The seventh esctoday.com TOP TEN list was presented this week. Now we will provide a complete overview and we will show you the artists that were the closest to making the list. Furthermore, next week's topic will be revealed.

This is the full TOP TEN:

  1. ABBA
    …who are reporrted to have sold more than 350 million records
  2. Nana Mouskouri
    …who is reported to have sold 200-300 million records
  3. Cliff Richard
    …who is reported to have sold more than 260 million records
  4. Julio Iglesias
    …who is reported to have sold more than 250 million records
  5. Alla Pugacheva
    …who is reported to have sold 150-250 million records
  6. Céline Dion
    …who is reported to have sold 180-200 million records
  7. Vicky Leandros
    …who is reportedt to have sold more than 150 million records
  8. Olivia Newton-John
    …who is reported to have sold about 100 million records
  9. Udo Jürgens
    …who is reported to have sold 90-100 million records
  10. Patricia Kaas
    …who is reported to have sold 16-18 million records

Artists that almost made the list

Lara Fabian, who represented Luxembourg in 1988, would have been no. 11 on the list. Her sales figures are reported to be about the same as Patricia Kaas'. However, as Patricia Kaas sold more singles in countries where sales certifications exist, she probably also sold more singles than Lara Fabian in countries where no sales certifications for singles exist, which would make her total sales slightly higher.

Bucks Fizz, who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1981, were also very close to making the list having sold about 15 million records worldwide, although the band only released five studio albums. They are probably the most successful band which was formed especially for the Eurovision Song Contest.

1969 Eurovision Song Contest winner Lulu may also have been close to the list, mainly thanks to her single To sir with love, which was the most sold single in the United States in 1967.

Artists that did not make the list due to the lack of reliable information

It is said that 1980 Turkish representative Ajda Pekkan, one of Turkey's most successful singers, has sold up to 50 million records worldwide. However, these numbers are purely based on guesses and could not be confirmed by a reliable source.

Samira Bensaid, Morocco's only representative ever in 1980, is said to be one of the most successful singers singing in the Arabic language. She was excluded from the list for the same reason as Ajda Pekkan: Her record sales, which are said to be somewhere between 20 and 200 million could not be confirmed.

Al Bano Carrisi, who represented Italy in 1976 and 1985 with his wife Romina Power and Switzerland in 2000 as a backing singer is said to have sold more than 160 million records. However, this number is rather dubious considering that is is sometimes credited to Al Bano as a soloist artists and sometimes referred to as the number of records he sold as a soloist and with his wife combined.

This concludes our seventh esctoday.com TOP TEN list. Now it is time to reveal next week's topic. It will be…