Harry Styles has debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 Albums Chart.
The 23-year-old One Direction singer – who released his eponymous debut solo album on May 12 – has soared to the top of the charts in the US after shifting 230,000 equivalent album units.
Of that number – which includes streaming – 193,000 were in traditional album sales and this gives Harry the biggest opening ever for a UK male artist. Sam Smith previously held the record with 166,000 for his 2014 album ‘In The Lonely Hour’, which debuted at number two.
Harry also becomes the second UK male artist to debut in the number one spot, following in the footsteps of former One Direction singer Zayn Malik, who topped the charts with his own solo album ‘Mind of Mine’ last year.
Harry’s US number one comes just days after it was revealed that he had topped the UK album chart, selling 57,000 copies in its first week of release.
Harry’s lead single ‘Sign of the Times’, debuted at number one on the Official Singles Chart last month and is currently number six. Furthermore, eight of the 10 songs from his album are now in the Top 100.
Although he is now a fully-fledged solo artist, Harry recently hailed his time in One Direction, admitting he looks back on his years with the band with great fondness.
He said: "The thing that I’m happiest about is that I didn’t leave there in a place of, ‘I feel so suppressed.’ I never felt like I was faking it. I really enjoyed it. It’s the best thing that ever happened to me."
Harry Styles debuts at number one on US album chart
