Leona Lewis
Vocal Type: Light-Lyric Soprano
Vocal Range: C3 - A5 - Gb6 (3 octaves and a diminished fifth)
Whistle Register: Yes
Vocal Pluses:A light, dexterous and versatile voice, Leona Lewis is capable of fluid and effortless register transitions, holding notes for extensive amounts of time and utilising complicated melisma. As Leona has grown, her voice has increased in musicality, ultimately becoming more distinguishable. Although a thinness is present in the voice, this is balanced by a (signature) heavy, slow and hefty vibrato [Bleeding Love].
Leona has a quiet, feminine lower range that is surprisingly confident. It carries a striking, sombre tone and is often used as the lead register [Hurt], implying an easiness here. Although the voice lacks projection and support at its lowest, it has become easier for the Diva to traverse as she has aged. [The Best and The Worst].
The middle voice is significantly brighter, fulsome and cleaner in colour than the lower range, possessing a lyrical edge that she aptly uses to emphasize emotion [Fireflies]. It has become more rounded in sound over time, and with its solid connection to the rest of the voice, Leona often uses it during multi-octave runs and vocal slides. Ultimately, the mid-range is well developed and a solid part of the voice, known for its power and vulnerability [Better In Time].
Leona is famous for her mid-belt that can be fired back-to-back [Fire Under My Feet] or sustained with her signature vibrato [Collide]. It has a rich, thick texture with a weight to it that conveys resonance and power [Without You]. Despite losing support after Bb4, the voice maintains its form overall, allowing for her to retain some of the qualities of the mid-belt- up to Eb5 mark. After that, the voice severely thins, but retains its vocal dexterity, allowing for vocal runs in the upper fifth octave [Homeless] and phrasing [Happy]. Despite the technique employed here, Leona is able to endure substantial vocal passages here in the 5th octave [You Don’t Care].
The Diva possesses a fulsome, clean and bright falsetto that has developed substantially. It is considered by many to be the most impressive region of the voice. Able to transition easily from the chest voice [Can’t Breathe], execute melisma [A Moment Like This] and even combine these two attributes together [Lady Marmalade], Leona uses this part of her voice to striking effect. So well known is she for her head-voice, the Diva has been labelled “The Queen of High C” [Bleeding Love].
Though able to access a piercing whistle register, where has she shown the ability to execute runs within [Lovin’ You], the Diva more often relies on her extended falsetto to hit high notes.
Vocal Negatives: Control of low notes is shaky and sometimes higher belted notes are reached without mixing, leading to a harsher tone. The vibrato can also sound unwieldy at times.
Thanks to BacktoBlack for the update!
can u check the longest notes here- watch leonas tour dvd- i am sure her high notes in cant breathe/run/first time ever i saw ur face/outta my head etc were longer! can u check tyhem all?
ReplyDeletehello aaron, if i can find the clips then I shall check the notes out! Thanks for the tip
ReplyDeleteThe highest note should be F#6 in loving you. Could you double check that please?
ReplyDeletedone and done Mr anon!
ReplyDeleteYou haven't added that she can reach the whistle register.
ReplyDeleteShe's the best of them all and she goes higher and lower than that, her chest notes are so high they're supposed to get thinner(but i see where you're coming from) and hew lower chest voice is much better than 99.99 % of singers out there, and hell she can sustain them. I think she is the best singer in the world because of her extremely pleasant tone, her extremely amazing falsettos and her ability to change registers so easily, she has such a nice nice tone that you can hear her sing and never get irritated.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I love the timbre and tone of her voice. I usually prefer mezzos instead of soprans (most of them sound pitchy) but I just love Leona's voice.
ReplyDeletekindly visit http://www.thedivajuice.com/2011/11/leona-lewis-vocal-profile.html for more details explaination about Leona's Vocal profile.....
ReplyDeleteshes like mariah -
ReplyDeleteshe has a wide range and can hit high notes without them sounding harsh like beyonce's higher notes
In your description you say "extending up to a G, two octaves above middle C" - middle C is C4, she would have to be singing a G6 in "chest voice". I think you mean one octave haha!
