Mumford & Sons' Babel goes to number one in US chart

Mumford & Sons recently played a Live Lounge Special for Radio 1

Mumford & Sons' Babel has become the fastest-selling album released this year in the US, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The London band's second album sold 600,000 copies in its first week to reach number one on the Billboard chart.

They've overtaken Justin Bieber, who sold 374,000 in his first week in June.

Babel is already the fastest-selling album of 2012 in the UK, after it shifted 159,000 copies.

Huge sales

The album's sales smashes this year's fastest-selling albums previously set by Justin Bieber's Believe (374,000), Madonna's MDNA (359,000) and Pink's The Truth About Love (280,000).

They've also recorded the biggest first week sales for a rock act since AC/DC's Black Ice in 2008.

The only artist to have sold more albums in a week in the US this year is Adele's 21, released in 2011.

Babel has become the foursome's first number one album in America.

Speaking to Newsbeat about the news lead singer Marcus Mumford said: "We're equally as overjoyed as the UK. We're quite surprised.

"It's quite daunting. We're happy with the record which we've made.

"We've toured there a lot. I think live shows really connect with people, the way you can't on record."

Mumford's debut album Sigh No More has sold 2.5 million copies to date in the States and peaked at number two on the Billboard 200.

Meanwhile, Babel was streamed more times in its first week than any other album in Spotify's history in the US.

The streaming service, which launched in America last year, said the album had been streamed eight million times there last week, three times more than the previous record holder.