TWO British female singers who were unknowns last Christmas have become the biggest sellers of the year.

X Factor winner Alexandra Burke registered a last-minute surge of sales for her cover of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah to secure the title of biggest selling single of 2008.

It sold 311,000 copies last week to make a total of 880,000, including downloads. Meanwhile, Duffy's debut Rockferry was comfortably the biggest-selling album of the year, according to the Official Charts Company's full-year charts. It sold 1.685 million copies and stayed on top of the pile despite a last-ditch challenge from Take That with The Circus.

The Circus, however, was the second fastest million-seller in history, taking only 19 days.

Martin Talbot, the Official Charts Company's managing director, said: "Duffy and Alexandra Burke have been the biggest new arrivals on the British music scene over the past year.

"The biggest selling singles and albums of the year also show that talent, both new and old, can make an impact, if the music is right."

Other new acts, including Leona Lewis, Sam Sparro and Scouting For Girls, had done well, he said.

Kings of Leon also had a good year. "Although Kings of Leon have been building for several years, they truly broke through in 2008, showing their popularity alongside established hands such as Take That, Coldplay, Pink and Killers," Mr Talbot said.

The soundtrack to the movie Mamma Mia! was the biggest selling compilation.

Here are 2008's official top-selling singles and their record labels:

1. Hallelujah/Alexandra Burke (Syco Music)
2. Hero/X Factor Finalists (Syco Music)
3. Mercy/Duffy (A&M)
4. I Kissed A Girl/Katy Perry (Virgin)
5. Rockstar/Nickelback (Roadrunner)
6. American Boy/Estelle ft Kanye West (Atlantic/Homeschool)
7. Sex On Fire/Kings of Leon (Hand Me Down)
8. Now You're Gone/Basshunter ft DJ Mental Theo (Hard2Beat)
9. 4 Minutes/Madonna ft Justin Timberlake (Warner Bros)
10. Black & Gold/Sam Sparro (Island)

Here are 2008's official top-selling artist albums and their record labels:

1. Rockferry/Duffy (A&M)
2. The Circus/Take That (Polydor)
3. Only By The Night/Kings of Leon (Hand Me Down)
4. Spirit/Leona Lewis (Syco Music)
5. Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends/Coldplay (Parlophone)
6. Good Girl Gone Bad/Rihanna (Def Jam)
7. Day And Age/Killers (Vertigo)
8. Out Of Control/Girls Aloud (Fascination)
9. Funhouse/Pink (LaFace)
10. Scouting For Girls/Scouting for Girls (Epic)

Here are 2008's official top-selling compilations and their record labels:

1. Mamma Mia! Original Soundtrack (Polydor)
2. Now That's What I Call Music 71 (EMI/Virgin/UMTV)
3. Now That's What I Call Music 70 (EMI/Virgin/UMTV)
4. Now That's What I Call Music 69 (EMI/Virgin/UMTV)
5. High School Musical 3 - Senior Year - original soundtrack (Walt Disney)
6. Clubland Classix (AATW/UMTV)
7. Chilled 1991 to 2008 (Ministry of Sound)
8. Pop Party 6 (UMTV)
9. Radio 1's Live Lounge Volume Three (Sony BMG/UMTV)
10. Ministry of Sound: Anthems 1991 To 2008 (Ministry of Sound)