Leona Lewis Opens Up About Depression And Leaving Syco
She may have released song titled 'Happy' but Leona Lewis has revealed that her singing career hasn't always been so joyful unfortunately!
The 2006 X Factor winner recently posted an open letter on Twitter explaining her feelings over the past seven years. She described her time since winning the talent show as an 'emotional rollercoaster of ups and downs.'For those who hadn't already heard, Leona left Simon Cowell's record label Syco Music (see here) earlier this year. She'd spent seven years making music with them but finally decided enough was enough.
The 'Brave' singer parted ways with the company and soon signed a new record deal with Island Records; who she's currently making brand new songs with. Why did she leave Syco though? We originally thought it may have been down to lack of promotion but it seems lack of creative control was also a large deciding factor.
Leona revealed that Syco were planning a whole new sound for her next record: “For my fifth album I was asked to make a record that would not have been true to myself… I cannot make music that does not speak to my soul and as scary as it seemed, I could no longer compromise myself and so I decided to leave.”
“I was threatened that if I left it would come out that I had been dropped. That cut deep, but nothing could stop me from walking away. Change can turn your world upside down and you can sink or swim. I chose to swim.”
We've got to give Leona credit for staying true to herself and refusing to make music she didn't feel was really her. A lot of artists simply replicate what's popular in the charts and it must have been hard to walk away.
The beautiful 29 year old singer-songwriter also opened up about periods of depression she went through. Poor Leona went from being a global superstar to struggling to sell over 600 copies of her 2012 single 'Lovebird'. We'd say that was mainly due to bad management but that would be enough to take anyone to a dark place.
Leona said: "Some points I felt extremely depressed and other times experienced amazing highs, but it got to a place where the downs were outweighing the ups. So I’m writing this letter for anyone who has ever felt the same way. I worry too much. At times it seems absolutely overwhelming and I spiral to a dark place.”
Thankfully, it's not all doom and gloom. Things are finally looking up for Leona again and we can't wait to hear the new tracks she makes with Island Records; it'll be exiting to hear what musical direction she goes in.
You can read Leona's open letter addressed to her 'beautiful fans' in full here. The fact it was hand-written makes it all the more personal and no matter what Leona does next; we'll always have a soft spot for her.
