Lewis has become a multi-platinum selling artist and three time Grammy Award nominee. She was proclaimed 'Top New Artist' by Billboard magazine in 2008. Her two albums Spirit and Echo, released in 2007 and 2009 respectively, have collectively sold in excess of 10 million copies worldwide and topped the charts in numerous countries. Lewis's debut tour, The Labyrinth, took place in 2010. As of December 2012, Lewis has sold 28 million records worldwide. Her third album Glassheart was released 12 October 2012. It was preceded by the single "Collide", which became her seventh top-five hit in the UK. With the release of Hurt: The EP and "Trouble", Lewis has had nine top-ten hits in the UK.
Lewis' debut single A Moment Like This became the fastest selling UK single after being downloaded over 50,000 times within thirty minutes of its release. Her second single, Bleeding Love, reached number one positions in over thirty singles charts around the world. In November 2008 she set a record in the UK for the fastest selling download-only release with her cover version of the Snow Patrol song Run which sold 69,244 copies in two days. Lewis's debut tour, The Labyrinth, started in 2010.
Lewis was born in the London Borough of Islington, to Aural Josiah "Joe" Lewis of Afro-Guyanese descent, and Maria Lewis of Welsh, Italian and Irish descent. Her parents enrolled her at the Sylvia Young Theatre School, and from there she attended the Italia Conti Academy and the BRIT School, where she learned to play instruments such as the guitar and piano, in the hope of becoming a singer-songwriter. Lewis wrote her first full-length song at the age of 12. She initially trained in opera, but went on to singing jazz and blues, eventually leading to popular music, citing Minnie Riperton, Eva Cassidy and Stevie Wonder as her main influences. After leaving the BRIT School at 17, she took a number of jobs to fund studio time, recording a demo album called Twilight. The album, almost exclusively comprising her own compositions, was recorded under Spiral Music, a production company based in Fulham. "I tried to secure a record deal by doing things my own way. I worked very hard but I never managed to land a contract", said Lewis. Other demos were recorded under licence from UEG Entertainment, later included on an album called Best Kept Secret. However, none of Lewis's demos were released and she considered taking a hiatus from her music career to attend university until her boyfriend persuaded her to enter The X Factor which subsequently severed her connections with UEG.
Songfacts says that Collide, the first single from Leona Lewis's third album finds her taking a more dance pop route than on her previous material. She said, "I'm excited for people to see a different side to my music. I'm a fan of so many different genres and styles. For me this song has all the great ingredients of a summer anthem." The song got its first play on Scott Mills' Radio One show on July 15, 2011 and will be released on September 4, 2011.
Lewis' third studio album, Glassheart, is due for release in 2012.
The Best and the Worst
Leona Lewis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's been one too many days wondering what I did wrong
One too many days hoping to hear the phone
One too many days feeling all alone
Maybe it's time for me to move on
[Chorus 1]
So I'm taking the hurt, the bruises and wounds
Sometimes a lie makes you search for the truth
Sometimes the worst brings the best out of you
Sometimes the worst brings the best out of you
[Verse 2]
All this emptiness is space for me to breathe again
Loneliness is finding my own freedom
Through the shame I taught myself to walk with grace
One day you'll regret those heartless things you said
[Chorus 2]
So I'm taking the hurt, the bruises and wounds
Tearing it down, down to build something new
Sometimes a lie makes you search for the truth
Sometimes the worst brings the best out of you
[Bridge]
I won't go back, I wish you well
I lost my way but found myself
[Chorus]
Taking the hurt, the bruises and wounds
Tearing it down, down to build something new
Sometimes a lie makes you search for the truth
Sometimes the worst brings the best out of you
Sometimes the worst brings the best out of you
Sometimes the worst brings the best out of you
In Leona Lewis's song "The Best and the Worst," she sings about the pain and heartbreak of a failed relationship, and how sometimes the worst experiences can ultimately lead to the best outcomes. In the opening lines of the first verse, Lewis expresses her frustration with continually feeling alone and waiting for someone to call her. But in the chorus, she declares that she's taking the hurt and using it to build something new, and that sometimes a lie or a bad experience can make you search for the truth and bring out the best in you.
The second verse offers a glimpse of hope and freedom, as Lewis finds herself able to breathe again and embrace her loneliness as a chance to rediscover herself. She has learned to walk with grace despite the painful things said to her, and in the end, she's confident that she won't ever go back to that place of hurt. The bridge serves as a final goodbye to the past, with a wish for the other person's wellbeing and a declaration of self-discovery.
Overall, the song is about resilience, growth, and the power of turning negative experiences into positive outcomes. It's a reminder that even in our darkest moments, we can find strength within ourselves to rebuild and come out stronger than before.
Line by Line Meaning
It's been one too many days wondering what I did wrong
After all these days that went by, I have been constantly questioning myself, wondering where I went wrong
One too many days hoping to hear the phone
It's been many days since I've waiting for a call to come through, hoping it's from you
One too many days feeling all alone
Countless days have gone by where I've been feeling completely isolated and on my own
Maybe it's time for me to move on
Perhaps it's time for me to leave everything behind and start anew
So I'm taking the hurt, the bruises and wounds
I'm accepting and owning all the pain, injuries and scars I have endured
The stones from the wreckage to build something new
Using the ruins and destruction left in my life as the foundation to build something better
Sometimes a lie makes you search for the truth
Occasionally, when lied to, you are compelled to seek the truth as a consequence.
Sometimes the worst brings the best out of you
Adversity brings out our potential to perform at our peak level
All this emptiness is space for me to breathe again
The lack of substantiality creates space for me to breathe in and feel alive again
Loneliness is finding my own freedom
In my solitude I discovered my own path to freedom
Through the shame I taught myself to walk with grace
Despites the shame, I was able to learn how to walk with grace as I progressed on my journey
One day you'll regret those heartless things you said
At some point in time, you will rue the day that you said such callous things
Tearing it down, down to build something new
I'm destroying my old life to construct a more promising one
I won't go back, I wish you well
I will not revert back to my previous life, but I hope for the best for you
I lost my way but found myself
I indulged in a detour, but managed to reclaim myself
Contributed by Max W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.