Americana Quartet Mumford & Sons Outsells Justin Bieber to Earn Best-selling Debut Album in 2012.
12 years ago Liv Carter 2
They were voted the Emerging Artist of the Year at the 2011 Americana Music Association’s annual awards, and now British quartet Mumford & Sons reaches superstar status with the release of sophomore album, Babel.
The record becomes not just their first Billboard 200 albums chart #1, but is the biggest debut of any album this year in the United States. The foursome outsold Justin Bieber‘s latest release, Believe, by a whopping 226,000 units to register first week sales of 600,000 copies.
Who says that modern hit albums are all manufactured, auto-tuned clones?
This stellar debut is in line with the increasing popularity of roots music (see also The Civil Wars), and in a reaction to this sales news, Jed Hilly, Executive director of the Americana Music Association, said: “More and more artists are finding inspiration in American roots traditions and a very unique and special community has grown out of that. It’s exciting to see sales reflecting these connections.”
The success of Babel is further evidence for the band’s staying power. Mumford & Sons’ debut album, Sigh No More, has not left the Top 75 since shortly after its release in 2010, and has to date sold over 2,5 million copies in the US alone.
Founder of Glassnote Records, Daniel Glass, is enjoying the success. “[There’s been] a lot of excitement, and a lot of validation to be an independent,” he told Billboard. “I don’t get hung up on the numbers — it’s the first week, and you can go nuts with that stuff. I’m just so happy that people embraced the music and were as excited as we were… and the streaming figures are huge, but the sales are great.”
The band, however, remains unflustered by all these impressive numbers. “It’s never about the numbers — they never asked, I never told,” confirms Glass. “I don’t think the band has ever asked me about a number since I’ve met them. It’s not their language. They just can’t wait to get back here on the road.”
Mumford & Sons are setting off on the Australian leg of their world tour. They will return to the US in 2013. Don’t miss them.
For more, visit www.mumfordandsons.com
Liv Carter
She holds several certificates from Berklee College of Music, and a certificate in Positive Psychology from UC Berkeley.
Her main influences are coffee, cats, and Alexander Hamilton.
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