British Singer Susan Boyle gestures as she holds her new album outside her home in Blackburn, Scotland. (AP Photo/PA, Andrew Milligan)
The British talent contestant-turned-singing sensation sold just over 700,000 copies of her debut album, "I Dreamed a Dream," debuting at No 1 in the United States.
Her record label, Columbia Records, says that not only gives her the best first week sales of 2009, but also the best-selling album debut by a woman in the Billboard SoundScan era.
It's been a whirlwind year for the 47-year-old Boyle, who became an instant star when she appeared on "Britain's Got Talent."
