Leona Louise Lewis was born on 3 April 1985 in London. The future celebrity went to an art school in her native city where she honed her piano and guitar playing skills. In college, she wrote her first songs.
Leona won the X Factor in December 2006 and got a million-pound contract with Syco label. Soon after the victory, she released her first single and set a world record for downloaded singles – 50,000 downloads in less than half an hour. The single was a cover for Kelly Clarkson’s “A Moment Like This”. The second song “Bleeding Love” became the best-sold single of 2007 in the UK. It earned a variety of platinum certifications and topped numerous charts. The same year, Leona released her debut LP, Spirit, which became the fastest selling album in the UK and Ireland. The album sold 10 million copies worldwide.
In 2008, Lewis debuted in the United States with her top single “Bleeding Love” and the popular first LP. Her work was appreciated by the American fans and reached high spots on the US charts. For over 10 years before that, British musicians didn’t manage to achieve such amazing results in the USA. In the summer of 2008, Lewis and a famous British musician Jimmy Page performed at the closing of the Olympic Games in Beijing. They sang “Whole Lotta Love”, which was part of Led Zeppelin’s 1969 album, Led Zeppelin II. At that time, many organizers tried to book Leona Lewis for private events.
