Issue Four by Bleeding Lovely

Anniversary issue: celebrating one whole year!

ISSUE FOUR JULY 2011

BUILDING A LEONA COLLECTION FAN’S LEONA COLLECTIONS GLEE AND LEONA? LEONA’S FAN TALENT LEONA QUIZ AND MUCH MORE!

ISSUE FOUR TEAM: 4

EDITORS

John Messenbird Robbie Owen

BLEEDING LOVELY LEONA LEWIS FAN MAGAZINE

WHAT LEONA MEANS TO ME

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW LEONA? 17

GLEE AND LEONA?

PILGRIMAGE TO LEONA LEWISVILLE 14

FAN’S LEONA COLLECTIONS LEONA’S FAN TALENT

NEXT ISSUE

EDIT

NEWS DESK BUILDING A LEONA COLLECTION

G &

There ha causing a lo good, like a but to make GaGa & Rih

With Le songs were music was n power’ soun Origins of t changing he worry abou

At the ti there were fi forum mem anyone invo ries and usi fans: we don our readers the rubbish like to apolo Keep on pro & corner sh Just let us k articles for t in the maki

And fina ting up on t & album sce your summ days! Keep for Leona L alive everyo

John Messen

GRAPHICS & LAYOUT

Robbie Owen

WRITERS

John Messenbird Robbie Owen Alexander Bihn Daniel Grandits

FOUNDER

Chloe Leadbeater

ITOR’S PIECE

as been a lot of talk about the time being spent on the third album and this waiting is ot of frustration for the fans. But I think that this could bring on something really a change in musical direction. We have seen the soft and cuddly Leona Lewis, e it now, female singers have got to be edgy and feisty. Just look at Lady hanna. This is not a bad thing, it’s just the current trend.

eona this will just take time - take the Beatles for example. Their early more closely related to rock & roll back in 1962/3. But by 1968 their nothing like this, in the more electronic psychedelic hippy ‘flower nd they adopted. Now step back and think of Charles Darwin’s the Species: those that don’t evolve, die out. You see, if Leona is er sound, this is her going on to be a survivor. It’s nothing to ut; it’s just the natural progression of pop music.

nbird, Editor.

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ally as it’s hotthe weather cene, enjoy mer & holithe love Lewis one!

LEONA LEWIS FAN MAGAZINE

ime of the publication of issue three of Bleeding Lovely, fictional stories circulating on Twitter about Leona and mbers as characters and this did upset a lot of fans. So to olved in making up these stoing Bleeding Lovely against fellow n’t want to upset fans, they are s/friends. Please leave this to h tabloid toilet papers. I would ogise to anyone this upset. oducing the blogs, websites hrines dedicated to Leona. know, it could be some great the magazine ing.

NEWS DESK Leona goes political

Last month, Leona called on us fans to write to our local MP encouraging them to vote in favour of banning the use of wild animals in circuses. Many people wrote to their MP and it payed off when the ban was passed on 23rd June. Leona tweeted the same day to express her gratitude to the fans: “We did it! We did it! I’m just so happy thank u [sic] all for supporting the ban our voices were heard!”

BLEEDING LOVELY LEONA LEWIS FAN MAGAZINE

TWEET GIRL IS LEONA

On 28th June, Leona had a question and answer session with her bunnies on Twitter for a second time. Leona hopes to do this every week, so watch out for news of a time and date. Tweet Leona @leonalewismusic and don’t forget to include the hashtag #AskLeona. Get near a computer/phone and tweet the one who is sweet! Congratulations to everyone who has had a reply so far, and if you haven’t yet, just keep trying!

Leona RUBBISHES...RUBBISH In the last few months, Leona has put a few publications back in their place, when they stated she was boring. Good on you Leona! This is one magazine that will always support you!

leona following you? Be one of the first to answer one of Leona’s weekly questions on Twitter for a follow back!

Leona at Radio 1’s Live Lounge

turns to Hackney

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Leona returned to Hackney for a special Radio 1 Live Lounge where she performed a reggae mash-up of Better In Time and Rihanna’s Man Down, and covered Let The Sun Shine by Labrinth. Radio 1’s Hackney Weekend 2012 was also announced, and Leona was announced as one of the first confirmed artists along with Plan B.

LEONA LEWIS FAN MAGAZINE

Hackney lass re-

BUILDING A

LEONA COLLECTION

I know a lot of fans who have always wanted to start a Leona collection, whether basic or elaborate, but just don’t know where to begin. The key is to start out small and build up your collection; everyone has to start somewhere, right? I also know a lot of fans who already have pretty extensive and unique collections. I think I’ve seen it all; from signed socks to rare Japanese promotional CDs, and even stolen ticket stubs (you know who you are)!

