Someone who knows a lot about The X Factor is former champ Leona Lewis. The Collide singer has revealed she thought the show might not continue without Mr. Nasty at the helm.
In a brand new interview Leona talks about the pressure of being a pop star, her new musical direction, and being a Hackney girl at heart
What do you think of the new line-up of X Factor judges?
I think it is a really good line-up. I think it was really scary when Simon Cowell left because you wondered if the show was actually going to still go on, but I think the line-up is really, really strong now.
Do you feel pressure to emulate the success of Bleeding Love, or do you always just want to do something new?
I think it is all about recreating and moving on.
From what we have heard of the new album, Collide sounds like a bit of a stand-alone moment. Is that something intentional?
Because the album is quite eclectic, Collide is definitely a stand-out track and it is definitely a track of its time. I think that the song is timeless and then the track is definitely of the now; it’s very progressive and very upbeat and it’s been getting a really good reaction when I’ve been playing it live. It’s got a very euphoric feel, which is always a good thing!
You still live in Hackney where you grew up and have recently lent your support as an ambassador to Radio 1’s 2012 Hackney Weekend. What does that area mean to you and will it always be your home?
It will always be my home. I have lived there since I was about six, so most of my life. I have seen the area really re-generate itself and become trendier, but there is still a long way to go with certain parts. For instance Shoreditch is really, really lovely, but some parts are still very poor areas that need help. The Radio 1 event will really help and I feel really proud to be an ambassador.
Out of everything that you have done to date - X Factor, the Olympics, breaking the States - is there a stand-out moment in your head?
I think it was pretty cool to do the Olympics. I have always said that it was such an amazing opportunity to perform with Jimmy Page. And that one concentrated audience was over a billion people - no pressure! That was the largest audience I have ever performed to and it was pretty amazing.