One Direction is just as loved in their home country as they are overseas. Although their latest album, Midnight Memories, wasn’t released until the last week of November, it was the best selling album of the year in the U.K.
The Official Charts Company, which tracks music sales in the U.K., said that Midnight Memories sold 685,000 copies in just five weeks, reports Billboard. That was just enough to squeak past Emeli Sande’s Our Version of Events, which sold 683,000 copies this year.
“This tops an amazing year for us!” singer Liam Payne said in a statement, reports The Hollywood Reporter. “We're so excited to have the biggest selling album in the U.K. this year, especially with a record we are all so proud of.”
Although this was good news for One Direction, the British music industry still hasn’t seen a million seller in a single calendar year in two decades.
The group’s This Is Us documentary also did well in the U.K., selling, 270,000 copies in its first three days. It’s the fastest selling Blu-ray or DVD in U.K. history.
In the U.S., Midnight Memories was also a hit, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart. They were the first group in over 45 years to have all of their first three albums debut at No. 1.
The Official Charts Company will be releasing further data on 2013 album sales in January.
image: Amazon