There really are some truly insane dedicated fans out there. Not to blow my own trumpet, but I like to think that I have a fairly decent collection myself!

This series of articles will explore all of the rare and wonderful items that will be right at home in your Leona collection. This first part will delve into the various versions of Leona’s two albums: Spirit and Echo.

Track lists

BLEEDING LOVELY LEONA LEWIS FAN MAGAZINE

In my opinion, a Leona collection just isn’t complete without versions of the albums from both sides of the Atlantic; the North American and European versions of Spirit and Echo feature slightly different track lists. For example, the North American version of Echo includes You Don’t Care and Fly Here Now, two tracks not featured on the European version. Same goes for the European version of Echo which features Naked and Stop Crying Your Heart Out which are not included on the North American track list. Whether you are an American/Canadian fan, or a European fan, I highly recommend purchasing both versions of the albums to benefit from the additional tracks.

Obi strips, slips, ect.

Some Asian versions of the albums also feature different track lists to the original European releases.

The Asian releases of Spirit and Echo are the most interesting. They include various features such as obi strips, cardboard slips and foreign lyric books; all of which make these versions highly collectable! Asian releases include those from China, Japan and Taiwan. An obi strip is a piece of paper wrapped around the side of a CD (as shown on the right). They provide an Asian translation for the album name, track list and other album details. All of Leona’s Japanese releases have an obi strip, as well as the Chinese release of Echo. The Taiwanese versions of Leona’s albums feature a cardboard slip with translations. Again, this makes them highly collectable. Whilst these versions may be considerably more expensive, it’s worth getting your hands on a few. You can always get a good bargain on eBay if you search hard enough.

A Japanese version of Echo, featuring obi strip. It also includes bonus content and a Japanese lyric book.

by Robbie Owen

Robbie Owen’s Leona collection

by Robbie Owen

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I thought it would be a nice idea to showcase a range of different fan’s Leona collections. The first of which, is my very own Leona collection which I’ve built over the past 4 years. If you have a Leona collection to be proud of, or ashamed of for that matter, I’d love to see and feature some of them in future issues. Feel free to contact me on Twitter @robbie_owen or email me at robbie_owen@email.com

LEONA LEWIS FAN MAGAZINE

FAN’s Leona Collections

FAN TALENT

LEONA’S LEONA’S LEONA’S LEONA’S LEONA’S LEONA’S

BLEEDING LOVELY LEONA LEWIS FAN MAGAZINE

hen you think of Leona Lewis, you know she has talent. Not only does she have talent but it may rub off on to her fans. The fact is that she inspires them so much with her passion, that it brings their talent out. On her official forum there is a load of very talented bunnies. Leona calls her adoring fans bunnies because she loves cute animals and she loves her fans. You could say she’s a fan of her fans! In fact, there are so many creative fans on the forum, there is no way an article could include them all. You would need an entire library, with thousands of books to give them all the credit they deserve. So to keep this article manageable, I concentrate on the people I have come in to contact with. And yes, everyone else, your work is fantastic too! The first bunny is Justin Harrelson from the United States, who is a genius with the computer graphics packages. He has shared with the forum some CD and DVD art work that wouldn’t look out of place on the shelves of your favourite entertainment store. In fact a lot of his work is actually better, because of the love he puts in to it. Justin has also done a lot of work on Leona Lewis advent calendars, posters and he is so generous by doing brilliant forum signatures for fellow fans and not charging them a penny for it. Justin is also a fan of Cheryl Cole, and of course, there’s been some great graphics inspired by her. Because of his great art work Justin has a lot of fans himself. The fact that he is such a nice guy, the forum can’t help but like him. If he ever takes up a career in graphics, we are sure his images will appear on advertising campaigns across the world. And when

One of Justin Harrelson’s amazing creations.

his name is mentioned we will say ‘I know him, he’s on the Leona Lewis Forum’! Next up we highlight the talents of Chloe Leadbeater (llfan4eva) from England. Her talent truly lies in writing and thinking of great ideas. Chloe has a real skill for song writing, being inspired by her life experiences, love & of course Leona. She is a loyal article contributor to Bleeding Lovely; the magazine was her original idea! She came up with idea of a fan produced magazine for Leona Lewis last summer during The Labyrinth Tour. The result, Bleeding Lovely was born. Chloe is a full time student studying Media Studies, which is a great asset for the magazine. Daniel Grandits (poker_face) from Austria has many talents ranging from graphics to song writing. He has worked on Bleeding Lovely from the start. He kept one very important thing from us for quite a while; the fact that he is an amazing graphic designer. Like Chloe, Daniel writes songs, Leona being the inspiration for many of them. He even posts them on YouTube. His articles for the magazine, particularly on vocal ranges are so well written with technical accuracy, you would think they were written by a scientist who studied vocals.

