Capitol RecordsNiall Horan becomes the third member of One Direction to top the Billboard 200 album chart with a solo project this week as his solo debut, Flicker, debuts atop the tally.
Flicker hits number one with 152,000 in sales and streams, more than 80 percent of which were traditional album sales, reports Billboard.
Harry Styles hit number one with his self-titled debut album earlier this year. Former One Direction member Zayn Malik took his debut album, Mind of Mine, to the top in 2016.
The feat puts Niall and his band mates or former band mates in rare company: The Beatles are the only other group to have had three members hit number one with solo albums. Former Beatles Paul McCartney had six number-ones; John Lennon had three; and George Harrison had two.
“Wow! Thank you so much. My mind is completely blow,” tweeted Niall. “An album that I wrote has gone to #1 in the United States and I cannot thank you guys enough for supporting it.”
In the tweet, Niall went on to thank his label, management, solo band, and, of course, the fans. “You are incredible!” he wrote. “The love I get on a daily basis is amazing. Thank you and thank you again.”
Niall will be performing next week, November 8, on the Country Music Association Awards, dueting with country star Maren Morris on “Seeing Blind” from Flicker.
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