The decision to leave One Direction appears to have worked in Zayn Malik’s favor.
Shooting straight in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with his debut album, Mind of Mine, Zayn is now the only male U.K. solo artist to debut at the top spot on their first album.
According to Billboard, the singer’s opening set (via RCA Records) earned 157,000 copies (121,000 in pure sales) to snag the No. 1 position. The feat also makes the “Pillowtalk” singer the first male U.K. artist to “reach” No. 1 with their debut album since George Michael did so in 1988 with Faith.
Arriving at No. 2 on the chart is K. Michelle with her More Issues Than Vogue album, which pulled in 59,000 units (54,000 in pure album sales). This is the singer’s first appearance in the top five since her 2013 debut Rebellious Soul opened at No. 2.
Meanwhile, rounding out the top five are the usual suspects Rihanna, Justin Bieber, and Adele. Ri Ri’s ANTI maintains a No. 3 slot with 50,000 units, while Justin Bieber’s Purpose rises from No. 5 to No. 4 with 48,000. Both singers are currently on tour. Adele’s 25 continues to steamroll on the chart, pulling in another 47,000 copies for a No. 5 position. The “Hello” singer’s monster album is already eight-times platinum. An additional two million will give the singer her second diamond-selling award for sales over 10 million.
Elsewhere, Young Thug makes his top ten entry on the chart with Slime Season 3. The threequel in his Slime Season series gave the Atlanta roper his highest charting album, arriving at No. 7 with 38,000 sold (22,000 in pure sales). The Weeknd rounds out the top 10 with Beauty Behind the Madness selling an additional 30,000 units. The latter album has already earned a double-platinum certification from the RIAA.