Last year Lewis signed a £5m record deal in the US
Leona's reaction Singer Leona Lewis has become the first British woman to top the US pop chart for more than 20 years with her single Bleeding Love. The track, which was last year's best-selling single in the UK, was released in the US six weeks ago. Kim Wilde was the last UK female to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart, with her 1987 cover version of the Supremes hit You Keep Me Hangin' On. Lewis wrote on her website that it was her "dream" to break America. 'Real honour' "I'm so excited to be able to spend some time in the US and showcase my music to everyone here," the former receptionist from east London said. "Its been a dream of mine since I was a little girl and I can't wait." Last year her manager Simon Cowell negotiated a £5m contract with US mogul Clive Davis, the man who discovered Whitney Houston. LEONA'S RAPID RISE Won The X Factor in 2006 Debut single A Moment Like This downloaded 50,000 times in 30 minutes It was the 2006 UK Christmas number one Spirit became Britain's fastest-selling debut album ever Bleeding Love was number one for seven weeks Signed a £5m US music deal in 2007 Nominated for four Brit Awards in 2008 At the time, Cowell, who also judged the 22-year-old on ITV1 talent show The X Factor, said: "We'll do everything in our power to make her an international star." Last week the pair appeared on Oprah Winfrey's talk show together to promote the single. It is thought download and mobile phone track sales soared after her appearance, while the Hot 100 chart also counts radio airplay. Meanwhile, a spokesperson has denied reports that Lewis is considering undergoing throat surgery to end recurring bouts of tonsillitis. He said: "She has got a pretty bad throat. She just can't shake it off at the moment but I don't think she needs to have an op." Lewis is the third UK solo female artist to reach number one in the Hot 100 with her debut hit. Petula Clark was the first, with her 1965 track Downtown, while Sheena Easton's Morning Train - released in the UK as 9 To 5 - followed in 1981.
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British pop star Leona Lewis has broken Billboard records in the United States to become the first female British pop star to reach a number one spot on the music charts in over 20 years and became the third solo British artist ever to reach the top charts.

Lewis made the number one spot with her new hit single ''Bleeding Love.'' According to Billboard.com her single ranks number one in the top 100, the pop 100 and hottest digital songs.

"I'm so excited to be able to spend some time in the US and showcase my music to everyone here. Its been a dream of mine since I was a little girl and I can't wait," said Lewis on her website.

The last female singer from the UK to top the charts in the U.S. was Kim Wilde in 1987 when she did her own version of The Supremes 'You Keep Me Hangin' On.'

Lewis took the UK by storm when she won The X Factor (UK) in 2006 and became the biggest selling female artist of all time in the UK.