Craig David has enjoyed US success with Born To Do It

Church has sung before former President Bill Clinton and is due to perform for George W Bush.

But controversial comments attributed to the teenage star in the wake of the attacks of 11 September caused anger in the US.

She was reported as saying the events had been blown out of proportion and that firefighters were wrongly given hero status.

Beatles

But she was quick to distance herself from the story, saying she had been misquoted and misrepresented, and her albums have continued to sell.

The Beatles scored the biggest success of the year with their Number One album hitting the top of the Billboard chart.

Sarah Brightman was a success on the touring circuit

Craig David's Born to Do It peaked at number five and remains in the top 100, 21 weeks after its release.

Other UK stars with top selling albums include Elton John, Mick Jagger, Sarah Brightman and Rod Stewart.

Brightman is also one of the most successful UK touring acts in America, with ticket sales of around $5m (�3.4m).

But big hitters in the UK such as Robbie Williams and Westlife have so far failed to make an impact in the US.

Boy band Westlife embarked on a US tour in an attempt to crack the notoriously hard market but returned early, admitting defeat.