Leona Lewis: Stop focusing on my body – I have a voice and something to say

Lewis has become more confident in the fact that her thoughts and opinions are valid
Having her say: Singer-songwriter Leona Lewis
Noam Galai/Getty
Lauren Pilat3 November 2017
The Weekender

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Leona Lewis has dismissed the media’s focus on her looks, saying she wants to be seen as a role model with “something meaningful to say”.

The star, 32, spoke out as she prepared to return to London from America to perform at an MTV fundraiser in Soho. She will attend the gala as an ambassador for the MTV Staying Alive Foundation, which is working to educate young people around the world to protect themselves from HIV.

It is part of her drive to take on more responsibility as an advocate on world issues. Lewis, who has sold more than 20 million records since winning The X Factor in 2006, said: “Throughout the years I’ve become more confident in the fact that my thoughts and opinions are valid.

“That I have something meaningful to say and that I can use my voice in more ways than one.”

New role: Lewis is an ambassador for the MTV Staying Alive Foundation (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Invision/AP

Commenting on media attention she has faced recently, after apparently losing weight, she said: “I don’t pay too much attention to media about my body. For me it’s important to put my energy into using my voice and platform to empower and educate young women. For me it’s about being comfortable in your own skin and knowing who you really are and using that energy to make a difference.”

Leona Lewis in Cats

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The singer has been working on her new album in America, following a stint in musical Cats on Broadway. She said: “Every time I get into an album I’m really focused and in the moment of what I’m feeling and the things that are going on around me, the news and in my personal life which is where I draw inspiration from.”

At the moment that includes her work to raise awareness of Aids. “I visited an orphanage in South Africa and saw first-hand the effects that HIV and Aids were having on children and it had a profound affect on me,” she said. “All of that energy is going into my music.”

Lewis will take to the stage at 100 Wardour Street for the MTV Staying Alive Foundation’s Gala next Wednesday.

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