Adele, Billboard's Top Artist of 2012: Singer Receives Huge Honor

NEW YORK (AP) - It's another year and another Adele domination on the music charts: The British singer is Billboard's top artist of 2012.

Billboard said Friday that Adele is the year's biggest artist and her diamond "21" album, released in February 2011, is this year's top album. Adele earned both prizes last year.

The year's top three songs are Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know," Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" and fun.'s "We Are Young," respectively.

Adele is also the top female artist. Drake is the top male artist, One Direction is the top new artist and Maroon 5 is the year's top group.

Billboard said Drake, Taylor Swift, fun. and Don Omar are the top acts in the R&B/hip-hop, country, rock and Latin fields, respectively.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

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