ReplyDeleteHer control of her low notes might be shaky at times, but like in her recent performance of Hurt on X Factor UK, she has gotten so much more comfortable there - and it's far stronger than any other sopranos currently out, most mezzos and is the equivalent of most altos currently out. In comparison to the rest of her range, it is shaky, but in the broad spectrum, not so much.
Just a few thoughts :) x
Thanks for the spot!
ReplyDeleteThere is something amazing about her tone alright, its like smooth chocolate ! Her lower notes can be shaky but she can still hit them!
ReplyDeleteOh Leona. One of the best vocalists in pop currently. Has an incredible belting power that sounds very confident and powerful until she reaches F5 at that point she sounds more like she is yelling. Her Falsetto in my opinion sounds a bit generic, childish, and cheesy but her head voice is phenomenal. The few whistle notes she has shown were all ascended in to but still sound amazing. Bad lower range. Her tone might also not be for everyone along with her style of singing. Some say her singing style makes her sound like she is crying halfway through songs as her voice can get very shaky.
ReplyDeleteVery good , but i have some more info, she has done a B2 in her hurt EP and also in her cheast voice it can go up to A5 , but i think its a G#5 ot an A5
ReplyDeleteMezzo-Soprano? No way, both her range and her voice are the one of a soprano, maybe a spinto.
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing "technical" about her. Gifted vocalist, yes. But atrophic lows, a weak middle and thin highs is nothing to praise. And she uses a falsetto, not a connected head voice.
ReplyDeleteno shes a mezzo soprano, soprano vocal ranges bottom out usually somewhere on the fourth octave where as mezzos go straight to the third.
ReplyDeleteI think it's obvious that her F#6 is a head note not a whistle.
ReplyDeleteOne of the best singers of this generation. I am a huge fan of her work, although I do admit that her lower range is weak, she always gets me at the high notes. It's ear heaven.
ReplyDeleteI'm not so sure shes a mezzo because, sopranos can do notes in 3rd octave with a mic. If you compare her high C (C6) to her F3s, I'd say she's more comfortable in the C6.
ReplyDeleteI think this means, G after C4 which is G4 then G5.
ReplyDeleteI would disagree that she uses Falsetto all the time. Maybe under E5 to get the emotion but her C6s are head voice. Falsetto is suppose to sound airey but her C6s doesn't. The vocal on can't breathe, db6 eb6 db6 bb5 sounds like head voice.
ReplyDeleteThere is a high belt on you don't care. Sustained F5 then F5 to G5 (some say upto G#5 by I haven't checked it yet) which doesn't sound thin to me.
She is probably in my opinion the most training singer in the upper range. Having said that, she covered a Mariah song when when was younger and was hitting G#3s (or G3s) really well.
Also, her low register has gotten stronger. I think I read somewhere that improving your lower register will help with the high register.
Mezzo-Soprano? That's ridiculous! Everything her tessitura, timbre, comfortable range, even her head voice ... are from a typical soprano!
ReplyDeleteThe range doesn't matter in classification. The only thing that matters in range is the comfortable zone. The lows and highs are not depending of the classification. I heard lots of sopranos with amazing C3s, and contraltos with strongs C6... Go figure!
ReplyDeleteShe's a soprano.
ReplyDeleteyeah. agree. should check on her tessitura and vocal weight.
ReplyDeleteHer longest note is in her performance of Run and Hurt!
ReplyDeleteshe hold a note for 15 secs in the royal variety show when she sings hurt.
ReplyDeleteHonestly I love her, but her low notes are really iffy. Anyway i've asked my vocal coach about falsetto and headvoice. It turns out there the same thing people can just manipulate it to be more breathy or more fuller in sound. Leona's falsetto/headvoice is very pretty and she has a lot of control and ease. She could sing opera with her voice.
ReplyDeleteshes has a beautiful voice she needs to use it more
ReplyDeleteShe's easily one of the best singers of our generation. I love her voice so much, it's like the voice of an angel. :')
ReplyDeleteShe's easily one of the best singers of our generation. I love her voice so much, it's like the voice of an angel. :')
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Sounds like a soprano with a heavier vibrato and color to some of her notes -- making her sound very mezzo-like. The fact that she struggles in the third octave screams soprano to me. Tessitura seems on the high side, too.
ReplyDeleteShe's really good. Didn't she do a full voice G5 in happy? And also her tessitura is of a soprano's not a mezzo's. But her color is not very soprano like...
