Susan's Dream Continues: Boyle's Album Flying Off Shelves In Record Numbers

Susan Boyle's debut album, I Dreamed a Dream, is shattering sales records, as fans around the globe have purchased more than 3 million copies of the album in its first week of release.

I Dreamed A Dream took the crown for the highest first-week sales of 2009, as well as the fastest-selling debut for a female artist on the Billboard 200 in the Soundscan era, as the record sold an eye-popping 700,763 copies in the U.S. and more than 2.3 million copies abroad.

"I'm incredibly proud of Susan and delighted for her," Simon Cowell, the starmaker who provided the televised forum for Boyle to flourish, told RadarOnline.com in a statement. "This success couldn't have happened to a more deserving person. Susan Boyle quite simply has broken the rules, her story is like a Hollywood movie, but this time it’s real life and a really talented, nice lady who has won."

Boyle went from a spinster living in the quiet anonymity of a small Scottish village to having one of the most recognizable faces and voices in the world after her breakout debut on Britain’s Got Talent garnered her more than 300 million YouTube views.

Columbia Records chairman Steve Barnett told RadarOnline.com said a key to Boyle's success is that she has qualities her fans closely identify with.

"They watch her every move, whether on YouTube, Facebook, or Susan’s own Web site, and respond with sincerity that matches Susan’s own genuineness,” he said. “The connection between Susan and her fans is unique, and most importantly, real -- they’ve put her where she is today.”

Boyle's debut album, I Dreamed a Dream, which also features covers of classics such as Daydream Believer and Amazing Grace, is in stores now.