Leona Lewis fan. Alexander is a star for managing to contribute to the magazine whilst studying for exams. Madelyn78753 is the official forum’s graphics queen. Her beautiful talent has had her busy doing signatures for other forum members. They are truly master pieces. Jamie is another great graphics designer, doing fantastic stuff on the official forum fan books for Leona and her bunnies. Eric (Erront55) and the whole team of moderators on the official forum are stars in their own right. For making the forum one of the friendliest places on the internet, making it run smoothly and keeping it running brilliantly. Of course they are all passionate about Leona. Thank you to ‘The LeLe Publishing Bunnies’ (formally ‘The Bleeding Lovely Team’) for their brilliant hard work and dedication to this magazine. Without them, this fantastic project would not be possible. Thanks everyone at the ‘Publishing Hutch‘.

As you can see the official Leona Lewis forum has many talented fans and there are far too many to Alexander Bihn (Bihni) has passion in the art mention here. If I haven’t mentioned you, it’s because that he does. He has produced some brilliant artwork there are so many of you talented people around. But of Leona and characters from various films and TV I still appreciate what you are doing for Leona and us shows. He has contributed to every issue of Bleedfans. Keep the love and talent alive everyone! ing Lovely with some amazing articles. And his love for Leona Lewis...well him & Lima3474 (Markus) must be battling it out as to who is Germany’s biggest

by John Messenbird

LEONA LEWIS FAN MAGAZINE

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A drawing of Leona by Alexander Bihn.

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GLEE AND LEONA?

by Alexander Bihn

ased on U.S. a pandemic sloshes to the world: Glee fever. It is highly contagious! The first signs of infection are persistent ear worms, watery eyes, and unexpected bursts of laughter. Infected call themselves Gleeks, band together in groups and sing loudly to the greatest songs in music history. In the U.S., over ten million people watch an episode on average. Voters of the major television awards are infected, and even the critics have nothing to counter the fever. But what is it about Glee, which makes it so virulent, and why it is actually not bad to be infected by Glee?

In America the second season has just finished and the third season will air in September. The crew will start filming again in August and maybe we’re going to see Leona... ...HOPEFULLY!

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There are rumours about Lady Gaga and Leona Lewis being on the show. The Glee

Sadly, the Glee cast have never sung a Leona song. But they should sing a few songs! However, Leona told a magazine that it would be amazing if she could guest star on the show. She even had a few character ideas: she wants to be a bad biker girl. She told them that she wants to be a rock girl and that she wants to get involved in a storyline of one of the characters. We will see what happens in the near future.

LEONA LEWIS FAN MAGAZINE

Glee is a musical comedy from Ryan Murphy (Nip / Tuck - Tuck, Popular), which has developed into a veritable pop culture phenomenon. The ingredients for success are manifold: the profound story brings in the audience with a lot of heart and a generous dose of black humour and laughter at the same time. The actors are as versatile as charismatic and compelling. New interpretations of songs make the series a unique viewing experience. That’s why so many celebrities want to be a part of it! Celebrities like Olivia Newton-John, Cheyenne Jackson, Charice Pempengco, Eve, Josh Groban, Britney Spears, John Stamos, Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth, Gwyneth Paltrow were guest stars!

cast have already sung a few Lady Gaga songs and Lady Gaga herself loves the show. And Leona loves it too. As many of you probably know, she’s a good friend of Matthew Morrison and they have already sung together as a one-off performance on The Labyrinth Tour.

PILGRIMAGE TO

LEONA LEWISVILLE

by John Messenbird

hey go to Memphis and Graceland and call themselves Elvis fans. They go to Liverpool and the site of Cavern Club and call themselves Beatles fans. So being a fan of Leona Lewis, or a ‘bunny’ as Leona calls us, I had to make the pilgrimage to Hackney; the East London suburb that is the birth place of Leone Louise Lewis.

