The little engine that could from "Britain's Got Talent" has really reached top locomotive speeds. The YouTube sensation, Susan Boyle, is poised to sell over 600,000 copies of her debut album "I Dreamed a Dream," according to estimates by HITS Daiily Double. The album, whose title sounds like one Mariah Carey would come up with, is nothing but a collection cover songs. Meaning there are three winners: YouTube, Simon Cowell and songwriting royalties.
This doughty, unpleasant-looking, middle-aged Scottish woman is steamrolling her competition, which includes superstars such as Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Shakira and the now-controversial Adam Lambert.
Lady Gaga is releasing her "The Fame Monster" EP and re-releasing her debut album "The Fame" with the new EP tacked onto the old LP. Combining sales from all three versions, Gaga is estimated to sell 350,000.
Adam Lambert, whose crotch thrusting and oral sex-simulating got him into hot water this week, is poised to move between 210-230,000 copies. This should please the Idol gods, especially in comparison with Idol winner Kris Allen moving only 80,000 of his debut last week. Exactly who won Idol again?
Rihanna is looking to sell 180-200,000 copies of her fourth studio album, "Rated R." The numbers are disappointing for the singer, especially given the monster success of her last album, "Good Girl Gone Bad." But she had a poor setup this go 'round with the lead single "Russian Roulette," only being released to the public three weeks prior to the album release. The tense, dark ballad is a marked change from the light, dance floor-friendly sound Rihanna found with success the last time, so perhaps with more time to build up momentum, the song could've grown with fans.
Shakira is coming in under 100,000 for her new album "She Wolf," with estimates pegging her sales between 80-90,000 copies. This is no surprise, considering how much Shakira has struggled to land a hit single with this album.
Lessons learned? Never judge a book by its cover and don't count out those old dogs just yet. Susan Boyle doesn't speak to the same audience that Rihanna, Gaga and Lambert do, but she's got her own lane and apparently those people are actually willing to BUY albums, unlike the younger crowd. In Susan Boyle, a new kind of star is born. Don't be surprised if you see your local middle-aged housewife or spinster practicing in front of the mirror with a hairbrush this week.
