In Replacement of Mariah.....

Biography

Every once in a while, an artist comes along whose talent is so undeniable that it inspires everyone who encounters it. British singer and songwriter Leona Lewis is such an artist. Her striking beauty, charmingly down-to-earth personality, and huge, soaring voice has taken over the UK, where her debut Spirit entered the album chart at Number One and became Britain’s fastest-selling debut of all time. Spirit’s lead-off single “Bleeding Love” —co-written and produced by OneRepublic frontman Ryan “Alias” Tedder — claimed the Number One spot for seven weeks, and the album sold over 1 million copies in the UK in just 5 weeks. Ushering in 2008, Leona received four prestigious Brit Award nominations, the UK equivalent of the Grammy Awards.

Spirit will be released in the US by J Records/Syco on April 8, 2008. Written and produced by an array of top-notch hit-makers, the album is a showcase for Lewis’ powerhouse voice — which has evoked comparisons to Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and Céline Dion. (Warned Entertainment Weekly: “Divas, watch out!”)

“Those women are the true divas,” Lewis insists. “They’re amazing performers whom I’ve listened to for years. These are the people who’ve inspired me to sing, so it’s flattering that I’m being compared to them. But I have a lot of hard work to do first!”

Such disarming modesty is part of what has endeared Lewis to her fans, who watched her journey to stardom on television each week on The X Factor, a British talent show executive-produced by American Idol’s Simon Cowell, who is also a judge. She won the 2006 competition handily, stunning the notoriously critical Cowell into silence who said: “I think she’s one of the best singers we’ve seen in this country for a long, long time.”

Knowing a superstar when he heard it, Cowell phoned legendary music executive and J Records founder Clive Davis and told him: “You might have the next Whitney Houston on your hands.” For the first time, the two teamed up and signed Lewis to J Records/ SyCo Music (Cowell's joint venture with Sony BMG). “I was immediately knocked out by her range, her versatility, and the pure beauty of her voice,” said Davis. “She is an artist who will be a true star for many years to come.”

Davis and Cowell have made sure of it by introducing Lewis to an all-star roster of collaborators to bring out her best on Spirit, including Tedder (currently enjoying his own hit with the ubiquitous “Apologize”), singer/songwriters Akon (Gwen Stefani, T-Pain) and Ne-Yo (Rihanna, Beyoncé, Jennifer Hudson), songwriters Josh Alexander and Billy Steinberg (Madonna, Whitney Houston, Céline Dion), and songwriter/producers Dallas Austin (Madonna, Gwen Stefani, Pink), Stargate (Rihanna, Beyoncé, Ne-Yo), J.R. Rotem (Britney Spears, Ashley Tisdale), and Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald (Kelly Clarkson, Avril Lavigne).

“It was quite daunting at first to work with such well-known people,” Lewis admits, “but they gave me their full attention and really wanted to do their best. They were all really lovely and I learned something different from each one of them.”

For Lewis, making a solo album was the chance to realize a dream she’s had since the tender age of 5, when her parents (father is Guyanese/mother is Welsh) enrolled her into London’s prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School. Lewis then attended the performing arts academy The BRIT School, where she honed her songwriting and production skills. Encouraged by winning several talent contests as a teen, she left school and took part-time jobs — including working in Pizza Hut as a waitress — to earn money to pay for studio time. “It was about doing my music,” she says. “It has always been my passion to be a singer and songwriter.”

In 2006, Lewis auditioned for The X Factor and won in a landslide on December 16th. Her first single broke a world record when it was downloaded 50,000 times in 30 minutes and subsequently outsold the rest of the U.K.’s Top 40 singles combined. Leona mania had taken hold of Britain.

Now Lewis hopes to do the same in the U.S. “I wanted to make an album that was totally me,” Lewis says. “Each song is about something that either I’ve gone through or that someone around me has gone through. The lyrics reflect things that I’m really passionate about. I have to be able to put myself in the song for it to ring true to me. If it doesn’t ring true to me, it’s not going to be believable to anyone else.”

Indeed Lewis’passion for singing comes through loud and clear. “My love for music is my main motivation as an artist,” she says. “I’ve found that you can help so many people with your songs. I’ve received a lot of letters from people saying that ‘Bleeding Love’ really helped them. I think if you can do that, it makes it all worth it.”