BLEEDING LOVELY LEONA LEWIS FAN MAGAZINE

I arrived at Hackney Central Station around 1pm, then left through an alleyway that takes you to Mare Street; one of the many main streets that pass through Hackney. My first impression was that it is very much like my home town, South Norwood, but on a much larger scale. Hackney, and South Norwood, were village settlements whose origins go back to medieval times. But during the Victorian Age, Hackney had became one of London’s railway suburbs, where the middle classes would commute to and from. In parts you could see that the place had seen better days. But now there is an air of excitement, Hackney is on the rise again, The place is entering a ‘multi-cultural renaissance’. I thought I was walking through a movie set, you know, the films about famous singers and musicians where they show their early life on the streets of New York, Chicago or Detroit.

Upon strolling up Morning Lane I heard, from the top floor of a building, above a café, the sound of a drummer bashing away at their kit. Could this young drummer be a future star? A household name across the world? Very surprisingly it was rock music/heavy metal that was coming from that area. I had always associated Hackney with black street styles, like grime, hip-hop, rap, R&B and soul. It just shows how varied the area is. This place is a melting pot for different styles of popular music, culture & people. I got to see the Hackney Empire, an old Victorian Theatre that had some modern extensions added to it. This building is, of course, the place where the famous My Heart Will Go On video was shot; a performance by a local 13 year girl, a true star in the making. Eight years later, she would win The X Factor and the world would fall in love with her just as Hackney did. Nearby, you see a Pizza Hut, for planet earth should know about this food establishment. I know there’s Pizza Huts everywhere, but this is the only one anywhere, that Leona

would sing along to the radio, whilst cleaning the restaurant up, to earn money to pay for those early studio sessions. Leona was born to sing! Born in Hackney to sing for all! At the Hackney Empire, the opening shots of the A Moment Like This video was filmed. You know when the scene, where Leona has that golden corkscrew hairstyle, the camera zooms out to show her in a sophisticated long slender dress and then the video cuts to her audition for The X Factor. Talking of The X Factor, during the final, this was the place where the entire population of Hackney was cramming the theatre to the rafters to support Leona. For an inner city area, Hackney has some really nice green spaces. These must have seen Leona take Rome, her dog, for many happy walks in the sun. The British media have given Hackney a reputation of being a no-go area, in a rundown part of London. I’ll admit, parts of the area’s architecture had seen better days; it is Victorian, around 150 years old. But I never felt threatened or nervous to be there. They seem to accept everyone around there, even Leona Lewisloving tourists on a pilgrimage to see the birth place of their Goddess. Even when a youth had to pass me on his bike, he thanked me and was very appreciative when I let him pass. This is the real East End of London, ‘Cockney Country’. They have always been friendly and welcoming. This is the mould that Leona comes from. My long walk had taken me to the Hackney Wick area, where the old decaying industrial estate had views of the phoenix of the Olympic Stadium reaching up to embrace 2012, the Games, the World. Many more dreams will be coming true in this area, and many of these dreamers won’t just be Londoners like Leona. They could come from a village in Africa or an urban sprawl in China. But a stone’s throw away from where Leona was born, is where their dreams will come true as they go for gold.

* The Victorian Age is also known as Le Belle Epoque Era on Continental Europe & Gilded Age in the United States of America.

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Toward the end of my day, I ambled into St. John’s Church yard, a beautiful park in its own right. Children playing in the playground. Peaceful. I started to dream on this hot sunny day - I just wished Leona was still in Hackney, standing next to me. Oh, did I tell you? It was at this moment a year earlier, that I arrived at The O2 to see The Labyrinth Tour!

LEONA LEWIS FAN MAGAZINE

If you get the chance to visit I would say go. There are no plaques saying ‘Leona Lewis was here 1997’. She was just born and lived her youth here. I walked down Well Street. During her recent Live Lounge interview with Trevor Nelson (who also hails from Hackney), Leona said she would go to Well Street Market with her mum.

WHAT LEONA MEANS TO ME by John Messenbird

W BLEEDING LOVELY LEONA LEWIS FAN MAGAZINE

hen I first saw Leona on The X Factor, it was around at a friend’s house. He said, “John there’s a girl you’ll like, I think she’s the type of girl you would like to marry.” I thought, “OK, what’s her name?” He replied, “LEONA!”

“Here’s Leona!” Then she sang. A beautiful, young, mixed-race woman with olive skin, corkscrew blonde curls and lovely dark green eyes. I had fallen in love with the girl on the television instantly. My family was going though very sad times, due to my mum being very ill. Then came November and mum passed away, just dark winter nights to look forward to. Still there was the lovely, humble singing girl from Hackney to brighten these dark empty nights. Leona’s singing just got better by the week. All I heard was ‘Britain has its own Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston or Celine Dion’. I thought we had better. What we had was not just an incredible singing talent, but one that was so down to earth. This lady had gone to The X Factor studios to see the public you would have thought. She had so much respect for her audience with her humbleness.

