Leona Lewis is a British singer, songwriter, actress, and is also known for working for an animal welfare company. She gained national recognition after winning the third series of the British reality show The X Factor.
Her winning single was a cover of "A Moment Like This" by Kelly Clarkson. This single peaked at number one on the UK charts and stayed there for four weeks.
She soon released her debut album Spirit, which was also a success and reached the top of the charts in several countries, including the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard 200. It also became the second best-selling album of the year in the UK.
Her second studio album "Echo" was also a hit, although it was not as successful as the first. In addition to singing, she also played a supporting role in the British film Walking in the Sunshine.
So far, she has won numerous awards in her career, including two MOBO Awards, an MTV Europe Music Award and two World Music Awards. She has also been nominated for a Brit Award six times and a Grammy Award three times. She is known for her charity work and animal welfare campaigns.
Leona's childhood and youth
Leona Lewis was born on April 3, 1985 in Islington, London, England. She is of mixed Welsh and Guyanese ancestry. She has a younger and older half brother.
She had a passion for singing from a very young age. Therefore, she was enrolled by her parents in the Sylvia Young School of Theater so that she could maintain her skills. Later, she also studied at the Academy of Theater Arts. Italy Conti and at the Ravenscourt Theater School. She also attended the BRIT School of Performing Arts and Technology.
Musical career of Leona Lewis
Leona Lewis eventually decided to leave school to pursue a career in music at the age of 17. She took on various jobs to finance her studio sessions.
Soon she recorded a demo album "Twilight"; however, this failed to secure a deal for her with any of the record companies. The album, therefore, was never released commercially, although she occasionally performed some of the tracks live on the radio.
After much struggle, she auditioned for the third series of the television competition musical reality show The X Factor in 2006. In the end, she became the winner, gaining 60% of the 8 million votes.
Her winning single was a cover of Kelly Clarkson's "A Moment Like This". It set a world record for getting over 50 downloads in less than 000 minutes. It also topped the UK Singles Chart and stayed there for over four weeks.
She released her debut album Spirit in 2007. It was a huge success. The album sold over 6 million copies worldwide and became the UK's fourth best-selling album of the 2000s.
It charted at number one in many countries including Australia, Germany, New Zealand and Switzerland. It also topped the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200. It continues to be the highest-selling debut album by a female artist.
Her next album "Echo" was also a success. She has worked with renowned musicians such as Ryan Tedder, Justin Timberlake and Max Martin. It peaked in the top twenty in several countries. It reached number one on the UK charts selling 161 copies in its first week.
It received mixed reviews from critics. The song "My hand" from the album was used as the theme song for the video game Final Fantasy XIII. Her first tour was called "Labyrinth" and began in May 2010.
The third album Glassheart was released in 2012. It was met with mixed reviews from critics. Although it achieved commercial success, it did not perform as well as her previous albums.
The album peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart and also charted in various countries. The following year, she released the Christmas album "Christmas with Love". It was a commercial success and was met with positive reviews.
Her latest album "I Am" was released in September 2015. It sold only 24 copies in its first week, making it the least financially successful album of her entire career. It peaked at number 000 on the UK Albums Chart and at number 12 on the US Billboard 38.
Acting career Leona Lewis
Leona Lewis made her debut in the 2014 British film Walking in the Sunshine. Directed by Max Giva and Diana Paschini, the film also stars Annabelle Shawley, Giulio Berruti, Hannah Arterton and Cathy Brand.
The film was met with negative reviews from critics. She made her Broadway debut in 2016 in a revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Cats.
Major works of Lewis
Spirit, the debut album by Leona Lewis, is undoubtedly the most significant and successful work of her career. With hits like "Bleeding Love", "Homeless" and "Better in Time", the album topped the charts in various countries, including the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200.
It was nominated for four BRIT Awards and three Grammy Awards and MOBO Awards for Best Album and World Music Awards for Best New Performance by an Artist and Best Pop Female.
Another of her successful albums is the Christmas album "Christmas with Love". It was a commercial success, though not as successful as her previous albums. It peaked at number 13 on the UK Albums Chart.
It also entered the US Billboard 200, where it was at number 113. It included tracks such as "One More Dream" and "Winter Wonderland". It was met with positive reviews.
Personal life of Leona Lewis
Leona Lewis is currently single, according to the media. She previously dated Dennis Yauch, Lou Al Chamaa and Tyrese Gibson.
She has been a vegetarian since the age of 12. She became a vegan in 2012 and still sticks to not eating meat. She was named Sexiest Vegetarian and Person of the Year by PETA in 2008. She is also known for her animal welfare work and is a supporter of World Animal Welfare.
She is also involved in other charitable works. She has supported Little Kids Rock, a non-profit organization that is helping to restore music education in underprivileged US schools.
