British singer/songwriter Sam Smith’s first album has made history in the US, selling more copies in its opening week than any other debut LP by a UK male artist in the 23-year tenure of chart monitor Nielsen Soundscan. 

The Capitol Records album In the Lonely Hour has entered this week’s Billboard Top 200 Albums chart at No.2, after selling 166,000 copies. It was propelled by Smith’s Top-Ten hit single, Stay With Me, which has surpassed sales of one million copies.
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