ReplyDeleteI think it's obvious that her F#6 is a head note not a whistle.
ReplyDeleteNot only this is totally wrong because she's obviously a light-lyric soprano (she may have a decent middle-bottom because she has a good cavity, but what mezzo on earth can go that far with head voice?and I'm sorry but have you ever heard a real mezzo in your life?the timbre is much much different, notes below the middle C should be full and vibrant and Leona's are weak and airy)
ReplyDeleteBUT
Leona herself claimed that she would like to start an operatic career and sing Lakmé, which is the ultimate HIGH SOPRANO role!!!A mezzo with a very very wide range can sing a high C at most, Leona in the song "happy" sings it just as easilly as saying "good morning", strange for a mezzo isn't it?
why do you make blogs without having the competence to judge voices?
This pisses me off, music is serious and it should be studied well before acting like "experts", if you like pop music stick with it but please, leave operatic terms alone untill you really know them ;)
Leona Lewis does have a wide range and super high head voice / falsetto, but she does not possess a true whistle register.
ReplyDeleteoh that i agree but she has a lot of weight in her voice over all. she also has trained classically as a mezzo soprano not a soprano.
ReplyDeletethere is also a difference between singing in full voice and going into falsetto, which woman can do but it is far more blended than that of men. her headvoice can mix very well with her upper range as with a lot of contraltos. There is also the fact that contraltos and mezzos actually sit within a similar range which is why a mezzo soprano and a contralto are put into the alto position during choral music.
ReplyDeleteDespite the fact that she does not possess a "true" whistle register it's still pretty damn hard to hit an F#6 in head voice. Give the woman credit. I am working on whistle register and it's not easy. It's gonna take me years to master this and even then I highly doubt I would ever be able to use it live.
ReplyDeleteThis woman is extraordinary. Her voice is very ethereal and rich sounding, I would say, Angelic. Sounds like she has been working on her technique quite a bit since her X-factor days. I only wish she were given better material to bring out the best in her lovely voice.
ReplyDelete^This. Her tone, I have never heard anything like it. It has this "otherworldly" quality. I was mesmerized from the first time I heard her on Xfactor.
ReplyDeleteI don't like how she's learnt the jaw wobbling vibrato technique from Whitney and her tone isn't always that great, but Leona isn't too bad overall. I do however think she's a bit overrated, especially by Brits who think it's either her or Adele who are the best female vocalists we've got, when in fact Annie Lennox and Beverley Knight outshine them both.
ReplyDeleteShe's definitely not a spinto. A typical spinto would be Jessie J or a young Whitney Houston. Or even Kelly Clarkson - their voices are much more powerful.
ReplyDeleteOk, tone is obviously down to opinion (and in mine, it's ok sometimes and sometimes is unbearable, particularly her lower range and her upper belting range), but she's definitely not the best singer in the world - see Mariah and pre-drugs Whitney for the best singers in the world, where Leona picked up a lot of her singing techniques and style from. And if you want better British singers, then look at Annie Lennox and Beverley Knight.
ReplyDeleteI don't follow her closely or listen to her music (besides occasionally turning on Bleeding Love), but she's a great singer! I really like her!
ReplyDeleteIf you think she's the best trained singer in the upper range then you haven't heard Beverley Knight, surely? She can belt up to a Bb5 with proper technique, more power than Leona's entire voice put together and with a nicer tone.
ReplyDeleteWhat about Julie Andrews? she would have kicked all their asses in a minute ....and I love Adele and Leona
ReplyDeleteJulie Andrews was great when it came to opera and musicals, but I meant in the pop world. Adele and Leona are good but not that amazing, imo.
ReplyDeleteShe's not bad but I can name about 20 more that are better than her vocally, technically and/or tonally.
ReplyDeleteI agree but her and Christina are both listed as mezzo's and have both hit over C6 easily
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRyFYjOs3js
ReplyDeleteMan I really miss her Xfactor voice days, loved the way she belted effortlessly and loved the sweeter/lighter tone. Nowadays it sounds a bit too nasally.
