Whitney Houston albums discography

American singer Whitney Houston has released seven studio albums, three soundtrack albums, eight compilation albums, five box sets and six extended plays. Regarded as “The Voice” and a pop culture icon, she is among the best-selling recording artists of all time, with record sales of over 220 million units worldwide. She is ranked by the RIAA as the best-selling female R&B artist of the 20th century and fourth highest-certified female artist in the United States, with 61 million album units. Houston is the first black recording artist to produce three albums to go diamond by the RIAA.

In 1983, Houston signed a recording contract with Arista Records. The first release under the label was her self-titled debut album, Whitney Houston (1985). A global smash, the album peaked inside the top ten in fourteen countries and topped the charts in seven of them, including the Billboard 200 for a 14-week run a year after its release in 1986, ending the year as the top ranked album on the Billboard 200, the first occurrence for a female artist. It was the first studio album by a woman to be certified ten-times platinum by the RIAA, going on to be certified platinum 14 times. Global sales reached 25 million, making it the best-selling debut album by a solo artist and the best-selling R&B studio release by a female artist, earning Houston her first Guinness World Records. She followed her debut album with Whitney (1987), which became the first album by a woman to debut atop the Billboard 200, staying there for 11 consecutive weeks and reached number one in 14 countries.

Houston entered the 1990s with the release of I'm Your Baby Tonight (1990), which became a global success selling ten million units worldwide, becoming the best-selling R&B album of 1991. Houston released her first soundtrack album, The Bodyguard (1992), for the film of the same name. It topped the charts in every other country it charted, accumulating 20 weeks at number one on the Billboard 200 alone. The soundtrack broke sales records, becoming the first album to sell a million units in a single week and was certified diamond by the RIAA in 1993, marking the first time ever for a female artist, and would later be certified platinum 18 times. Global sales reached 45 million units worldwide, making it the third best-selling album of all time. Houston's second soundtrack, The Preacher's Wife (1996), for the film of the same name, went on to sell 6 million global units, becoming the best-selling gospel album ever. Houston released her fourth studio album, My Love Is Your Love (1998). The album would stay on the Billboard 200 for two years and topped the European Albums Chart. Global units of that album reached 10 million.

Houston entered the 2000s with her first greatest hits compilation album, Whitney: The Greatest Hits (2000), which reached the top ten in various countries and topped the UK Albums Chart and sold over 10 million units worldwide. After renewing her contract with Arista for $100 million, Houston issued her fifth studio album, Just Whitney (2002), following it up with One Wish: The Holiday Album (2003) and I Look to You (2009), the latter of which was her fourth and final number one Billboard 200 album and became a global hit. Following her death in 2012, Houston's The Greatest Hits peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. Since then, her estate has released four albums, including the compilation, I Will Always Love You: The Best of Whitney Houston (2012), which has since become Houston's longest charting album on the Billboard 200. The live album, Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances (2014), debuted at number one on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart.