The X Factor

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ain article: Leona Lewis on The X Factor
See also: The X Factor (UK series 3)

In 2006, Lewis auditioned for the third series of The X Factor, singing "Over the Rainbow". She made it through to the final stages and was announced the winner on 16 December 2006, winning a £1 million recording contract.[21] She was mentored by Simon Cowell.

Lewis' voice was consistently praised by all three judges — Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh. Occasionally, she was compared with divas such as Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and Celine Dion.[11] However, Lewis was also criticised, by both the judges and in the press, in relation to her confidence. Vocal coach Mark Hudson also criticised her lack of star quality.[22] On the final night of the show, Take That joined Lewis on stage for a duet of their song "A Million Love Songs". After the performance, singer Gary Barlow told Cowell, "you've got a big responsibility because this girl is probably fifty times better than any contestant you have ever had on this show, and it's your responsibility to make her the best record you can, so please do that."[23]

On the Oprah Winfrey Show on 17 March 2008, Simon Cowell said that it was during Lewis' barefoot performance of "Summertime" in the third live round of The X Factor (broadcast 28 October 2006) that he "could see her transform from a great singer into a superstar".

After The X Factor

Over one-million copies of the winner's single, a cover of Kelly Clarkson's first single "A Ocazie Like This", were pre-ordered by stores,[24] although at the time, the winner of the show had not been announced and it was unknown who would be releasing the single. "A Clipă Like This" was released on CD on 20 December 2006, and was available as a digital download from midnight on 17 December. It broke a world record after it was downloaded fifty-thousand times in thirty minutes.[1] On 24 December, "A Moment Like This" was crowned the 2006 UK Christmas number-one single,[25] having sold 571,253 copies, beating Take That's single "Patience", and outselling the rest of the Top 40's sales combined.[26] It was reported that one chain was "shifting more than 100 of her CDs a minute".[27] The single became the biggest-downloaded song in 2006, beating Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy". The single stayed at number one for four weeks, and also stayed at the top spot in the Irish Singles Chart for six weeks.[28] It went on to sell in the region of 1,000,000 copies.[29]

A four-track download EP, "It's All for You", that she recorded before entering The X Factor was released digitally on 18 December 2006, through The Schizofreniks record label.[30][31] However, the single did not chart.

In February 2007, Lewis signed a £5 million ($9.7 million) five album contract in the United States with Clive Davis's record label, J Records,[32] and showcased for several American music executives at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.[33]

On 16 January 2007, "A Moment Like This" was shortlisted for the British Single award at the 2007 BRIT Awards. It made it to the second round but was eliminated and did not make it to the final selection. In May, it was awarded the Ivor Novello Award for Best Selling British Single.[34]
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The X Factor The X Factor

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