Mariah Carey has usurped Elvis Presley as the American artist with the most number ones in US singles chart history.

Carey claimed her 18th number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart this week with the track ‘Touch My Body’, which is taken from her new album ‘E=MC²’.

Carey is now only two number ones behind the Beatles in the history books, the Fab Four having claimed 20 chart toppers in their time.

Speaking about the record Carey told the Associated Press: "I'm just feeling really happy and grateful.

"I really can never put myself in the category of people who have not only revolutionised music but also changed the world, that's a completely different era and time.

"In terms of my ethnicity, always feeling like an outsider, always feeling different... for me it's about saying, 'Thank you Lord, for giving me the faith to believe in myself when other people had written me off.”

Carey added that she was now enjoying her career more than ever after coming through a difficult period in her life.

Madonna also broke another US singles chart record this week when she scored her 37th top 10 hit with her song ‘4 Minutes’.

That record was also held by Elvis Presley.

(by Daniel Melia)