# Leona Lewis

Leona Louise Lewis (born 3 April 1985) is a British singer, songwriter, actress, model and activist.

## Quotes

* If I woke up tomorrow morning and it was just a dream, it would be the best dream I've ever had, and I would be ― I would not be happy to be waking up! [laughter]
** The Xtra Factor: Winner's Story 2006
** Upon winning The X-Factor
* [People] would ask me, "what do you want to be when you're older?" and I'd be like, "a singer", and they'd be like, "what do you really want to be?" and I'd be like, "oh, I really want to be a singer."
** NRJ Radio, October 2007
* I'm not a loud, extravagant person; I'm never going to be that and, to be honest, I don't want to be like that. I don't show off or boast, and it's pointless to think I'm going to be any different.
** Interview with Lina Das, Daily Mail, October 2007
* I'd always been quite quiet growing up, and singing was a way of having a voice.
** Daily Mail, October 2007
* I was at a really low point, thinking of going to university and doing a course because the music thing just wasn't happening for me. But I went on the show and...
** Daily Mail, October 2007
* Whatever happens to me from now on, I can't ever imagine wanting to distance myself from The X Factor, or having a bad word to say about it, because the show opened doors for me that had never opened before.
** Daily Mail, October 2007
* I am vegetarian, so I don't have clothes, shoes or bags made from leather or suede or any animal products. Shoes are hard to find. These are fake Uggs. And I've got a pair of vintage boots, which are PVC.
** Press call, October 2007
* I hate the thought of animals being killed just for our pleasure...
** Bang Showbiz, December 2007
* Diamonds are supposed to be a girl's best friend but it's impossible to know for sure where they have come from so I find it is safer just to avoid them altogether.
** Bang Showbiz, December 2007
* I went to Clive Davis' Grammy party and I nearly spontaneously combusted because everyone on my iPod was there!
** Contactmusic.com, March 2008
* Those women are the true divas. 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.
** Access Hollywood, March 2008
** Regarding comparisons to Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston
* I'm trying to stay as healthy as possible but there's no pressure to be really skinny. No. That's just a bit wrong.
** Interview with Liz Jones, Daily Mail, March 2008
* My friends are the ones I've had since primary school. They're really cool and such a good bunch of people. They came to every one of my gigs before all of this happened, you know; they were there in the smoky pubs, wherever.
** Daily Mail, March 2008
* He [Simon Cowell] is actually very lovely in real life. We share the same interests, and he shares my love for animals as well.
** Interview with Marc Malkin E!, April 2008
* You have to have the courage to stand up for what you believe in – no matter how hard it is – as your beliefs make you who you are amid all the celeb madness. I'm a vegetarian and never wear leather or use products tested on animals. When I was just starting out I'd get a gazillion freebies thrown at me, so it was hard to know what contained what. Now, I've made sure that before I get to a photoshoot people know my stance on that.
** Sugar magazine, April 2008
* No one is "the next" anyone, especially if that person is still here, doing their thing, as she [Mariah] clearly is. The comparisons people have made to me are so flattering, but I think it's insensitive to the people I'm compared to.
** Rolling Stone magazine, May 2008
** On being proclaimed the new Mariah
* I may not be loud but that doesn't mean I'm not strong within myself. My mum and dad instilled in me to stand up for what I believe in – and I do.
** Now magazine, July 2008

## Quotes about Lewis

* I've had no demands, no weird requests for strange-colored water or cushions. She's exactly the same person I met two years ago.
** Simon Cowell, Entertainment Weekly, April 2008
* She's a supreme perfectionist and knows her own voice better than any artist I've ever worked with. She's like a scientist when it comes to working in the studio.
** Ryan Tedder, Daily Mirror, May 2008
* She is probably the best vocalist right now, in our time. [...] Around the world, I have seen her play live, and oh my goodness gracious, she just has the most angelic, amazing range ever.
** Katy Perry, The Scott Mills Show, BBC Radio 1, November 2008
* I recorded Jimmy Page and Leona Lewis performing Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin together... For me there were several moments that still seem a little unreal [like] realising just how technically and musically accomplished Leona Lewis is as an artist. I've not worked with many singers in the pop world who can discuss coloratura technique, and operas by Purcell and Bellini. [...] Leona can really sing with heart and soul, balanced with quite astounding technique.
** Philip Sheppard, Professor at the Royal Academy of Music, RadioMovies, February 2009

## External links

* Leona Lewis official website
* Leona Lewis on YouTube