She is absolutely the best pop vocalist I have ever heard! Raw talent, hands down! Unbelievably amazing! Even when she's ill she sounds better that most of the pop divas of the day at their best! Who an I talking about? Leona Lewis! winner of the The X Factor!! (Simon's UK version of an Idol competition)

I first heard of her on a Yahoo rss feed and didn't think much about it! Some new singer touted to be the "next best thing" is constantly in our foreground as the music industry attempts to discover the next new music-pop-culture phenomenon!

The next is when my [vocal] student Rachel went on and on about how awesome she is! [Understand that Rachel currently goes to an Arkansas magnet school where she is exposed to a LOT more culture than most young women in the south.]
So in my free time I began to follow her [Rachel's] advice and YouTube her! And I was SIMPLY AMAZED!!

Not only was she a powerhouse vocalist she was unusually humble (and not falsely so)! Which is SOOO refreshing! Words can not even explain how wonderful I thought (and still think) she was! (You simply have to listen for yourself!)

Then I began reading the comments and was quite alarmed! It seems that "we" American's are not happy with the "love" of this UK Idol! Americans, I'm sad to say, are not welcoming her as a fresh, new and AMAZING voice of all time, they are jealous of her sensation simply because she's an X Factor winner!

There are comments like, "Our [American] idols are just as good!! In fact better!" comments are not just wrong, but blindly wrong! As far as talent? She takes the cake from ALL the winners of Simon's "Idol" competitions. And, though I'm not a fan of the show, I do leave the radio on when most "Idol Winners" songs are played! They are good top 40 songs. (Heck, we all know that a little talent and an AWESOME producer goes WAY farther than great talent and crappy producing!) But, I, as a vocalist, artist and teacher of voice, do recognize that her [Leona's] voice is light years better then they are!!!!

It all boils down to this: Her marketability is tainted in America....just because she's an X Factor winner!! And it proves that American's are yet again too prideful and competitive to be accepting of another country that breeds excellence!

The ONLY thing I think is wrong...if you can use the word 'wrong'....with Leona's voice is that it's TOO perfect!! Can that even BE a problem? In America, yes! "We" go for the voices that are different! Interesting if you will! Why do you think we fell in love with Amy Winehouse? Her voice is interesting! Janis Joplin....interesting....Madonna...interesting....Streisand...interesting…Alisha Keys….interesting! Their voices have a sound that is unique! You see, a great song makes a quick one-hit wonder but an interesting vocal sound is poised to make a pop star. Combine the 2 and you have the makings of a Diva or Devo! (Devo e.g. Elvis, Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Elton John, Freddie Mercury…) And ultimately…if their career is managed properly…a Legend! These singers were not perfect, they were interesting!

Leona just needs time to find “her” voice! Right now, she’s an AMAZING imitation of her contemporaries! Even better than! It’s like if Mariah and Whitney had a voice-baby…it would be her!! But, we already have both of those voices! 

And yes, it’s true that she [Leona] has a nice sized schnoz (such an American thing…HELLO Streisand)…she is STILL a BEAUTIFUL girl!! All of 21 years and already singing like that, and let us hope and pray that “the powers that be” in control of her career protect that voice from over singing!

All in all! This poor girl if reaping the negative benefits of being an X Factor Idol winner! (…at least in America!!....how very sad!) It would have been better for her to have been discovered my Simon randomly and he just took her on without her competing in the competition! It just seems more legit THAT way! I guess for us [Americans] it’s more of an “American Dream!” (Crazy, huh?) Perception is VERY powerful!! Especially in the entertainment business!! And especially in America!