Leona Lewis

With a voice that galvanized Britain and a talent for imbuing ballads and bangers with emotion and power, Leona Lewis is one of the 21st century’s leading soul-pop singers. Born in London in 1985, she attended the prestigious BRIT School during her teens, eventually leaving the performing-arts institution to pursue music on her own terms. That led her to the third season of The X Factor, where her passionate audition version of "Over the Rainbow" invigorated the audience and the judges, jump-starting a run on the show that ended with her winning a record deal. Lewis' strong soprano was an ideal fit for the swaying soul/R&B that dominated radio in the mid-'00s, and her luminous 2007 single "Bleeding Love" topped the charts in 35 countries. Since then, in addition to acting, modelling, and animal-rights activism, she's appeared all over the musical spectrum: Belting the theme for James Cameron's blockbuster Avatar in 2009, collaborating with Swedish electronic-music powerhouse Avicii on the thumping "Collide" in 2011, and duetting with Cuban-American superstar Pitbull on the fiery "Amore'' in 2018. Given her ability to cross genres, styles, and art forms, you can bet on seeing Lewis shine for years to come, however she sees fit.