Zayn Becomes First Male Artist From UK To Enter Album Chart At #1 With Debut LP

It’s a banner week for Zayn Malik, who, just over a year after quitting One Direction, now has the distinction of being the first male solo artist from the UK to debut at the top of the US album chart with their first album. Mine Of Mine moved 157,000 album units out of the gate, 112,000 of which were pure sales, thus putting the album in the #1 position on the Billboard 200. It’s also tops in the UK, Canada, France, Sweden, Norway and Australia.

It’s a solid debut for Zayn, and you have to go back to 1988 to find the last time a UK male solo artist even reached the top of the main album chart, stateside — when George Michael‘s Faith hit #1 weeks after initially debuting outside the Top 40.

This all leaves “Not A Little Bit” songbird K. Michelle to enter at #2 with her third LP, More Issues Than Vogue (54,000 sold). Interestingly, last week’s top album, Gwen Stefani‘s This Is What The Truth Feels Like, has disappeared altogether from the Top 10 — which seems to be the trend lately.

The Top 10 of the Billboard 200:

1. Zayn, Mind Of Mine *new* *1 week*
2. K. Michelle, More Issues Than Vogue *new*
3. Rihanna, Anti
4. Justin Bieber, Purpose
5. Adele, 25
6. Twenty One Pilots, Blurryface
7. Young Thug, Slime Season 3 *new*
8. Chris Stapleton, Traveller
9. Asking Alexandra, The Black *new*
10. The Weeknd, Beauty Behind The Madness

Any surprise moves on the chart this week for you? Let us know your thoughts below, or by hitting us up on Twitter and Facebook.