Scotty McCreery appears on stage after being announced as the winner of American Idols 10th season on May 25, 2011. - Provided courtesy of FOX

Scotty McCreery of 'American Idol' is No. 1 on albums chart, sets records

10/12/2011 by Corinne Heller

Scotty McCreery, winner of the recent 10th season of "American Idol," has become the youngest male artist and the first country act to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart with his first studio release.

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The 18-year-old North Carolina singer's album, "Clear As Day," has already sold more than 197,000 copies since its release on October 4, Billboard reported. The previous artist to achieve such a record was Omarion, who was 20 years old when his debut album, "O," debuted on the top spot in 2005, the website said.

With McCreery's record topping the albums chart, last week's No. 1, J. Cole's "Cole World: The Sideline Story," moved to No. 5. Adele's record "21" moves up to No. 2, while Tony Bennett's "Duets II" moves to No. 3 after being in fouth place the week before. The current No. 4 slot is now occupied by Lady Antebellum's album "Own the Night."

McCreery also set a record for "American Idol." He is the first winner of the FOX singing competition series to top the Billboard 200 chart with a debut studio record since 2003, when season 2 champion Ruben Studdard's album "Soulful" was No. 1, Billboard said.

Earlier this week, Lauren Alaina, a Georgia native who placed second on "American Idol," released her first album, "Wildflower."