*Sorry to say this, but I've been a huge fan of Mariah. It just seems like she's losing it, although she still guarantees the records sell since she's so popular just like Madonna & Celine Dion. Whenever they release an album, it says something!! Meaning.....it's gonna sell great no matter what, but lately with her singles "Touch My Body" yea it's got a great music and all that yet personally still perfer Leona's Music. Her album "Spirit" along with so many wonderful songs, it's what the lyrics that give the spirit to the Music. With Leona, it gives me a reminiscience of the early Mariah Carey ^___^ , which explains even she's so new she's already on top 2 of Billboard chart.

I can't believe that she actually recorded "Footprints in the Sand" in it!!!! lol...I always tell myself..why can't anyone write a song to go with that wonderful poem!! There she is......haha~! Love it~

In comparison of her lyrics 2008 "Touch My Body" & 1995 "When I Saw You"
Touch My Body - By Mariah Carey

MC, you're the place to be
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah

I know that you've been waiting for it
I'm waiting too
In my imagination I'd be all up on you
I know you got that fever for me
Hundred and two
And boy I know I feel the same
My temperature's through the roof

If there's a camera up in here
Then it's gonna leave with me
When I do (I do)
If there's a camera up in here
Then I'd best not catch this flick
On YouTube (YouTube)
'Cause if you run your mouth and brag
About this secret rendezvous
I will hunt you down
'Cause baby I'm up in my bidness
Like a Wendy interview
But this is private
Between you and I

Touch my body
Put me on the floor
Wrestle me around
Play with me some more
Touch my body
Throw me on the bed
I just wanna make you feel
Like you never did.
Touch my body
Let me wrap my thighs
All around your waist
Just a little taste
Touch my body
Know you love my curves
Come on and give me what I deserve
And touch my body.

Boy you can put me on you
Like a brand new white tee
I'll hug your body tighter
Than my favorite jeans
I want you to caress me
Like a tropical breeze
And float away with you
In the Caribbean Sea

If there's a camera up in here
Then it's gonna leave with me
[ Touch My Body lyrics found on http://www.completealbumlyrics.com ]
When I do (I do)
If there's a camera up in here
Then I'd best not catch this flick
On YouTube (YouTube)
'Cause if you run your mouth and brag
About this secret rendezvous
I will hunt you down
'Cause baby I'm up in my bidness
Like a Wendy interview
But this is private
Between you and I

Touch my body
Put me on the floor
Wrestle me around
Play with me some more
Touch my body
Throw me on the bed
I just wanna make you feel
Like you never did.
Touch my body
Let me wrap my thighs
All around your waist
Just a little taste
Touch my body
Know you love my curves
Come on and give me what I deserve
And touch my body.

Imma treat you like a teddy bear
You won't wanna go nowhere
In the lap of luxury
Baby just turn to me
You won't want for nothing boy
I will give you plenty
Touch my body

Touch my body
Put me on the floor
Wrestle me around
Play with me some more
Touch my body
Throw me on the bed
I just wanna make you feel
Like you never did.
Touch my body
Let me wrap my thighs
All around your waist
Just a little taste
Touch my body
Know you love my curves
Come on and give me what I deserve
And touch my body.

Oh yeah oh yeah oh yeah
Oh yeah oh yeah
Oh oh oh oh yeah
Touch my body...

When I Saw You - By Mariah Carey

Soft heavenly eyes gazed into me
Transcending space and time
And I was rendered still
There were no words for me to find at all
As I stood there beside myself
I could see you and no-one else

When I saw you
When I saw you
I could not breathe
I fell so deep
When I saw you
When I saw you
I'd never be
I'd never be the same

Only once in a lifetime love rushes in
Changing you with the tide
And dawn's ribbon of light
Bursts through the dark
Wakening you inside
And I thought it was all untrue
Until there, all at once, I knew

When I saw you
When I saw you
I could not breathe
I fell so deep
When I saw you
When I saw you
I'd never be
I'd never be the same

With no beginning
And without an end
You are the one for me
And it's evident
And your eyes told me so
Your eyes let me know

When I saw you
When I saw you
I could not breathe
I fell so deep
When I saw you
When I saw you
I'd never be
I'd never be the same