Leona Louise Lewis was born on 3 April 1985 and is a British singer, songwriter, actress and activist.
99 Facts About Leona Lewis
2.
In February 2007, Leona Lewis signed a five-album contract in the United States with Clive Davis's record label, J Records.
3.
In 2011, Leona Lewis released the single "Collide", a collaboration with Swedish DJ Avicii, and her debut extended play, Hurt: The EP.
4.
Leona Lewis began to record material for her first Christmas album during her Glassheart Tour, which took place in mid 2013.
5.
In 2016, Leona Lewis made her Broadway debut as Grizabella in the revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Cats, and the following year, she signed a modelling contract with Wilhelmina Models.
6.
Leona Lewis then collaborated with Calum Scott on the single "You Are The Reason", and had a recurring role on the American television series The Oath.
7.
In 2021, Leona Lewis joined the Paramount+ show Queen of The Universe as a judge.
8.
Leona Lewis has won two MOBO Awards, an MTV Europe Music Award, and two World Music Awards.
9.
Leona Lewis is a six-time BRIT Award and three-time Grammy Award nominee.
10.
Leona Louise Lewis was born on 3 April 1985, in Islington, London, England, to a father of Afro-Guyanese descent and a mother with Welsh, Irish and Italian ancestry.
11.
Leona Lewis has an older half-brother, Bradley, and a younger brother, Kyle.
12.
At the age of 17, Leona Lewis decided to leave BRIT School to "get out there" and pursue a career in music.
13.
At 18, Leona Lewis secured a lead role in The Lion King theatre show in Paris; however, she withdrew after injuring her back while she was ice-skating.
14.
Leona Lewis recorded a demo album, called Twilight, in collaboration with Spiral Music, a production company based in Fulham, but it failed to secure her an album deal with any record companies.
15.
Leona Lewis auditioned for the third series of The X Factor in 2006, singing "Over the Rainbow" for judges Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh, Sharon Osbourne and guest judge Paula Abdul.
16.
Leona Lewis recorded tracks for the album in London, Miami, Los Angeles, New York City and Atlanta, where she worked with several songwriters and record producers including Dallas Austin, Walter Afanasieff, Salaam Remi, Steve Mac, Stargate and Ne-Yo.
17.
Leona Lewis received three nominations for the 51st Grammy Awards in December 2008.
18.
Leona Lewis was nominated for four BRIT Awards: or British Female Solo Artist, British Breakthrough Act, British Album for Spirit, and British Single for "Bleeding Love", but despite being the favourite to win the most awards, she received none.
19.
Leona Lewis won two awards at the 2008 MOBO Awards: Best Album for Spirit and Best Video for "Bleeding Love".
20.
In December 2008 Leona Lewis was named 'Top New Artist' by Billboard magazine.
21.
Leona Lewis described the album as "more guitar-driven" compared to Spirit.
22.
Leona Lewis performed her first full UK show at the Hackney Empire in London on 2 November 2009, performing songs from Spirit and Echo.
23.
Leona Lewis recorded the theme song for the 2009 science fiction film Avatar, directed by James Cameron.
24.
In January 2010, Leona Lewis provided vocals on a cover of "Everybody Hurts", released to help raise money for victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
25.
Leona Lewis performed a 13-piece set list at the Rock in Rio festival in Lisbon, Portugal, on 22 May 2010, including songs from Spirit and Echo.
26.
Leona Lewis signed a book deal in January 2009 to release an illustrated autobiography in October 2009.
27.
At a book signing for Dreams on 14 October 2009, at the Piccadilly branch of Waterstone's book store in central London, Leona Lewis was assaulted by a 29-year-old man from south London who began punching her in the head.
28.
Leona Lewis was arrested at the scene; the assailant was sectioned under the Mental Health Act 2007 and was charged with common assault.
29.
Leona Lewis admitted to the offence and was hospitalised for an indeterminate period.
30.
Leona Lewis was scheduled to tour North America from July to August 2010 supporting Christina Aguilera's Bionic Tour, but Aguilera cancelled the tour, leaving Leona Lewis's plans unknown.
31.
Leona Lewis began work on her third album, Glassheart, shortly after she had completed The Labyrinth tour.
32.
Leona Lewis described Glassheart as "energetic, deep, [and] unique" and said it would have a darker tone.
33.
