Dido notches up UK's first worldwide smash of 2001.

Dido's No Angel spread from its initial North American sales base in quarter one to become the UK's first global smash of the year.

The album, which is signed to Arista UK outside of the US and Canada, broke through the 6m sales barrier during the period as it worked its way into most key territories' Top 10s, including hitting number one in Australia, Norway and South Africa. In the US, where Dido is signed directly to the local Arista company, it hit a new chart peak of three and secured a third platinum award, while Thank You has become the first Top Five Hot 100 hit by a UK artist since All Saints' Never Ever in 1998.

BMG's international marketing and promotions manager Lorraine Tyrie believes part of the album's appeal is its accessibility and the fact people have been allowed to discover it for themselves.

Arista's European success with the album has been achieved despite only having limited access to the artist because of her North American commitments and with just one track, Here With Me, released to date as a single. Another single by Dido, who is heading towards the last week of a European tour, will appear in late May while she returns the following month to North America for a series of dates supported by Travis.

BMG's success with Dido overshadowed an important overseas chart breakthrough in the quarter for another BMG act, Westlife, who appeared in the German albums Top 20 for the first time with Coast To Coast. Meanwhile, the Manic Street Preachers, also made their Top 20 German debut with Know Your Enemy arriving at 13. It was the highlight of an otherwise quiet period for Sony UK's international operation, which enjoyed most of its new year chart success with fourth quarter albums.

Warner, too, had an uneventful opening to the year apart from the continuing popularity of Enya's A Day Without Rain and two exceptional successes -- Da Muttz and the Sugababes. Da Muttz's Wassuup hit on the Eternal label reached number two in France and spread elsewhere in Europe, while the Sugababes' German success easily outclassed that back home with the single Overload reaching number three and the album One Touch number seven. Virgin Records' main hopes rested with Atomic Kitten, whose Whole Again started to build on its four-week run at number one in the UK by slowly working its way up overseas sales and airplay charts.

The Beatles' 1 ensured both an EMI and a UK-signed act were number one at the start of the year in the US which in quarter one welcomed both familiar and new UK artists to its charts with renewed enthusiasm. Alongside the Fabs and Universal Island's U2 in the Top 20, there was room for newer acts such as Parlophone's Coldplay and Polydor's S Club 7 who both made their Hot 100 debuts. S Club 7 started winning US radio airplay thanks to Never Had A Dream Come True while ...