Emeli Sande wrests the record for a debut album remaining in the UK charts for the longest time off The Beatles.

TOKYO, JAPAN (FILE-1963)  (REUTERS) -   The Beatles have held many records over the years, but one of them has just been broken. Scottish singer-songwriter Emeli Sande has now officially gone into the record books as the artist who has remained the longest in the OfficialAlbums Chart Top 10 with their debut album.

Speaking exclusively to Reuters, Sande reacted by saying, "It feels quite surreal to even have your name mentioned in the same sentence as The Beatles is quite mad but the only way you can really view it is that it's connected. For a record to stay there for so long it means that people have connected with it, so that's how I'm enjoying celebrating this record."

The album has already gone platinum in the UK, Germany, France, Belgium andIreland and now Sande has set her sights on the United States, where her single "Next to Me" is currently at number 46 in Billboard's Hot 100.

"I'm really excited about taking music over to the States because it's a brand new challenge." said Sande. "There's different formats over there so you have to understand the market, the people, you really have to take into account how massive the place is. But so far I've loved that raw connection you get at the very beginning when you first introduce yourself so I'm going back next week and for me it's exciting. It's a brand new adventure and it's chapter two of this whole big thing."

The half-Zambian singer decided to change her artist name from Adele, following the success of her namesake - deciding on Emeli instead.

"I always enjoyed the fact I could have a different name because it keeps it very separate." she explained. "Emeli Sande you can get on stage and all my family and the people I've known from the beginning call me Adele so you can have a split personality, I guess."

Since first appearing on the commercial music scene after winning the Brit Awards Critic's Choice award in early 2012, she has performed not only at the opening ceremony but also the closing of the London Olympics during the summer. She also went on to win British Breakthrough Act at this year's Brit Awards.

"So many things I've dreamed of doing have happened last year which is amazing, but you always want to be better as a musician. That's the biggest dream for any artist." she said. "You make a record but the dream is now I want to better that, it's almost like you want to create something... I don't know. That's the biggest thing for me right now is creating a second record that I love and that's the biggest challenge ahead, I think."

And now, with the exception of promoting the album overseas in territories she hasn't been to yet, she is focussing on writing that second album, which she has her own theory about: "I think as long as you don't change as a person, you don't let anything... you keep your feet on the ground, you'll still be able to write and as long as you keep yourself with 'people' - I think it's a big mistake to section yourself off from your community and what's really happening around you so I try to just stay a part of everything as much as I can."

Sande studied medicine at the University of Glasgow but deferred in her fourth year to pursue her musical goals, leaving the door open in case she wanted to return. "I'd like to" she said, "Every time I see programmes on medicine I'm tempted to go back to it because I do miss it a lot and I miss science and learning but in the near future, no. I think I'd miss music too much. I think I would really... there would be a part of me missing if I didn't pay attention to music 100 percent."

"Our Version of Events" has sold 1.82 million copies in the UK alone, and has hit the Number 1 spot on 10 occasions.