SuBo scores a Billboard chart milestone; Mary J. Blige's 'Stronger with Each Tear' debuts at number two.
By now the world knows how British singing sensation Susan Boyle calmly stepped out on stage during an episode of "Britain's Got Talent" to make a dream come true. In the month's since that audition riveted the globe with one of the most popular viral videos ever, Boyle's ascension to stardom proved a bumpy road. But never underestimate the power of an audience seeking to champion a dreamer.
With the music industry in continued freefall, Boyle's debut disc, "I Dreamed a Dream," is a virtual and much-needed supernova. Now five weeks since its debut, it actually sold another 510,000 copies according to the Nielsen SoundScan, retaining its place at number one on the Billboard 200 chart again. And if you've been keeping score, that brings Boyle's album within range of having sold three million copies in just over a month! Since SoundScan began tracking such data in 1991, only three other artists have kept up such a sales momentum, The Beatles' "1" (for six weeks), followed by Garth Brooks' "Sevens" and Backstreet Boys with "Black & Blue."
Should "I Dreamed a Dream" keep up its unstoppable pace, Boyle actually has a chance to depose current pop darling Taylor Swift and "Fearless" as the year's best selling album. As of this week, Boyle's "Dream" is the first album to debut at number one and remain so for five consecutive weeks since Billboard started its charts in the 1950s. (And, she continues to outsell such youthquake darlings as Lady Gaga and Adam Lambert, inspiring more than a few middle-aged dreamers to sing out loud.)
Meanwhile, strong-willed women continued to dominate the Billboard 200 as the return of Mary J. Blige (pictured left) with "Stronger with Each Tear" generated sales of 330,000 to debut at number two. Rounding out the top five selling albums were Andrea Bocelli's "My Christmas" at number three with 284,000. Alicia Keys dropped to number four with "The Element of Freedom," which sold 280,000 copies in its second week. And Swift's "Fearless" came in at number five with 224,000.
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Watch Susan Boyle sing a heartfelt rendition of the Rolling Stones classic "Wild Horses" on the "America's Got Talent" finale.
Comments
Can it be said that it is nice to see someone rewarded for actually having talent, as opposed to just being an gossip-made "celebrity?" Susan Boyle is an inspiration!
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