Leona Lewis, the former U.K. talent contest winner, became the first British
female solo artist in over 20 years to top the U.S. pop ratings on Thursday when her single "Bleeding Love" hit No. 1 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The sexy 22-year-old Londoner, who shot to fame in Britain after winning "The X Factor" in 2006, appeared on Oprah Winfrey's talk show this month, helping to boost the number of downloads of her song on the Internet and mobile phones, according to reports.
Kim Wilde was the last British female solo singer to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart with her 1987 song "You Keep Me Hangin' On," a cover of The Supremes classic hit.