Zayn Malik is certainly making quite the name for himself by his lonesome since departing top-selling band One Direction.

Launching his first single, ‘Pillowtalk,’ to critical and commercial acclaim, the tune ousted fellow Urban Pop heartthrob, Justin Bieber, right out of the top spot on the Hot 100 with its debut.  Granted, the reign was a short one, but nevertheless the tune’s ongoing performance would be indicative of his popularity as a solo star.

The truest test of it came this week, however, as its parent album – ‘Mind of Mine’ – made its way onto shelves.  Quickly crowned a shoo-in for #1 with predictions of 220-250,000 sold its first week, fans were stunned to learn its truest prediction would fall fairly short of that sum.

Now, despite still laying claim to the top position on the refreshed Billboard 200 next week, a full sales week behind him sees the final tally clock even less than the revised prediction…

First Week Sales:  157,000

(Physical sales:  112,000)

Zayn debuts straight in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with his debut solo effort, Mind of Mine. The set, released on March 25 through RCA Records, earned 157,000 equivalent album units in the week ending March 31 in the U.S. Of that sum, it sold 112,000 in pure album sales. – Billboard

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