Simon Cowell's Il Divo Makes U.S. Chart History With Debut Album  4/28/05

Il Divo Debuts at #4 on Billboard 200 Best-selling Albums Chart,

The Highest U.S. Chart Entry in SoundScan History

for A Debut Album From A UK-Signed Act

NEW YORK, April 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Il Divo, the self-titled debut album from the groundbreaking pop opera quartet, has just debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200 Best-selling Albums chart with first week's sales of more than 146,000 records, a remarkable and unprecedented feat given an absence (so far) of either traditional radio support or an on-air music video. Il Divo, already a #1 album in the UK, has achieved the highest U.S. chart entry (in the SoundScan era) for a debut album from a UK-signed act.

The group's debut album, Il Divo, hit the #1 slot on both Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com after a breakout career-defining appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" (April 5, 2005) where the quartet performed its interpretation of Toni Braxton's "Unbreak My Heart" ("Regressa A Mi").

Il Divo was formed under the aegis of the iconic "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell, who conducted a two-year international talent search before discovering David Miller (USA - tenor), Sebastien Izambard (France - vox populi), Urs Buhler (Switzerland - tenor) and Carlos Marin (Spain - baritone), a virtuosic vocal quartet who combine their astounding musical mastery with smoldering sex appeal.

"Il Divo have taught me more than I have taught them," said Simon Cowell. "I am actually intimidated and slightly in awe of their talent! I am more proud of this album than anything else I've been involved with."

Blending the energy of contemporary popular music with the transcendent grace and flawless technique of classical opera, Il Divo debuted at #1 on the UK charts, bringing a fresh new sound to millions of ecstatic fans in Europe and the UK. A bonafide global sensation, Il Divo is already a Top 5 record in seven countries and has sold more than 3 million units around the world.

http://www.ildivo.com

http://www.columbiarecords.com 

SOURCE Columbia Records

-0- 04/28/2005