Leona Lewis
Leona Lewis deserves to be called a rising star of the British music stage. Since 2006, after young singer first made herself known by winning The X Factor Song Contest, mass media did not stop talking about her, comparing her talent with talents of such famous singers as Celine Dion and Mariah Carey.
It took Leona Lewis long years to make people to talk about her. When she was a teenager, the young talent, dreaming about a big stage, participated in various competitions and shows, tried to perform on the stage and proved an audience and critics her outstanding abilities. Those, who remember early Lewis and see her now, note that during the years of the hard work, she made her artistry perfect, captivating the audience by her wonderful vocal as well as by her ability to attract and keep the attention of admired fans.
At the beginning of her career, Leona Lewis did her best to capture the attention of the public. She demonstrated herself as a composer and singer, tried to work in different genres and to discover as many sides of her talent as possible. Unfortunately, nobody noticed her and she had to work as a waitress, trying to earn money for living and development of her creative skills.
Leona Lewis’ moment of glory came when she was acclaimed the best contestant of The X Factor by all members of jury and received the highest marks for performance of the song “I Will Always Love You”. According to the jury, Leona’s performance of a romantic ballad was not worse than the original version of Whitney Huston. Leona Lewis looked naturally on the stage. Somebody noted that manners of the big stage’s stars would fit her but others, in turn, objected that namely their absence made the singer so charming.
It must be noted that Whitney Huston herself did not turn the blind eye to Leona’s talent, predicting her big future and promising to help if necessary. Moreover, the first producer of Lewis was the same person, who discovered Huston on the world horizon. Many people tend to consider this fact as a fatal coincidence. Clarke Dewis settled down to work with a great enthusiasm. Soon, Leona Lewis signed a contract with him for the record of five albums. The sum of the contract was about 10 million dollars.
The team of experts worked at the singer’s album, from sound engineers to professional choir singers. An album Spirit was recorded in different studios of various countries of the world, it passed the way from Sweden to the southern states of America, and, to the unhidden happiness of its creators, lived up to the most ambitious expectations. In 2007, it became the best selling album in UK, and later on, it was certified as five times platinum.
The singer’s awards include Ivor Novello Award, which can not be left unnoted, for the song with a romantic title “Moment Like This”. Another important achievement of the singer is a hit “Bleeding Love” from Leona’s debut album, which is posed as the best record of the year by many respected periodicals. In 2009, Leona Lewis recorded her second album entitled Echo. During short breaks between recording, Leona works at her image and for charitable causes.
