Thomas Rhett Becomes First Country Artist to Top Billboard 200 This Year

2017 is the year of Thomas Rhett.

The country singer welcomed daughters Willa and Ada with wife Lauren, performed to packed, electric crowds on tour, released a new album and now he’s sitting at the top of the all-genre Billboard 200 album chart.

This placement of Rhett’s third full-length studio album, Life Changes, marks a career first for the singer and it’s the first country release of the year to nestle in at No. 1 on the chart. The last time a country artist sat in the penthouse position was Jason Aldean’s 2016 release of They Don’t Know, which held the top spot for one week.

Rhett’s new album sold more than 123,000 units during its first week, Billboard reports on behalf of Nielsen Music. While four other artists in his genre charged toward the top spot this year (Brett Eldredge, Zac Brown Band, Chris Stapleton and Brantley Gilbert), each debuted and peaked at No. 2 on the all-genre chart.

While the “Unforgettable” singer’s current second single sits in the top 10 on Hot Country Songs, his first single “Craving You,” featuring Maren Morris, also earned the No. 1 spot on the Country Airplay chart.

The 27-year-old’s hit album should’ve come as no surprise, but rather than anticipate Life Changes‘ release numbers, Rhett was already focused on what lies ahead.

“It feels like I’m already anxious to make the next one,” Rhett told Taste of Country before the release of his album. “I’ve been living with these songs for forever and so for it to finally come out is a huge weight off my shoulders. I’m very excited for the fans to hear it, to finally get to play some of these songs live, but in my head I’m like ‘ok, that’s done.’ Even though everybody else hasn’t heard it, I’m ready to start writing for the next one.”

But with so many changes happening in Rhett’s own life, time for writing new songs may be hard to come by. The singer and his wife, Lauren Akins, adopted daughter Willa Gray in May and welcomed another little girl, Ada James, in August.

And though the new dad is busy performing for fans on his US and European tour, his sweet family often surprises him — and fans — with trips on stage.

During a recent show, Lauren brought both kids out to say hey and give a few kisses.

Rhett shared a clip of the adorable event on Instagram, captioning “Love when the fam comes out.”