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X Factor star Leona Lewis has become the first British female solo artist to top the US pop chart in 21 years.

The 22-year-old former receptionist who went to Croydon's Brit School has landed the Billboard Hot 100 chart Number One with her ballad Bleeding Love.

The last British female solo artist to do the same was Kim Wilde in 1987, with her cover of the Supremes' You Keep Me Hangin' On.

It is also the first time in 27 years that a British female artist has debuted at Number One in the US.

That feat was last achieved in 1981 by Sheena Easton with Morning Train (Nine To Five).

The only other British female artist to debut at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 was Petula Clark with Downtown in 1965.

Bleeding Love has been Number One in the US iTunes chart for two weeks.

It first hit the top spot just before Lewis made her first major US TV appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show, where the chat show host declared "A star is born" after hearing the X Factor winner sing live.

Simon Cowell, who has masterminded the singer's career since winning the X Factor in 2006, said: "I am incredibly proud of Leona, what she has achieved in the past year is simply amazing. I am very very happy for her."

Lewis was signed to SyCo Music, Cowell's division of Sony BMG, after winning the UK talent show. She is signed jointly in the US to music legend Clive Davis's label J Records.

Bleeding Love already topped charts in 10 countries around the world before clinching pole position in US charts and knocking Usher from the top spot. In the UK, it was the biggest-selling single of 2007 staying at Number One for seven weeks and selling more than one million copies.

The singer wrote of her US success on her website: "Well I really don't know what to say, I'm so overwhelmed right now. I'm getting to share my music with people around the world and it's beyond my wildest dreams. From the bottom of my heart thank u all so much, it's because of you that I am able to do this."

9:36am Friday 28th March 2008

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