Sam Smith was the only artist in the world to sell one million albums in both the UK and US during 2014.

The Official Charts Company revealed that Sam’s debut album In The Lonely Hour has just passed the million landmark in the United Kingdom, while Nielsen Music confirmed the milestone had been passed in the United States 24 hours before.

Sam told OfficialCharts.com: “Officially sold one million copies of In The Lonely Hour! To say I am ecstatic is a huge understatement. Thank you so much to every single person who has purchased my album.”

This makes the 22-year-old Brit only the second artist to achieve the feat in the UK this year, after Ed Sheeran’s X hit the milestone at the end of November. In the States, only Sam Smith, Taylor Swift and the Frozen soundtrack have passed the million-mark this year.

In The Lonely Hour has spent only one week outside the Top 5 since its release in May. To date, tracks downloaded from his album total 2.48 million and have been streamed 87 million times.

The singer has had a strong year, after landing a Critics’ Choice prize at the Brit Awards in February. He was voted the best artist of 2014 by MTV US, and is in the running for next year’s Grammy Awards, with nominations for best pop vocal album, best pop solo, and record of the year for Stay With Me.

He is also booked to perform at at next year’s Brit Awards ceremony alongside Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran.