A debut that’s quite in character

MILEY Cyrus has been playing the role of pop princess since March, but now it’s clear she’s the real deal.

Cyrus portrays the title character on “Hannah Montana,” the popular Disney Channel television series about a nerdy student with a double life as a worldfamous singer.

The soundtrack of the hit show debuted Wednesday at No. 1 on the pop charts by selling 281,000 copies during its first week in stores.

The sunny middle-school sound of “Hannah” was strong enough to eclipse the first-week sales of “The Black Parade” by the goth-styled band My Chemical Romance. That CD sold 240,000 copies to claim the No. 2 spot on the Nielsen SoundScan tally of U.S. music sales.

Opening at No. 3 this week is “Once Again,” the sophomore release from John Legend, the smooth R&B; singer and songwriter who took home the Grammy for best new artist of 2005. The CD sold 231,000 copies, while his debut CD, “Get Lifted,” is still in the bottom half of the Top 200 and has sold almost 1.8 million copies to date.

Other new titles on the chart this week: young St. Louis rapper Jibbs at No. 11 with “Jibbs Feat. Jibbs” (47,000 copies sold); veteran country group Alabama at No. 15 with “Songs of Inspiration” (44,000); and Louisiana bad boy Lil’ Boosie at No. 18 with “Bad Azz” (41,000).