X Factor 3 Preview - Leona Lewis

Leona Lewis
Manager – Simon Cowell
Odds – 5/1 (Outright), 7/5 (16-24 Winner)

Leona Lewis is 21 years old, from London and works as a PA / receptionist. She is the middle child of three, having two brothers called Kyle and Bradley.

According to the bookmakers she is the second favourite to win the X Factor outright behind Ben Mills and is the firm favourite to do the best out of those in the 16-24 category.

Leona has been a keen singer since she was able to talk and recalls her father telling her that when she was younger she used to sit in the back of the car and he would be playing old school music while driving. He would turn down the music and turn to face Leona who would be singing all the words, despite not knowing how to talk properly yet.

She began to shine after enrolling at Sylvia Young and then the Brits Academy. By the age of 13 she won the Lady D under-18 talent show at the Hackney Empire and has since taken part in many talent competitions, shows and acoustic gigs. Leona is also a keen dancer and actor but has always wanted to sing. Despite working as a receptionist and previously as a waitress in Pizza Hut, she has never pursued another career other than music.

Leona comes from a musical family and reveals her father is into DJ-ing while her mother worked as a dance teacher. Leona cites several musical influences including Anita Baker, Alita Adams, Mariah Carey, Eva Cassidy and Stevie Wonder with her current favourites as Whitney Huston and Roberta Flack. She names Michael Jackson's "Thriller" as her favourite album and favourite single as Mariah Carey's "Can't Let Go".

Leona auditioned in London singing Eva Cassidy's "Over The Rainbow" and all three judges were impressed with the performance. Simon Cowell claimed "she looked terrific and when it was good it was great". Louis Walsh agreed and stated "she was the whole package".

At bootcamp Leona sang "I Have Nothing" by Whitney Houston on the first day, leaving Simon and Sinitta under no illusions that they had found something special in her. They both agreed that she was terrific and looked like a star.

Before participating on the X Factor Leona had recorded an album but it is the show which will give her a shot at the big time. Could this be the year a female artist wins the show outright, following recent male domination by Steve Brookstein and Shayne Ward?