Susan Boyle Breaks U.S. Sales Records with I Dreamed a Dream

Susan Boyle dreamed a dream and now she's breaking records on the Billboard album chart.

I Dreamed a Dream is debuting at No. 1 with 701,000 copies sold in the U.S., breaking the record for highest single-week sales for an album in 2009, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It also now stands as the best-selling debut album from a female artist since tracking began in 1991.

Susan Boyle's Dream tops U.K. album charts

The former Britain's Got Talent contestant and YouTube phenomenon's first-week sales stateside come just two days after Boyle broke records across the pond. In her native United Kingdom, the Scottish singer's album sold 410,000 copies to become the best-selling debut album by a singer.

The name of the record stems from Boyle's cover of the Les Miserables tune, which first shot her to stardom in the United Kingdom and across the world.

Boyle's rise to fame will be documented in her own hourlong special on the TV Guide Network. I Dreamed a Dream: The Susan Boyle Story will feature a sit-down with Boyle herself as well as friends and fans. The special airs Sunday, Dec. 13 at 8/7c.