Leona shot to fame when she won hit UK reality TV show ‘The X Factor’ in 2006. She was subsequently signed to judge Simon Cowell’s record label, and her debut UK single ‘A Moment Like This’ reached number one in the Christmas charts.

The London-born singer’s follow-up track ‘Bleeding Love’ also went straight to the top of the charts when it was released in October 2007.

Her album ‘Spirit’, released a month later, became the fastest-selling debut album in UK chart history, shifting 375,000 copies in its first week.

Leona’s bid to break America began when she signed with J Records boss Clive Davis, who launched the careers of Whitney Houston, Alicia Keys and Justin Timberlake.