Nashville, TN. (Carrie Underwood Official Website) - 2005 American Idol winner Carrie Underwood begins 2006 with her 19 Recordings/Arista Nashville collection, Some Hearts, setting the benchmark for all new artists to follow and creating music history as the fastest-selling debut country album in Nielsen SoundScan history. Now RIAA-certified Double Platinum (recognizing sales of 2,000,000 units), Some Hearts also earns the separate distinction of becoming the fastest-certified debut country album ever released, even as the disc's powerful lead single, 'Jesus, Take the Wheel,' hits No 1 on this week's Billboard country airplay chart. Currently in its fifth consecutive week (sixth overall) at No 1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums sales chart, fan excitement over Some Hearts had earlier propelled first week sales to more than 314,000, already making Carrie the highest-debuting new artist in the country genre during the SoundScan era. The remarkable sales story extended through the holiday season, with a recent one-week tally exceeding 401,000 units. Billboard reports that Some Hearts has also become the fastest-selling American Idol project to date, outpacing earlier discs at the six-week sales point.
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