Actually her dream role as on operatic singer is Lakmé, do you know that is a coloratura soprano role? if she studied as a mezzo it's because she didn't know how to lift her palate and make high notes, just as many tenors who start as baritone, but if you knew just the very basic information about voice you should notice in a heartbeat how totally far from mezzo her voice is ! everything, from her weak, airy low register to her bright and easy falsetto or high belts SCREAM soprano, and also a very bright,agile one! study some more Joshua ;)
ReplyDeleteNothing technical? come one! as a lirico-leggero soprano, she's not supposed to have a strong, full low register, what stands out in her voice is her head /falsetto notes, and I don't agree that she only uses falsetto, and I also disagree on the middle register which I find often very creamy and round, which is why some ignorant ears may classify her as a mezzo....Obviously if you compare her to Mariah or Whitney who have fuller voices her belting comes out softer but it's fine considering her own instrument, I think you should adress your criticism to Aguilera who barks and screams to thicken and "blacken" her voice, I think Leona is a very pure and tasty vocalist.
ReplyDeleteI didn't say she should have a strong, full low register, but hers is just not there. The lower and middle registers are the most important parts of the voice...in ANY kind of voice. And she just has air down there.
ReplyDeleteThe middle is very weak. That creamy sound you hear speaks to her voice anatomy, not her technique. The coordination in that area is very amateur. She brings up more weight than she should and she sings with pressure instead of resonance.
This has nothing to do with comparing her to other singers. Her voice isn't that developed and she has extreme issues with her intonation and technique.
I also don't hear Leona as a mezzo. More like a slightly more metallic soprano. She does need to develop more of her full tone on the higher notes but her voice isn't weighty. It's relatively bright, thinner, and soars better as it comes up the scale. The low notes are muddled and lack the clarity of the upper midrange.
ReplyDeletelight-lyric imo.
ReplyDeleteTotally buyable. Her voice gets gradually muddled under B3. A sign of a soprano variant. Could be a light lyric who pushes a bit on the belts. But her natural unpushed color screams light lyric. I don't get how she would be a mezzo. I mean some of the singers we have here can be confusing or could be possible borderline cases but she sounds very textbook.
ReplyDeleteMost people just assume if a singer can get to E3 or under, no matter the quality of the note, the singer is a mezzo or contralto.
ReplyDeleteDear me. Much more to it than that but you well know that!
ReplyDeleteMezzo??? Leona??? Lol She's a light lyrics soprano at its finest.
ReplyDeleteShe doesn't have a whistle register, all her high notes above 6th octave (about 3 notes) are falsetto, actually the only note she's supposed she hit in whistle was from her studio version cover of "lovin you" and it's just an F#6 and it sounds exactly the same (colour and timbre) of Minnie Riperton i don't wanna think her producers used the copy and paste technique for that note but that sounds exactly the same. Also she hasn't ever hit any real whistle register note live.
ReplyDeleteShe has a lovely voice, honestly. Very ballad-type singer. She can sing the hell out of a Ballad. Up Beat songs aren't really her thing, which in a sense makes her a bit boring. However, her awesome delivery of ballads make up compensate for that. Not a fan of her Vibrato. Above E5, I cannot stand listening to her. Her Falsetto/HV is heavenly. In fact, probably the most interesting aspect of her voice as a whole. People often say she's overrated but in reality it's quite the opposite. The girl needs more recognition, she's so talented. When you hear singers like her in comparison to Ariana it honestly brings you into the true light of things.
ReplyDeleteHere it is, Leona's newest Christmas single! ;)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NppjCE3WBVI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wKIPVvV9sg Some of her performances were better than her xfactor ones ha.
ReplyDeleteIMO, she has one of the most beautiful voices in the current music, as you said. She's a soprano, a very good one and her vibrato isn't unwieldy (hear Fireflies and Collide to her her controlled vibrato).
ReplyDeleteDiva c'mon, you have to correct her vocal type right away. She's clearly a Soprano, if you need further proof just listen to her performance of Ave Maria: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E2MZEHeH0U.
ReplyDeleteSpecifically, she's a Light-Lyric soprano.
ReplyDeleteIn a general sense Leona has a great voice. Her lower range is pretty weak and her belting range is sometimes unpleasant in the higher extremes, but Leona's head voice is seriously one of the prettiest ever. Her live performances are wicked unemotional though. All of her arrangements are so technically perfect, but play so safe that they're boring. Leona has always had the looks and talent, but she doesn't really have a unique style that works for pop music. I bet she'd be really good at classical music if she worked on her technique though.
