“The most important thing to me is to give something back to my parents, because they've done so much for me throughout my life.”

British singer, songwriter, and actress

Leona Lewis is a British singer, songwriter, and actress from London. Born and raised in the city, she came to national attention after winning the third series of ITV’s The X Factor in 2006. Her victory brought a £1 million recording contract with Syco Music, and her winner’s single, a cover of Kelly Clarkson’s "A Moment Like This", spent four weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart. It also set a world record by reaching 50,000 digital downloads in 30 minutes. In 2007, she signed a five-album US deal with Clive Davis’s J Records.