Leona Lewis - America

[iadoremika]

She was the winner of the X Factor in the UK at the end of 2006. Her father is black and her mother white, I believe. Her mother has blonde hair, and thinking about the auditions, before anyone had time to give her a makeover, she is light skinned, but her hair is kind of light brownish with goldeny bits (may be highlights).

She looks more polished and glamorous now, but essentially, her looks haven't changed.

 

So true.

 

Another 2 bits of randomness...

1- LOVED her dress at the Brit Awards.

2- I just typed in "Leona Lewis Brit Awards performance" in Google and the very first photo that came up was one of Mika...he he

[mandilambi]

I saw an article about her in Entertainment Weekly today. It was all about how Simon is pushing for her to be a big artist in the music scene. People are also saying she is the next Mariah Carey. Whoopy woo...Mariah Carey hasn't been good since her early 90's records. She's all skanky now.

[dcdeb]

But she has now got a top ten hit in America, something Mika has failed to do while having four in the UK last year and goodness knows how many in other European countries as well as a million selling album which hasn't been out of the top 20 for more than a year.

 

Is it just marketing, or is Leona more suited to American tastes, is my question?

 

IMO ONLY... I think she DOES have a sound that appeals to a wide range

of American ears. She's just like every other American Idol winner

we've had -- they just have "a sound," which for some reason

Americans have been conditioned to accept as "good."

 

Bleah.

 

Mika has to consider more effective marketing for his 2nd album if he wants to impress upon America. Mika needs to go on Oprah. A Mika song needs to be played on an Apple (Computer) commercial. A Mika song needs to be on the soundtrack of a major motion picture.

 

American Mika fans need to get their radio stations to play his songs.

 

But Love Today was on a major commercial for a cell phone company here,

plus Mika's tunes have been used on a number of MTV programs, plus

Grace Kelly was used in the commercials for an Adam Sandler movie... plus

the Ugly Betty them, plus the appearances on Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel,

Good Morning America (x2)...

so it's not for want of exposure that he's not bigger here.

 

When I hinted to Perez Hilton in my interview with him that Mika isn't as big

here, he hastened to Mika's defense, pointing to the fact that Mika's

sold out big venues. Which is true -- that's a major achievement. But

when I talk to my 16-year-old son's friends and mention Mika, all I

get is blank stares. He is simply not getting through to Middle America.

 

When Mika came to DC in June, I took my next-door neighbor with me.

Neither she nor her 16-year-old daughter knew who Mika was at the time.

Now, a year later, the daughter tells us, that she finally "gets" Mika

and really likes him. Finally.

 

It just takes time, I guess.

 

I can totally see Mika on Oprah. He needs to sit on the couch with his Oprah-loving granny, tell a sob story about his childhood, talk about how much he loves big women and throw a little confetti party.

 

Every single soccer mom in the country will eat that sh*t up and Mika will be a household word inside of three months. Seriously.

 

I hate to say it, but you might be right. But I don't see Mika doing that.

Maybe Ellen -- she would suit him better, and has almost the same

appeal and influence as Oprah. Almost.

 

There's a difference between sales and coverage. Leona is more likely to, and can attain more of both of those more easily than Mika can, that's all.

 

Yes -- coverage is one thing. Whether it translates into sales remains to

be seen. I also don't know anyone who knows who Leona Lewis is yet.

 

dcdeb

[LadyGodiva]

i really don't know how she got higher on the charts in america, i had barely heard of her before i got on the boards and nobody in my school really knows who she is....???

[Suzy]

But Love Today was on a major commercial for a cell phone company here,

plus Mika's tunes have been used on a number of MTV programs, plus

Grace Kelly was used in the commercials for an Adam Sandler movie... plus

the Ugly Betty them, plus the appearances on Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel,

Good Morning America (x2)...

so it's not for want of exposure that he's not bigger here.

 

dcdeb

 

Oh yeah, you're right....and "So You Think You Can Dance".

[phunkygal]

Is this right that Leona Lewis is in the top 10 singles in America?

Who's buying it? I mean, she's the darling of X Factor here and does have a good voice, but......

Is it marketing, or American taste?

 

Is Mika destined to be cult only?

 

i hate leona! but everyone in my school is obsessed with her!

[dcdeb]

i hate leona! but everyone in my school is obsessed with her!

 

 

I don't know about that, but may I just say: poor Luke...

 

It seems that he goes from bad to worse in your little sig file

graphics... I was disturbed by the Britney Spears thing with his

head on it, but this one, with Luke as a rodent?