Leona Louise Lewis was a breath of fresh air in a world of Z-listers, participating in reality TV to boast their own egos. People who didn’t have time for their fans with their ‘I’m #1’ attitude. Leona, however, was so special bringing lightness into so many people’s lives. Our Princess was there only for her bunnies; as her fans have now become known. Their happiness would fill her heart with happiness. Talking about cute and fluffy creatures, Leona is there for them too. With her tireless devotion to animal welfare, Leona (with the help of Diane Abbott a Labour Party MP* from Hackney), had achieved, not only getting the UK government to debate on the welfare of performing animals in circuses, but to move things on to such a point, that the use of animals performing in circuses will be outlawed in the United Kingdom during the summer of 2012. Leona’s songs whether old or new have a timeless quality to them. In an age when so many hits are forgettable and will be dated in 5 years time, her songs will still sound fresh and cause the eyes of bunnies to light up and glisten with their tails twitching to the tune.

*A MP is a Member of Parliament in the UK, like a Senator or Congressmen in the US. Someone who represents their local community in the national government.

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Leona Lewis is a true SUPERSTAR, one that fans can truly love and admire, because she gives so much to their lives wherever they are.

LEONA LEWIS FAN MAGAZINE

As you can see, Leona’s fans are just as cute as her and this is why she calls them bunnies. On a final note, I feel privileged to be a fan of Leona Lewis. She is even more beautiful and special now. Her songs are even more brilliant now. I have just grown even fonder of her now.

by Daniel Grandits

LEONA 1 3

What was Leona job before entering The X Factor?

What is Leona’s pet rabbit called, who she rescued from being someone’s dinner?

What year was Leona born?

What is Leona’s vocal range demonstrated so far in her career? How many albums does Leona’s US contract with J Records include? Which song did Leona perform at the Beijing Olympics Closing Ceremony? Which song was originally intended to be the lead single from Spirit? Which British designer provided the majority of dresses for Leona’s Echo promo tour?

2 4

6 8 10 12 14 16

Which famous performing arts school did Leona attend? Which part of London does Leona come from?

At which age did Leona write her first song?

Who’s idea was it to turn the poem ‘Footprints’ into a song?

Name Leona’s two album releases to date.

Name one of the songs which Leona has recorded for a movie soundtrack. Who was the main support act on The Labyrinth Tour?

What is Leona’s middle name?

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW LEONA?

Just total up your correct answers to see how well you know Leona. Answers are at the bottom of the page!

0-4: There are many things you don't know about Leona yet. Find out about them. Buy Leona's book for example or read info online.

5-9: Well done! Your knowledge is decent and will grow in time, if you keep on collecting facts about Leona.

10-14: Congratulations! You can be proud to get so many questions right! Leona is like your sister! 15-16: WOW! WOW! WOW! You can officially call yourself a Leona addict! There's nothing you don't know about her!

Answers (1) 1985 (2) The BRIT School (3) Receptionist (4) Hackney (5) Melrose (6) 12 (7) 3 octaves, 2 notes and a semitone (8) Simon Cowell (9) 5 (10) Spirit and Echo (11) Whole Lotta Love (12) I See You/Love Is Your Color/I Know Who I Am (13) Better In Time (14) Gabriella Cilmi (15) Vivienne Westwood (16) Louise

BLEEDING LOVELY LEONA LEWIS FAN MAGAZINE

7 9 11 13 15

QUIZ

NEXT ISSUE... - MORE ADVICE ON BUILDING YOUR VERY OWN LEONA COLLECTION - MORE FAN’S LEONA COLLECTIONS - A FASCINATING INSIGHT INTO THE HISTORY OF FEMALE VOCALISTS - A LOOK AT THE FAMOUS BRIT SCHOOL WHERE LEONA STUDIED - MORE FAN TALENT - AN ARTICLE ON AMAZING PLACES AROUND THE WORLD - AND, OF COURSE, MUCH MUCH MORE!

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LEONA LEWIS FAN MAGAZINE

OUT 9TH SEPTEMBER

From the whole Bleeding Lovely team...

Thanks for reading! TEAM John Messenbird Robbie Owen Chloe Leadbeater Alexander Bihn Daniel Grandits