"Britain's Got Talent" winner hits jackpot again

By Hazel Davis

LONDON (Billboard) - Susan Boyle isn't the only "Britain's Got Talent" star who stunned judges with an incredible voice and became a worldwide phenomenon through the Internet. There's also Paul Potts, a former phone salesman who's proving the show can launch an enduring career as well as overnight media ubiquity.

After winning the show's 2007 edition -- and logging more than 50 million YouTube views for his audition -- Potts topped charts in Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand with his debut opera crossover album, "One Chance" (Syco/Columbia). It has sold 425,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Now Potts' sophomore CD, "Passione," is rolling out across the globe one territory at a time. And once again, the singer is notching some impressive showings. "Passione" debuted May 23 on the Billboard 200 at No. 33, selling 25,000 copies to date, and has already reached No. 1 in New Zealand and the top 10 in Australia, Canada, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. More territories will follow, including the Monday (June 1) release in the United Kingdom -- where "One Chance" has sold 357,000, in addition to 188,000 copies of its special Christmas edition, according to the Official Charts Co.

"It was difficult to know what would happen this time since I don't have the TV show as a platform," Potts says. "A couple of No. 1s obviously gives you a bit of confidence that you might have a longer career. But you're only as good as your last record."

Potts notes that the new album has a more classical feel than his more pop-oriented debut. "After the first album, we had lots of feedback from the public saying they'd like to see more classical," he says. "But at the same time we needed to make sure it was accessible."

A video of the album track "Mamma" was uploaded to YouTube on May 10, Mother's Day. Before the holiday, Potts performed on CBS' "The Early Show," ABC's "The View," NBC's "Today" and the CW's "Morning News." In the wings is a taped performance for "The Oprah Winfrey Show" that will air in the fall.

Two years after Potts first wowed "Britain's Got Talent" judge Simon Cowell, New York-based Columbia U.S. marketing manager Chris Poppe says the singer's TV appearances still have the capacity to amaze. Citing Potts' appearance on QVC to promote "Passione," Poppe says, "When he performed, the host was moved to tears."

(Editing by Sheri Linden at Reuters)