Celeste has made good on her many accolades and topped the charts with her debut album, Not Your Muse.
The 26-year-old soul singer was announced as the winner of the Rising Star Award at the Brits in December 2019, and a month later she was crowned the winner of BBC Music’s Sound Of 2020.
Only a few artists, including Adele, Sam Smith and Jorja Smith, have secured both.
Now Celeste has become the first British female artist to top the albums chart with their debut in more than five years, since Jess Glynne’s I Cry When I Laugh in November 2015, according to the Official Charts Company.
She said: “I just want to thank everyone that made this possible and bought and streamed my album. It means so much to me and it just means a lot for this music to get heard in this way.
“I can’t wait to make more and hopefully I’ll see you at all the shows. This has done the world of good for me and my music so thank you very, very, very, very much.”
London rapper Fredo is new at number two with his second album Money Can’t Buy Happiness, while fellow Sound Of 2020 nominee Arlo Parks is at number three with her own debut, Collapsed In Sunbeams.
Progressive rocker Steven Wilson is at number four with The Future Bites, while Harry Styles returns to the top five once again with Fine Line.
Born in California, Celeste – full name Celeste Epiphany Waite – moved to Dagenham in east London aged three before settling in Saltdean near Brighton, where she spent most of her adolescence.
Her early influences included Aretha Franklin and Ella Fitzgerald, whose music was played throughout her family home.
In 2017, she moved to London with £100 but was fired from her job as she would skip work in order to make music.
On the singles chart, Olivia Rodrigo’s Drivers License races to a fourth week at number one, earning 69,000 chart sales this week, including 8.3 million streams.
This is more than double the chart sales of its closest competition, Nathan Evans’ Wellerman remix featuring 220 Kid and Billen Ted, which climbs one place to number two.