 

He deserves so much better!

 

dcdeb

[findingmywords]

She is getting a lot of exposure here:sneaky2: Poor Mika...

Yeah.. she is.

And also Sara Bareilles has been in the top 10 albums for a while now... and she just opened for mika last year...

[phunkygal]

I don't know about that, but may I just say: poor Luke...

 

It seems that he goes from bad to worse in your little sig file

graphics... I was disturbed by the Britney Spears thing with his

head on it, but this one, with Luke as a rodent?

 

He deserves so much better!

 

dcdeb

 

no, that was fergie in my sig, and he is a hamster. i wouldnt ever put anything in my sig that represented luke in a bad way, trust me. i wouldnt ever offend him. the hamster thing is a joke in the luke thread.

[mandilambi]

You may not intentionally offend him....but that doesn't necessarily mean you *know* what would offend Luke..

[dcdeb]

no, that was fergie in my sig, and he is a hamster. i wouldnt ever put anything in my sig that represented luke in a bad way, trust me. i wouldnt ever offend him. the hamster thing is a joke in the luke thread.

 

Fergie... Britney... whatever

 

I'm not saying you shouldn't do it... it just creeps me out to see poor Luke's

lovely face abused this way. That's all! You do whatever you want!

 

dcdeb

[Christine]

People are also saying she is the next Mariah Carey. Whoopy woo...Mariah Carey hasn't been good since her early 90's records. She's all skanky now.

 

I think the comparison is to a young Mariah. I was telling someone that the other day because that's who she reminds me of - the non-skanky version. At least she did when she was on X-Factor. As someone pointed out, Leona's starting to look a lot more polished now.

 

I have to say though that in spite of her current look Mariah Carey IS good. I saw her perform We Belong Together on Oprah and it was flawless. She has incredible control over her voice still and unlike Whitney Houston the quality is as good as ever.

 

IMO ONLY... I think she DOES have a sound that appeals to a wide range

of American ears. She's just like every other American Idol winner

we've had -- they just have "a sound," which for some reason

Americans have been conditioned to accept as "good."

 

Bleah.

 

I agree with you on the bleahness of the AI sound, although I think Leona Lewis is exceptional in terms of her voice. I just don't ever see her making interesting music because that's not where her talent lies.

 

She had a massive single in the UK with A Moment Like This and it was boring enough when Kelly Clarkson did it. Hearing it rehashed again week after week... I found it especially odd when the UK was in the middle of an explosion of exceptional new pop singer/songwriters and bands coming to the forefront.

 

i really don't know how she got higher on the charts in america, i had barely heard of her before i got on the boards and nobody in my school really knows who she is....???

 

Her album was only released late last year so you wouldn't have heard about her much before you joined the boards. She had one single after X-Factor, I believe, that was just released in the UK in late 2006.

 

Yeah.. she is.

And also Sara Bareilles has been in the top 10 albums for a while now... and she just opened for mika last year...

 

This is what I find more bizarre than Leona Lewis. These medicore singers making it big in the US. Can someone please explain this Feist phenomenon to me as well? I just don't get it.

 

This is where I think something is really off with what makes it to radio in the US. The Leona Lewis thing I understand.

[kjoshi]

it's funny this thread has popped up I was thinking about his tonight. It's so wierd her song is on the radio constantly!!!!!!! Along with with sara bareilles who opened for Mika here! Yet I've heard him on the radio here once and that was a tiny local radio station. So strange.

 

Edit...I just read the thread and pretty much repeated what you said.

 

Yeah.. she is.

And also Sara Bareilles has been in the top 10 albums for a while now... and she just opened for mika last year...

 

What I don't get is how songs like that song that has the lyrics, "Just like a tatoo, i'll always love you" or whatever it was

[Louiza]

Is it marketing, or American taste?

 

I think it's definately marketing but it's a bit of American taste too, since she sounds or tries to sound like Mariah who is hugely popular in America ( i think she just got her 18th number one or something)

[phunkygal]

You may not intentionally offend him....but that doesn't necessarily mean you *know* what would offend Luke..

 

well he would tell me im sure. trust me, he has a good sense of humor. i dont think i would paste his face on anything that wasnt respectful

[dcdeb]

This is what I find more bizarre than Leona Lewis. These mediocre singers making it big in the US. Can someone please explain this Feist phenomenon to me as well? I just don't get it.

 

This is where I think something is really off with what makes it to radio in the US. The Leona Lewis thing I understand.

