Rag ’N’ Bone Man bags fastest-selling UK male debut album of the decade

Blues and hip-hop singer-songwriter and guitarist Rag ’N’ Bone Man’s Human has become the fastest-selling debut album by a male artist in the last decade in the UK.

According to the Official Charts Company, which compiles the UK charts, the record shifted an incredible 117,000 copies in its first week.

That number beat the debuts of Ed Sheeran (102,000 units in 2011) and Sam Smith (101,000 units in 2014). The former milestone was set by Britain’s Got Talent discovery Paul Potts’ One Chance.

In its first week, Human outsold the entire UK Top 20 last week.

Rag ’N’ BoneMan responded, “A massive thank you for going out and buying my album, streaming it and making it such a success so quickly. It means the world to me. Number 1 album… smash!”

Only three debut acts sold more in their first week in the past seven years. They were One Direction’s Up All Night (139,000), Rebecca Ferguson’s Heaven (128,000) and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds’ self-titled release (123,000). All of them were released in 2011.

Human is also the overall fastest-selling album of the past 12 months, beating recent chart toppers by The Rolling Stones, Little Mix and Elvis Presley.

Of the different formats that Human was released, 67% of it was issued through CDs and vinyl.

Fuelled by the success of the Human single, the album also streaked to #1 in the Czech Republic, Belgium, Scotland, Ireland and the Netherlands.

It made its bow in Australia this week at #3, while the single peaked at #17 on the ARIA chart in January and went Platinum earlier this month.

Julian Palmer, Head of A&R, Columbia, told Music Week, “When people see him and engage with his personality, it’s all about his voice and the song. It’s a rare thing these days, somebody with that power doesn’t come along too often. It’s his realness that people are buying into.”

Although the act is regarded as “new”, he’s been in the music industry for ten years.

Born Rory Graham in Brighton, his stage name was a reflection of his working class roots – arag and bone man is a junk dealer, and Graham was inspired by his love for the British sitcom Steptoe & Son,who earned their money from doing that.

He was initially part of a rap ensemble called The Rum Committee. It was only when his father encouraged him to play blues gigs that he became confident of his voice.

In 2013, he was signed by publisher Warner/Chappell, which allowed him to give up his day job as a carer for people with Asperger’s syndrome to focus on his music.

This northern summer, Rag ’N’ Bone Man plays a homecoming show at The Great Escape conference, and is also set for festivals including Parklife in Manchester, Live at Leeds, Isle of Wight and Bestival.

After winning the Brits Critics’ Choice Award he is also up for a second Brit for Best British Breakthrough. If he wins, he would become the only artist to win both. The Brits are held this week at the O2 Arena in London on February 22.