Oops, Britney does it again as single debuts at No. 1

Britney Spears performs on ABC's ''Good Morning America'' in New York on December 2, 2008.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters Life!) - Oops, Britney Spears has done it again, with the U.S. pop singer cementing her comeback with a new single "3" rocketing to No. 1 in its debut week.

Proving her popularity has not waned despite a personal and career meltdown in 2007 and 2008, "3" entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart at the top, making her the first artist with a debut No. 1 in more than three years, Billboard said on Wednesday.

The single, from her new album "The Singles Collection" due out on November 10, is the first No. 1 debut since Taylor Hicks' 2006 hit "Do I Make You Proud" and the first non-"American Idol" song to enter the chart at No. 1 in almost 11 years.

"I want to thank my fans for making "3" the No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100," Spears, 27, said in a statement.

"I am truly blessed with the greatest fans in the world and I am so happy y'all love it because I do this all for you."

Spears has sold more than 63 million albums worldwide since her debut as a teen pop phenomenon with the single "... Baby One More Time" in 1998.

But in recent years she has made more headlines for her erratic behavior, including losing the custody of her two children.

However she has staged a comeback with her last two albums, with "Womanizer, " released late 2008, her first No. 1 in almost a decade. She is currently touring to promote her most recent studio album "Circus," her first U.S. tour since 2004.

Her new single and album are released by Sony record label Jive.

(Writing by Belinda Goldsmith, Editing by Sugita Katyal)