 

I wish I knew what to tell you.

 

I gave up on US commercial radio last year -- we switched to satellite radio,

and haven't regretted it. We can still listen to the same old top 40

pop-crap that regular US radio stations play if we want to, but we

also get some more interesting choices. There's one channel called

"Left of Center" that plays some really obscure indie

stuff, things you might only

hear on college radio stations here, or maybe not at all. And then

there are a couple of stations that play "Electronica" which you would

seldom hear on the top 40 stations. Unless I actively seek her out, I'm

hopeful I'll escape hearing Leona Lewis on the radio at all.

 

As for Feist... I don't think she's that bad... but then there's also

Ingrid Michaelson, Yael Naim, and Sara Bareilles and

how many others with the

similar sort of sound... and that's my real objection. That the only thing

that is acceptable is something that has already succeeded. That's

why Chris Daughtry who sounds like Creed sounds like Nickelback etc.

has succeeded, IMO. For something different and fresh... it's a crapshoot.

 

Not meaning to offend anyone who likes any of the artists I just trashed

Just MHO.

 

dcdeb

[iadoremika]

I don't know if you guys know this already (you probably do) but...

 

Leona Lewis is performing on Ellen tomorrow.

[Shaza!]

I'm delighted she got to no.1! I think she's amazingly talented and she's such a lovely down to earth girl, I was so happy for her when I found out, especially after watching her time during X Factor, it's great to have seen here come this far! That's my opinion!

[babspanky]

And now a No 1 album!

 

From digital spy

 

Leona debuts at No.1 on US album chart

Wednesday, April 16 2008, 15:39 BST

 

By Nick Levine, Music Editor

 

 

Leona Lewis has become the first ever British female artist to debut at number one on the US album chart.

 

Her Spirit album, already a chart-topper in the UK, Australia and Germany, sold 205,000 copies in the US last week to top the Billboard 200 chart.

 

Simon Cowell described Lewis's achievement as "incredible", saying: "This is the hardest market to crack and for her debut album to go in at number one is unbelievable."

 

Lewis becomes the first British solo artist to top the US album chart since October 2006, when Rod Stewart made number one with his Still The Same... Great Rock Classics Of Our Time album.

 

This isn't Lewis's first taste of American chart glory. Last month her debut single, 'Bleeding Love', made number one on the US singles chart.

[Christine]

Her Spirit album, already a chart-topper in the UK, Australia and Germany, sold 205,000 copies in the US last week to top the Billboard 200 chart.

 

Holy jeez, if she sells half as many albums next week she will have topped total US sales of LICM in 2 weeks.

[babspanky]

And now a double top.

 

Leona scores US chart double

Thursday, April 17 2008, 11:45 BST (06:45 ET)

 

By Nick Levine, Music Editor

 

 

Leona Lewis has returned to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 to secure a rare US chart double.

 

The X Factor star is number one on the singles chart with 'Bleeding Love', while her Spirit album currently sits on top of the album chart.

 

'Bleeding Love' previously spent a week at number one from March 27, but has been held off the top spot for the past fortnight by Mariah Carey's 'Touch My Body' .

 

'Touch My Body' slips to five this week, behind Lewis, rapper Lil' Wayne, American Idol champion Jordin Sparks and Usher.

 

Madonna also suffers a tumble, falling from three to seven with '4 Minutes'.

 

The top ten in full:

 

1. (2) Leona Lewis: 'Bleeding Love'

2. (4) Lil Wayne ft. Static Major: 'Lollipop'

3. (7) Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown: 'No Air'

4. (5) Usher ft. Young Jeezy: 'Love In This Club'

5. (1) Mariah Carey: 'Touch My Body'

6. (6) Ray J & Yung Berg: 'Sexy Can I'

7. (3) Madonna ft. Justin Timberlake: '4 Minutes'

8. (8) Chris Brown: 'With You'

9. (9) Sara Bareilles: 'Love Song'

10. (10) Flo Rida ft. T-Pain: 'Low'

[iadoremika]

"Bleeding Love" was on "The Hills" last night...

[ohwowitsnicka]

Leona owns. Seriously though, I really love her music.

[iadoremika]

Leona owns. Seriously though, I really love her music.

She kind of reminds me of Tyra Banks for some reason...maybe it's the lightly coloured eyes or light brown hair...

[iadoremika]

This REALLY annoying girl (failed epically when she tried to sing "Grace Kelly", asks me why Mika is so skinny, sings to herself all the time...) that sits next to me in class called "Bleeding Love" emo...