Leona Becomes First UK Female To Top US Album Chart

Leona Lewis has become the very first UK female solo artist to enter the US album chart at number one, with her debut album Spirit topping the chart.

Her Bleeding Love single went straight to number one in the US singles chart three weeks ago, while here album sold 205,000 copies in its first week of sales.

That's a huge amount of records in comparison to the artist taking the number two spot, George Strait, whose Troubadour album sold 59,000 copies.

Back in November 2007, Leona's Spirit album was released in the UK and become the fastest selling album in UK chart history, with first week sales of 375,000 copies and breaking the record previously held by Arctic Monkeys.

Sade topped the US album chart with her promise album back in 1986 but didn't achieve that position with a new entry, like Leona.

Simon Cowell said: "What Leona has achieved is simply incredible. This is the hardest market to crack and for her debut album to go in at number one is unbelievable."

J Records boss, Clive Davis, signed Leona in the US said: "Leona Lewis will not be an overnight sensation - she is the real deal." Davis helped launch the careers of Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys and Whitney Houston.

Other UK singers who've achieved success stateside include Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, Corinne Bailey Rae and Natasha Bedingfield, while Estelle, Adele and Duffy will soon launch their albums in the US. Brit Chicks Rock!