Leona Lewis Biography

Leona Lewis is a British singer-songwriter who got her start as the winner of the 3rd series of The X Factor. She nevertheless transcended that status and became one of the best vocalists.

Early Life

Leona Louise Lewis was born and raised in the London Borough of Islington on 3 April 1985. Her parents supported her throughout her efforts to become a singer. She was enrolled at the Sylvia Young Theatre School, Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, the Ravenscourt Theatre School and the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology.

The X Factor

Leona dropped out of BRIT school and started working as a waitress and work on her own material. She auditioned for The X Factor, was accepted later that year and became the winner of the show. Her debut single was a cover of Kelly Clarkson’s A Moment Like This. The song became a number 1 single in England.

Success

J Records signed Lewis in 2007, after which she released her debut album Spirit. The single Bleeding Love and the album became number 1 hits. In 2008 the album was revealed in the US and was a success as it reached the top of Billboard 200. It also received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Album. Leona’s next project Echo arrived the following year with collaborations from acts like Timbaland. Next, she recorded the single soundtrack I See You for James Cameron’s film Avatar. In 2010, she embarked on a tour with fellow singer Labyrinth, which was later released as a DVD called The Labyrinth Tour: Live from the O2. Lewis decided to take a different direction musically with her next effort.

Setbacks and Broadway

Glassheart, an electronic dance-oriented LP was released in 2012. It did not reach the usual commercial expectations however and failed to perform well on the charts. As a result, she split from her then label, Modest!. At the end of 2013, she released the holiday album Christmas, With Love. In 2014 Leona split again from her label Sony and opted for a Universal division. The move proved to be a good decision as the new record I Am debuted at number 12, but no hit singles. In 2016 she changed her focus to Broadway and debuted as Grizabella in a Broadway rendition of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats. 

Photo credit: Billboard