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British import Leona Lewis' "Spirit" bows atop The Billboard 200 this week, making her the first U.K. solo artist to start at No. 1 with their debut effort. The Syco/J album moved 205,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, with sales fueled by her No. 1 Hot 100 single "Bleeding Love." The singer was discovered on Simon Cowell's "The X Factor" in Britain.
Lewis becomes the first Brit solo act to lead The Billboard 200 since Rod Stewart's "Still the Same... Great Rock Classics of Our Time" in the Oct. 28, 2006 issue. Moreover, she becomes the first British female soloist to do so since Sade's "Promise" reached No. 1 in February 1986, a couple of months before Lewis' first birthday. 
The release of "Spirit" stirs an 11% rise for "Bleeding Love," which returns to No. 1 on Hot Digital Songs with 223,000 sold for the week (2-1). The song has sold 1.1 million copies since U.S. downloads became available in late December, according to Nielsen SoundScan. |