Leona Lewis - a Powerful Voice Born to Rock!

The United Kingdom's version of "American Idol" is called "The X Factor" which has a huge audience base and fans as in the U.S. Perhaps more so.

But who would have guessed that this talented X Factor participant would capture 60% of the audiences' final vote (said to number in the millions) after performing every single week before finally walking away with the prize of all prizes - a lucrative and life-changing multi-million dollar recording contract with the biggest name in the recording industry! Whitney and Mariah call him a close friend but we all know him as Clive Davis! And when Simon Cowell called - excited - Davis listened. And some time later, many others - listened, with heart and soul, enjoying the vocals of a very talented young lady slatted to take the US (and the rest of the world) by storm. Who is this talented lady that practically stole the hearts of the staid British AND Simon Cowell? None other then Ms. Leona Lewis.

What!? You have never heard of Leona Lewis? But you will. You will.

Leona held court over the X-Factor that entire season amid rave reviews, critical acclaim and the most awesome of all - she literally went beyond the show itself as few have ever done!

Leona's success is no surprise to those near-and-dear to her, as she has been pursuing a career in music for most of her life. Leona Lewis wrote her first song when she was only 12 years old and won a teen contest the following year. She later attended two UK schools similar to our own School of Performing Arts here in the US.

Leona Lewis', bolstered by the encouragement of family and friends, made the decision that would change her life - and auditioned for The X Factor. The British program basically follows the same script as American Idol but with participants performing in front of three or four judges; Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne, Dannii Minogue and Louis Walsh.

Born with an amazing voice of unbelievable power, grace and range, hitting angelic high notes reminiscent of Mariah and Whitney, the 22- year old from Hackney, East London was destined for stardom. Months earlier, her huge British # 1 single entitled "A Moment Like This" astounded the world by selling over 50,000 downloads in the first half hour alone! This single sold well over 600,000 copies in its first week, making Ms. Leona Lewis the fastest selling debut female artist of all time - bar none!

To know and listen to the 22-year old is to be totally hypnotized by her voice stylings blended with a laid back and easy-going manner you get a winning combination wrapped in an engaging package of beauty, talent and personality plus! She charmed this writer when she was interviewed on Entertainment Tonight recently and was totally floored by her vocals that were absolutely mesmerizing!

Cowell has been quoted as saying her down-to-earth nature is very rare, special and quite endearing. The beautiful, talented and albeit modest Ms. Lewis has also been featured in a recent edition of Harper's Bazaar modeling clothing by designers such as Cavalli and Dolce & Gabbana.

She has inked a 9.7 million dollar, five-album record deal with Clive Davis who has worked with past platinum recording artists like Aretha Franklin, Michael and Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Destiny's Child, Usher, Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. Is this a 'diva-darling' in the making? Only time will tell but judging from our 'neighbor across the ocean' she has all the potential to do just that.

This 'diva-darling' has come to the forefront as not only a rapidly rising songstress, but also a considerable force to reckon with. And with the support of Cowell and Davis, the sky is the limit.

If you are wondering how you can get a copy of her music here, it's not slated for US release until sometime in early 2008, which marks her global debut. But, in Britain, this same album, "Spirit", released in November of 2007, boasted the biggest selling single of the year in the record-breaking song 'Bleeding Love' when it was released racking up 375,000 sales the first week! "Bleeding Love" reigned for six weeks as number one on the UK charts and is now the fourth-fastest selling single of all time in Britain.

These are the tracks featured on her debut album, "Spirit."

1. Bleeding Love

2. Whatever It Takes

3. Homeless

4. Better in Time

5. Yesterday

6. Take a Bow

7. I Will Be

8. Angel

9. Here I Am

10. I'm You

11. The Best You Never Had

12. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

13. Footprints in the Sand

14. A Moment Like This (UK Bonus Track)

You can catch Leona Lewis either being interviewed by the tabloids, Entertainment Tonight, the popular celeb mags or being immortalized by Disney for their animated feature film, "Enchanted" just released. Or visit her official website which feature bytes of her hot singles "Bleeding Love" and "A Moment Like This"as well as the videos! Just a friendly warning - they are awesome!