Singer Mandisa has last laugh on Simon Cowell

THE SINGER who rose to prominence through the American Idol TV talent search and who once sang with the famed Fisk Jubilee Singers, Mandisa has seen her debut album 'True Beauty' enter America's Christian/gospel charts at number one. It makes Mandisa the only female solo artist to score a number one hit on the Christian album charts with a debut album in the 27 years since Billboard began tracking Christian album sales. Mandisa told Billboard magazine, "The message of true beauty was important to me, especially after having been on Idol," said Mandisa, who stood up to Simon Cowell's criticism of her weight. "I wanted to record a song about where our true beauty comes from."