Leona Lewis echoes her own success

Nov 30 2009 By Andy Welch

Leona Lewis's debut album was the fastest selling debut in UK history and went on to sell more than six million copies. But how has fame changed her? Not very much, as she explains. She also talks about new album Echo and how she can't wait to finally start performing live.

You'd think as Britain's biggest pop star - sorry Cheryl - she could get a bite to eat when she wants one, but no.

"There's nothing to eat, the only vegetarian thing they've got on the menu is a cheese sandwich," she says between mouthfuls of the apple she's found and is now virtually inhaling. "I'm starving."

We're in a hotel suite of an oddly downmarket hotel chain a few miles away from Central London. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but as the country's favourite singer who has shifted more than 8 million copies of her debut album since its release in 2007, you might expect to find her in more salubrious, city-centre surroundings.

"I'm still the same girl that went to that first X Factor audition," she says, perhaps explaining why she's eschewed a lavish setting.

"I've matured, which just comes with getting older and growing up, but still I'm very much the same. A bit wiser and that's about it.

"I still have my family very close to me, they're the people I trust," she adds. "It's not that I don't accept new people, because I do have a lot of new people I really think I can rely on, but it's just natural to have your family around you if you love and trust them."

The North Londoner, now 24, is the first UK singer to top the US album chart with their debut album. Her recently released second album, Echo, unsurprisingly sits atop the UK chart and is expected to fare equally well Stateside and in other territories where she's now a bona fide star.

Despite such success, Leona admits the promotional side of her career still feels alien to her, yet she's already aware of things she's going to do differently this time around.

"There are things, just with regard to photo shoots and stuff like that," she says, not willing to elaborate further.

That's the thing with Leona; she doesn't seem to want to elaborate much on anything.

In the three years since she was catapulted into the limelight by X Factor, we've learned very little about Leona. She's from Hackney in East London and has a long-term boyfriend, Lou Al-Chamaa, who she's known since she was 10. Her dad, Joe, is of Guyanese descent, while her mum, Marina, hails from Penarth in South Wales.

Ask her about X Factor and she's animated at first, saying how excited and nervous she has been each of the three times she's gone back on the show to perform, but then won't be drawn on any aspect of the current contest.

"I think they're all really talented. I don't know who is going to win. I can't call it," is her stock answer about the contestants.

She then describes the current show as "very entertaining", which might suggest the singer doesn't think much of this year's crop.

But then why would she?

For all the programme's flaws - the fact tuneless twins 'Jedward' progressed so far in a singing competition beggars belief - there's no denying Leona's voice is world-class. After Gary Barlow heard her sing, the Take That frontman told Simon Cowell he was duty-bound to give her the material her voice deserved. Leona knows she could sing any of this year's batch off the stage, but then she's got far too much grace to ever say that.

Leona says herself she can be quite shy and it takes a while to get to know her, and maybe her reticence to spill the beans stems from that.

There's also the events of last month to consider, though. Peter Kowalczyk, 29, attacked Leona at a book signing which understandably left her shaken. She's since said she's OK, and has spoken out sympathetically about her assailant, who was sectioned under the Mental Health Act before he could appear in court, but surely an incident like that is going to have a lasting effect on a sensitive soul such as Leona?

Understandably it's not a topic of conversation that comes up during our chat.

She opens up marginally more when asked about her mentor Cowell.

"We're really close, Simon and I," she says. "I'm signed to his label so he's very involved in my music. People need to realise Simon's very passionate about music and real songs with real melodies," she continues.

"He always wants a big vocal presence, he's passionate about that. That's what makes us work well as a team, I know where I want to be and he supports that."

Repeating the formula that worked so well for Spirit, Leona went off to America to record Echo. Again Clive Davis, the producer who's worked with everyone from Whitney Houston to Bruce Springsteen, oversaw the album sessions in LA, with Cowell also acting as executive producer.

"I basically went out [to LA] and started writing with different songwriters," says Leona. "There were a couple of songs that Simon liked and asked me to try, and some were tailored for me. It was all quite organic. I wasn't told I had to start at any time or anything, I just went and did it."

Echo is about the most perfect name for Leona's second album, in that it's almost exactly the same as her first. But if it ain't broke, why try to fix it? Like its predecessor, the album is largely made up of huge, emotional ballads, with a few upbeat tracks, such as I Got You thrown in for good measure.

The electro-pop Outta My Head might startle a few fans, but it's by far the most interesting track on the album, destined to take Leona's music to the dancefloor for the first time.

Next year Leona hopes to tour, something she's resisted so far having never planned to take her music on the road before releasing a second album.

"I wouldn't have had enough material for a proper tour before and I wanted to put on a big show. What would I have done? I'd have to say 'Do you want Bleeding Love again? This is the 12" version'," she says cracking her first joke.

She made her UK live debut earlier this month, around the corner from where she grew up at the Hackney Empire. It's amazing she's not performed a gig here before, but Leona believes it's the start of big things.

"We had holograms on stage there and things, which is quite different to what people have seen before. I'm working with creative director William Baker [best known for his work with Kylie] and we've been rehearsing a lot so when I do tour, it will be really special.

"I just want to do things that are different."

Leona Lewis - Extra time

Leona Lewis was born on April 3, 1985.

Her debut single A Moment Like This became the fastest-selling single in UK history after being downloaded 50,000 times within 30 minutes of being released.

Her follow-up single Bleeding Love went to No 1 in more than 30 single charts around the world.

When Spirit was released in 2007, it became both the fastest-selling debut album in UK history, and the biggest-selling album of the year. It was also the sixth biggest-selling album of 2008.

Despite being the poster girl of X Factor, Leona says she doesn't normally get to meet the contestants. "They hide me from them. Actually, tell a lie, I did meet them the year Leon won. He was telling me how nervous he was. Bless him."