Sam Smith celebrates debut album In The Lonely Hour crossing landmark UK chart threshold

Just in time to celebrate its 10th anniversary, Sam Smith's debut album In The Lonely Hour has just crossed a landmark milestone in the UK.

Today, Official Charts can confirm that In The Lonely Hour has joined a very exclusive club on the Official Albums Chart, now crossing 3 million UK chart units, comprised of physical sales, digital downloads and sales. 

This puts Sam in some enviable company. According to Official Charts Company data, less than 40 albums have accumulated 3 million or more UK chart sales, the previous records to do so include generation-defining works like Adele's 21, Madonna's The Immaculate Collection and Spice by Spice Girls.

Celebrating the news, Sam Smith told Official Charts: "I am blown away by the response to this album, In The Lonely Hour was my first declaration in music and I will always be proud of that.

"I still love singing the songs on this album and I am so honoured to now be in the company of some of the greatest artists in the world. Thank you to my incredible fans, I hope my music is enjoyed by many more for years to come."

Originally released in 2014, In The Lonely Hour debuted at Number 1 on the Official Albums Chart (in a history-making move, it was actually the first-ever UK Number 1 album to have streams contribute to its total units that week) and managed eight non-consecutive weeks at Number 1 through 2014 and 2015, and was back in the UK Top 40 for a 141st total week just this past August.

In The Lonely Hour truly transformed Sam into a global superstar; its rollout included three UK Number 1 singles (Money On My Mind, Stay With Me and Lay Me Down with John Legend) and a further two Top 10 singles, I'm Not The Only One (3) and the rollicking Like I Can (9).

Stay With On Me, the breakout song of Sam's career, now ranks as one of the most-streamed songs of all time in UK chart history.

Ten years on from their debut, of course, Sam has well and truly cemented their place in history. To date, they've scored eight UK Number 1 singles (putting them level with both Oasis and The Rolling Stones), while three of their four LPs - In The Lonely Hour, The Thrill Of It All and Gloria - have hit Number 1 on the Official Albums Chart.