Ed Sheeran scores US chart hit with debut album release

Ed Sheeran recently performed at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace

Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has scored a top 10 album in the US Billboard chart.

His album +, released in the UK last year, sold 42,000 copies in its first week in the US, hitting number five.

Up All Night, the album from pop band One Direction is at number 6, while Adele's 21 is at number 8 - marking its 69th week in the US charts.

It is the seventh time this year that three British acts have been in the American Top 10 simultaneously.

Other UK acts to score hit albums include Coldplay, Florence + The Machine, Snow Patrol, Paul McCartney and The Wanted.

Sheeran's debut is the highest by a UK male solo artist since 2006 - when Radiohead singer Thom Yorke entered the chart at number two with his first solo record, The Eraser.

It comes in a successful year for 21-year-old, who won two Brit awards for best breakthrough act and best male artist in February.

He also performed at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace in June.

His debut album was the ninth biggest-seller in the UK last year, notching up 791,000 sales.

The Halifax-born singer will be playing at <link> <caption>Radio 1's Hackney Weekend</caption> <url href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/events/e9wmxj" platform="highweb"/> </link> on Saturday, as part of the <link> <caption>London 2012 Festival</caption> <url href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/2012/festival/" platform="highweb"/> </link> , alongside artists such as Rihanna, Kasabian and Jay-Z.