Ed Sheeran, perhaps the most toned-down superstar possible (we'd argue he's even more toned-down than Lorde) has continued to outdo his flashier cohorts. This week saw the performer crack the million-albums-sold mark in the UK for his 2014 set X. According to The Telegraph, he's singlehandedly saved album sales in the UK.
It's the second time that Sheeran has gone American-platinum in the UK. His last release, 2011's + has sold 1.8 million copies to date. Of course, going platinum in the United Kingdom only requires a performer to sell 300,000 copies so Sheeran has technically already gone triple-platinum with X, and analysts suggest he'll reach 1.2 million before year's end. The last performer in the UK to sell a million copies of an album during the same year in which it was released was Emelie Sande during 2012, with Our Version of Events.
The UK may have dumbed down its qualifications for "platinum status" due to its smaller population but Sheeran's sales accomplishments would have been impressive even if it happened in the United States. Only one performer has sold a million copies of a record released this year in the U.S., and that's Sheeran's buddy Taylor Swift. Of course, she also sold 1.2 million copies in her first week on the charts with 1989.
X debuted at no. 1 on the UK charts and held the top spot for nine weeks overall. The album actually sold more copies in the U.S. during its first week than it did in the UK, moving 210,000 copies versus 180,000. Obviously sales have remained a tad more constant in his homeland.
Sheeran was excited when he got the news. "F----n' buzzing!" was his response, according to Billboard.
