012.

The record for most No. 1s is the latest for Rihanna on Pop Songs. She previously established the marks for most entries (35) and top 10s (23) dating to the ranking’s Oct. 3, 1992, launch.

“Stay” also charges 11-7 on Adult Pop Songs, becoming her third top 10 on the list, and debuts at No. 30 on Adult Contemporary. (It’s reached No. 3 on the all-format airplay/sales/streaming-fueled Billboard Hot 100.)

Also notably, “Stay” is only the second piano-and-vocal-only No. 1 of the 259 songs to have ruled Pop Songs.

Here’s a recap of Rihanna’s record 10 Pop Songs No. 1s:

2006, “SOS” (one week at No. 1)
2008, “Take a Bow” (three)
2008, “Disturbia” (three)
2008, “Live Your Life” (T.I. feat. Rihanna) (two)
2010, “Rude Boy” (two)
2010, “Love the Way You Lie” (Eminem feat. Rihanna) (two)
2010, “Only Girl (In the World)” (three)
2011, “S&M” (one)
2011, “We Found Love” (Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris) (eight)
2013, “Stay” (Rihanna feat. Mikky Ekko) (one to date)

• “Stay,” featuring Mikky Ekko, remains at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week and flies 11-6 on Radio Songs (81 million, up 14%). Now with 22 Radio Songs top 10s, Rihanna trails only Mariah Carey (23) for the most in the tally’s archives.

• Rihanna’s “Right Now” was featured on ABC’s Dancing With The Stars a couple days ago, click here to watch the video.

• Rihanna’s Diamonds World Tour hit Edmonton last night and photos are now available in our gallery:

Rihanna’s “Pour It Up” moves up from #21 to #19 this week on the Billboard Hot 100. That means the track is Rihanna’s 33rd Top 20 hit in the United States!

Congratulations, RiRi!

Full list of Rihanna’s Billboard Hot 100 Top 20 hits after the jump.

Buy “Pour It Up” on iTunes, RIHquest and gift your friends.

• Pon De Replay (Peak: #2)
• SOS (Peak: #1)
• Unfaithful (Peak: #6)
• Break It Off (Peak: #9)
• Umbrella (Peak: #1)
• Shut Up & Drive (Peak: #15)
• Hate That I Love You (Peak: #7)
• Dont Stop The Music (Peak: #3)
• Take a Bow (Peak: #1)
• Disturbia (Peak: #1)
• Rehab (Peak: #18)
• Russian Roulette (Peak: #9)
• Hard (Peak: #8)
• Rude Boy (Peak: #1)
• Only Girl (Peak: #1)
• Whats My Name? (Peak: #1)
• S&M (Peak: #1)
• Cheers (Peak: #7)
• We Found Love (Peak: #1)
• You Da One (Peak: #14)
• Where Have You Been (Peak: #5)
• Diamonds (Peak: #1)
• Stay (Peak: #3)
• Pour It Up: (Peak: #19)

• Live Your Life (Peak: #1)
• Run this Town (Peak: #2)
• Love The Way You Lie (Peak: #1)
• All Of The Lights (Peak #18)
• Fly (Peak: #19)
• Take Care (Peak: #7)
• Princess Of China (Peak: #20)

• Just Stand Up (Peak: #11)
• Stranded (Peak: #16)

Thanks, zzmyth!

Rihanna’s “Stay” is doing really well worldwide!

It jumps 2-1 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 and scores both Greatest Gainer Digital and Airplay. It is her seventh chart-topper as a main artist and second straight, following “Diamonds,” which spent four weeks at the top. The song remains at No. 1 on the Digital Songs chart for the third non-consecutive week, with 32,000 download sold, up 10% over last week. “Stay” also leaps 17-8 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart with a 49% audience gain.

It has also reached #1 in Denmark; #2 in France, Germany, Norway, Switzerland; #3 in the United States; #4 in the United Kingdom and Australia; #5 in Belgium and Austria; #6 in New Zealand.

Buy “Stay” on iTunes, watch the video and RIHquest!