Leona Lewis is the third UK female artist to reach number 1 in the US with a debut single, following Petula Clark in 1965 and Sheena Easton in 1981.

Her second single, "Bleeding Love," was the biggest-selling single of 2007 in the United Kingdom and in March 2008 the single, her first release in the US, became the first by a British female vocalist to top the Billboard Hot 100 since Kim Wilde in 1987. She is also only the sixth UK solo female artist to ever top the US Hot 100, following Petula Clark, Lulu, Sheena Easton, Bonnie Tyler, and Kim Wilde. Her debut album, Spirit, was released in November 2007, and became the fastest-selling debut album ever in both the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It is claimed Lewis is the first winner of a major television talent show in either the UK or US to be given a major global launch with the release of their debut album.