new peak at number two and was certified platinum soon after. Elsewhere in Europe, the album peaked within the top ten in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain and Sweden, as well as peaking at number two on the European Top 100 Albums. It has been certified triple platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) for sales of three million copies in Europe. Elephunk was a commercial success in Oceania as well. In Australia, it debuted at number 50 and went on to peak atop the chart after a year of charting, on August 29, 2004, spending a total of 70 weeks on the chart. The album has been certified quadruple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). In New Zealand, it debuted at number 11, and after months of fluctuating within the top 30, peaked at number two on April 19, 2004. The album has been certified quadruple platinum by the Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ). As of September 2013, it has sold over nine million copies worldwide. Impact and legacy Elephunk and its singles are credited for pushing the Black Eyed Peas into stardom and cementing them as pop culture icons. The group's breakthrough record, it became their first charting album in numerous countries, as well as their first album to be certified by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Specifically, lead single "Where Is the Love?" is credited for establishing the group as a viable act worldwide. According to Katie Sharp from Mic, "it brought an oddball rap group from L.A. right into the public eye. Suddenly, there was a powerful force countering all the macho posturing in rap and the shallowness of pop — there was a catchy song delivering incisive cultural criticism about world peace in the wake of 9/11. And it became a massive global hit." The album was the group's first to feature Fergie, who was also credited for being "the primary vehicle for the Black Eyed Peas' rise to pop stardom, though. She not only brought sex appeal to the all-male dynamic, but she also brought a heavy emphasis on catchy hooks." Elephunk was also credited for individually propelling Fergie and will.i.am to global prominence. However, the group's newfound commercial success and the introduction of Fergie also resulted with what some critics perceived as a downgrade in quality of the group's