Leona Lewis becomes the first artist to enter at No. 1 in Canada with a debut effort since Il Divo.

Simon Cowell's latest discovery, U.K. sensation Leona Lewis, is starting to make big waves in North America.

The British pop singer's debut album, "Spirit," checked in at No. 1 on the Canadian charts, pushing nearly 20,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan figures.

It marks the first time an artist has entered in at No. 1 with a debut effort since Il Divo did it back in April of 2005.

The 23-year-old, whose big break came from winning Cowell's British talent show "The X-Factor," has been given a big push in these parts. She recently made an appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," and had some favourable postings from celebrity blogger Perez Hilton.

This extra attention also led to top billing south of the border, with Lewis selling 205,000 copies of ""Spirit"" in the U.S.

Back here, Canadian artists got a big chart boost from their Juno appearances. Feist's "Reminder" moved up from No. 12 to No. 2, Michael Buble's "Call Me Irresponsible" shot up 20 notches to No. 7, Anne Murray's "Duets, Friends & Legends" went from No. 19 to No. 9, and the "Juno Awards 2008" compilation re-entered the top 10 at No. 10.

Elsewhere on the charts, the "Hanna Montana 2" soundtrack occupied the No. 3 slot, followed by the "Family Jams" compilation at No. 4, Jack Johnson's "Sleep Through the Static" at No. 5, Nine Inch Nails' "Ghosts I-IV" at No. 6, and the "Hanna Montana" soundtrack at No. 8.