“American Idol” champion Scotty McCreery became the most successful winner in eight years on Wednesday when his debut country album went straight to the top of the Billboard charts.
McCreery, who turned 18 years-old this week, was also the youngest male artist to see a debut release open in the No.1 spot, and “Clear As Day” notched the highest first week album sales of any solo country artist this year, Billboard said.
McCreery took the “American Idol” crown in an all-country music finale of the TV singing contest in May. “Clear As Day” , released on a Universal Music Group label, sold 197,000 copies in the first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan figures.