Leona Lewis cited Tracy Chapman, Kate Bush and Tears for Fears as the album's primary influences.
34.
Leona Lewis released a single, the dance-pop song "Collide", written by Autumn Rowe and produced by Sandy Vee, in the UK on 4 September 2011 and Germany on 9 September 2011.
35.
Leona Lewis released an EP on 9 December 2011, Hurt: The EP, containing three covers.
36.
Leona Lewis went on to perform on the American version of X Factor, and as the featured performer for the closing of the 2011 Doha Film Festival, where she sang ten songs, including several cover versions.
37.
At the Hackney Weekend, Leona Lewis performed further cover versions and debuted the song "Come Alive" from Glassheart.
38.
Leona Lewis embarked on a 16-date tour in the UK beginning in April 2013.
39.
In July 2013, Leona Lewis revealed that her new studio album would be a "Motown-influenced" Christmas collection, with both classic covers and original material.
40.
Leona Lewis performed the song on the semi-final of the tenth series of The X Factor on 8 December 2013.
41.
Leona Lewis has overtaken Olivia Newton-John's tally of seven top five singles.
42.
Leona Lewis featured on Michael Bolton's cover of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" for his album of the same name, which was released in May 2014.
43.
In June 2014, Leona Lewis had parted ways with Syco Music, and signed a new record deal with Universal Music's Island Records UK.
44.
Leona Lewis later revealed that her departure from Syco had come after "several years" of consideration.
45.
Leona Lewis stated that when she expressed her desire to part with the label, she was threatened with the public being told that she had been dropped instead of parting amicably.
46.
However, further creative differences in relation to her fifth studio album finally caused Leona Lewis to leave the label.
47.
That day, Leona Lewis announced her third headlining concert tour, titled the I Am Tour, which ran from February to March 2016.
48.
On 26 September 2015, Leona Lewis appeared as a special guest at the Nashville concert on Taylor Swifts The 1989 World Tour, where the pair performed "Bleeding Love" as a duet.
49.
In December 2015, Leona Lewis performed a cover of "Girl Crush" with Adam Lambert at the CMT Artists of the Year event.
50.
In 2018, Leona Lewis performed at the National Memorial Day Concert in Washington DC, and at the 92nd Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York.
51.
Leona Lewis appeared as a musical guest in an episode of NBC's 2019 television show Songland, searching for upcoming songwriters.
52.
Leona Lewis recorded the winning song, "Solo Quiero ", which was written during the show.
53.
Leona Lewis appeared in a supporting role of Elena in the 1980s-inspired 2014 musical film Walking on Sunshine.
54.
Leona Lewis made her Broadway debut, as Grizabella, in the July 2016 revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Cats.
55.
Leona Lewis left the role, after three months of playing the character, on 9 October 2016.
56.
Leona Lewis appeared as a judge on the UK TV series The X Factor: The Band.
57.
In December 2020, Leona Lewis sang alongside Smokey Robinson, Tori Kelly and Sam Fischer on a cover of "What The World Needs Now", with all proceeds going to the American Red Cross.
58.
Leona Lewis announced she would tour with Gary Barlow on his tour "All the Hits Live 2021", in arenas across the UK and Ireland, in November and December 2021.
59.
On 28 October 2021, Leona Lewis announced she would be a judge on the Paramount+ series Queen of the Universe, which premiered in December.
60.
In November 2021, Leona Lewis released the song "Kiss Me It's Christmas", featuring Ne-Yo.
61.
In December 2021, Leona Lewis was named Spotify Equal UK and Ireland Artist of the Month.
62.
Leona Lewis performed at the Royal Carols: Together at Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey.
63.
In March 2022, Leona Lewis received a nomination at the 2022 Music Week Awards, for her Christmas, with Love Always marketing campaign in 2021.
64.
Leona Lewis narrated It's up to Us: A Children's Terra Carta for Nature, People and Planet, in collaboration with King Charles III and The Prince's Trust, via Ecoflix, encouraging children to save the planet.
65.
Furthermore, Leona Lewis won the Sustainable Style Award at the Maison de Mode's 2023 Sustainable Style Awards, recognising her support for sustainable initiatives and animal welfare.
66.
Leona Lewis has a mezzo-soprano vocal range, which spans four octaves, and has had classical training.
67.
Leona Lewis has stated that she practices operatic scales every week.
68.
