Leona Lewis really has managed to take America by storm, and the singer's remarkable career debut was confirmed yesterday, when Lewis became the first British solo artist to top the US charts with her first-ever album. Leona's "Spirit" reached Number One in the American tops three weeks after her debut single "Bleeding Love" also topped the singles' charts and went to Number One, making the Hackney-born singer the first British artist in 20 years to achieve this prestigious position. The last British pop star who topped US charts was Kim Wilde in 1987 with a version of The Supremes hit "You Keep Me Hangin' On".
Leona's "Spirit" sold 204,841 copies of her album in the first week of release in America, thus managing to knock her nearest rival, country singer George Strait, into second place, after outselling him four to one. Lewis thus became the first British artist to take both top spots. Lewis' manager and mentor, British music mogul and American Idol's resident "baddie" Simon Cowell, acknowledged his protegée's success by stating that "what Leona has achieved is simply incredible. This is the hardest market to crack and for her debut album to go in at Number 1 is unbelievable". Of course, Leona's success also put a bit of money into Cowell's already loaded pockets, as apart from a £1million contract signed to Simon Cowell's record label SyCo, he also negotiated for Lewis £5 million contract with US label J Records, committing the singer to five albums.
"Leona Lewis will not be an overnight sensation. She is the real deal and this is just the beginning of a long and illustrious career," stated J Records boss Clive Davis, the man responsible for discovering Whitney Houston. Leona's "rags to riches" story, as well as her candid, down to earth nature earned her the sympathy of the American audience, especially after she performed live on Oprah's show and received a glowing endorsement from the talk-show queen herself, who noted that "you're the real-deal girl. Talk about a star is born". Leone will next be seen performing "Bleeding Love" live on American Idol next week.
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