The Leona effect!
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
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
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
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
"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
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
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