Leona Lewis commented that it would have a darker tone and that she would be putting her "heart into [her] lyrics".
69.
In October 2008, The Times reported that Leona Lewis had turned down a seven-figure sum from Mohamed Al Fayed to open a Harrods sale.
70.
Leona Lewis commented that she turned down the deal on the grounds that Harrods is the only UK department store that continues to stock clothing made from animal fur: "It wasn't a million pounds that I was offered, as the papers reported, but even if it had been, I still would have turned it down".
71.
In 2010, Leona Lewis featured in Modern Dog magazine, where she stated her love of dogs and horses, and her admiration for the McCartney family's stance against animal cruelty.
72.
In 2011, Leona Lewis was a guest judge on Platinum Hit, and in May 2012, she returned to The X Factor as a guest judge during auditions in London for the ninth series.
73.
In March 2013, Leona Lewis was announced as the new brand activist for The Body Shop and released a cruelty-free makeup range.
74.
Leona Lewis has shown support for Little Kids Rock, a non-profit organization that works to restore and revitalize music education in disadvantaged US public schools, by donating items for auction to raise money for the organization.
75.
Leona Lewis headlined Cirque du Soleil's One Night for One Drop performance in Las Vegas in March 2016, to help to raise funds and awareness for critical water issues worldwide.
76.
Leona Lewis signed a modelling contract with Wilhelmina Models in 2017.
77.
Leona Lewis, initially contracted to serve as a guest judge, became a permanent judge on The X Factor: The Band in December 2019, joining during the Audience auditions.
78.
That same month, Leona Lewis opened a vegan cafe in Pasadena called Coffee and Plants, which is plant-based with everything recyclable and a tree planted after 100 cups sold.
79.
In March 2020, Leona Lewis hosted and performed at the youth empowerment event WE Day, at Wembley.
80.
Leona Lewis performed her duet You Are The Reason with singer Calum Scott.
81.
Leona Lewis continued her charitable work throughout 2020, releasing a cover of Robbie Williams' "Angels" in honour of the NHS.
82.
In December 2020, Leona Lewis headlined the NSPCC's virtual Christmas concert raising money for Childline and backed Save The Children's campaign to prevent child hunger at Christmas.
83.
Furthermore, Leona Lewis sang alongside Smokey Robinson, Tori Kelly and Sam Fischer on a cover of "What The World Needs Now", with all proceeds going to the American Red Cross.
84.
In June 2021, Leona Lewis was made the official patron of the Hackney Empire, as part of its 120-year anniversary celebrations.
85.
Leona Lewis will continue to mentor students and host workshops to champion the arts of the students at the historic venue.
86.
Leona Lewis narrated It's up to Us: A Children's Terra Carta for Nature, People and Planet, in collaboration with King Charles III and The Prince's Trust, via Ecoflix, encouraging children to save the planet.
87.
Furthermore, Leona Lewis won the Sustainable Style Award at the Maison de Mode's 2023 Sustainable Style Awards, recognising her support for sustainable initiatives and animal welfare.
88.
Leona Lewis was vegetarian from the age of 12 and has been vegan since September 2012.
89.
Leona Lewis was named PETA's Person of the Year for 2008.
90.
Leona Lewis is a supporter of World Animal Protection and is a patron of the Hopefield Animal Sanctuary in Brentwood, Essex.
91.
In September 2014, in an open letter to fans, Leona Lewis revealed that she felt extremely depressed around the time of her departure from Syco.
92.
Leona Lewis later emphasised that it was not clinical depression from which she had been suffering.
93.
Leona Lewis credited her professional separation from Simon Cowell and her practice of meditation with helping her "still the madness".
94.
In 2017, Leona Lewis revealed she has Hashimoto's disease, detailing the pain and fatigue experienced because of the condition.
95.
Leona Lewis married her long-term fiance, professional dancer and choreographer Dennis Jauch, in July 2019.
96.
In November 2019, Leona Lewis sold her $2.25 million Californian ranch, in Glendale, upscaling to a $3.7 million property in the guard-gated Hidden Hills, Los Angeles.
97.
Leona Lewis sold the property to Simon Cowell in 2020 for $3.9 million.
98.
Leona Lewis purchased her Studio City home for $2.6 million in March 2021.
99.
Leona Lewis gave birth to a girl on 22 July 2022 named Carmel Allegra.