Leona is 21 years of age and comes from London. She works as a PA and receptionist. Leona has two brothers, Kyle and Bradley. Leona has sung at a very young age and enrolled at Sylvia Young and then the Brits Academy. At 13, she won the ady D under-18 talent show at the Hackney Empire. Leona has continued to take part in many talent competitions. Apart from singing, Leona's big passions including dancing and acting. Leona also has a dog named Rome. In the competition, Leona sung 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' by Eva Cassidy in the London auditions breezing into the Boot Camp stage performing 'I Have Nothing' by Whitney Houston on Day 1 and then 'Hero' by Mariah Carey. As she sailed through to the Judges' Homes stage, Leona sang two more numbers for Simon, 'You Light Up My Life' by Whitney Houston and 'Without You' by Nilsson. In her spare time she enjoys writing, playing the guitar and the piano, films, dance and art.
Q&As
What would winning The X Factor mean to you?
“Winning The X Factor would be like a dream come true. To win it would be amazing and it would mean the world to me and to my family. I’d buy my Mum and Dad a house and then I think I would buy myself a car and have a little shopping trip!”
What are you particularly looking forward to?
“Just the whole experience of doing the shows and something different is going to be such an amazing experience I can’t wait, but I’ll miss my family, my friends and I’ll miss my dog Rome. But they are so proud of me and they just want me to go all the way. I’ve had so many texts and cards just saying you’ve worked so hard and it’s finally paying off. I’ve had so much support it’s been brilliant.”
Do you come from a musical family and who are your musical influences?
“My Dad is into DJ-ing and my Mum was a dance teacher. I went to The Brits School in Croydon and my best subject was music and English Lit. But I loved music and dance. My favourite artist right now is probably Whitney Huston and Roberta Flack. My favourite album is probably ‘Thriller’ and my favourite single would be Mariah Carey’s ‘Can’t Let Go’.”
When did you know you wanted to pursue a career in singing?
"When I was younger my Dad says I was sat in the back of the car and he would be playing old school music and he’d turn down the music and turn around and I’d be singing and knew all of the words, but I didn’t really know how to talk! From then I’ve always wanted to sing. I never pursued another career – I’ve always wanted to do music and have a singing career.”
What jobs have you done in the past and what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
“My best job was as a receptionist because my boss was really cool. I’ve been quite lucky in that sense.”
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