ReplyDeleteDo you have a particular dislike for Leona or what? It seems everytime someone posts how much they love her voice you downgrade her and mention another act. I do think Whit and mariah are better class of vocalists but Leona's feminine tone is very unique and sets her apart from the rest. She is a beautiful singer in her own right.
ReplyDeleteTone is subjective, Young Tan.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, it is but you yourself say she has a unique tone that is "otherworldly" - I'd disagree. Tone may be down to opinion but then again I have never heard anyone say "she has a nicer tone than Whitney", for example.
ReplyDeleteI have a dislike for how overrated she is and how her style is so very derivative of theirs. So many people rave about her being amazing, unique and Britain's best vocalist when she certainly isn't the latter while other singers go about almost unknown by the general public and people say ignorant things like "well obviously Leona is better since she is more famous" - exactly the same with how a lot of people view Adele. She's an alright singer but I don't find her that interesting as an artist or even a person (based on how she conducts herself in public). And if we're talking about her being as good as the likes of Berverley and Annie from a technical standpoint, she isn't.
ReplyDeleteThen why even comment on her? If others disagree with you, I think you should appreciate that everyone has their particular bias and opinions. No, she isn't the best "technically", but she is gifted nonetheless. I just hate to see the way you are attacking her and her supporters on this site. And I like Beverly and Annie, they are unique themselves, but I will buy a Leona Lewis album where I wouldn't purchase their simply because even if she isn't the best technically, her vocal is just more pleasant to listen to. Get over it.
ReplyDeleteYes, I did say "otherworldly" and I meant it. I enjoy her tone moreso than Whitney's and I am one of Whitney's biggest supporters. Whitney has the best overall voice but Leona's tone is more beautiful AND THIS IS MY OPINION. It doesn't matter if someone compares her to Whitney and why mention Whitney (or any other artist) when this post is about Leona Lewis?
ReplyDeleteLoads of people used to compare her to Whitney and Mariah, especially on The X Factor - and all of these posts show comparisons between the divas and objectively show why some are more respected vocalists/artists than others.
ReplyDeleteFine, you continue to stan for your mediocre artist. She doesn't do anything interesting, new or groundbreaking with her voice or her music. To me her tone is whiny and shrill and simply not always that pleasant to listen to. And because it's fun to wind people up, especially people who make exaggerated claims… A lot of people do it on posts about people they don't like while at the same time giving their own opinions and stating objective facts - people do it, get over it.
ReplyDeleteThat's simply not true. She may have started as a Mariah mini-me, but her album "Heartglass" went places Mariah would not dare go, experimenting with electronica and some alternative sounds.
ReplyDeleteChristina is a mezzo, as she is not comfortable singing in soprano tessitura and better lows (in spite of her technique).
ReplyDelete*has* better lows (sorry)
ReplyDeleteWhy are always a hater? You've had your side about Regine Velasquez, now this. You always have something negative to say to someone, don't you? Top Grade A**hole
ReplyDeleteFor me, her tone is what sets her apart from Whitney and Mariah. Some appreciate her voice, some don't. My issue is it seems every time someone post a positive comment about her you pop out of the woodwork suggesting other artist because you don't like this one.
ReplyDelete"And because it's fun to wind people up, especially people who make exaggerated claims"
ReplyDeleteFind a new more mature hobby because this just sounds pathetic. If you don't like her, fine, but you should allow everyone else the right to his or her opinion without feeling the need to put in your 2 cents. I don't like B. Spears but I'm not on her page telling everyone to stop listening to her, that Madonna is better. You can call her mediocre but she has gotten farther along in her singing career than you can hope to and she's doing more productive things with her time than WHINING about artists she can't stand. You should take a tip from her. ;)
I agree. The single "Collide" was so unexpected for me that I didn't even recognize it was her until I was told. I love that she isn't afraid to take risks.
ReplyDeleteI think her cover of Snow Patrol's "Run" shows off all the strengths of Leona's voice in one piece. Anyway, I like her voice. I don't think she's overrated.
ReplyDeleteI feel like her voice has changed a lot since X-Factor, there's almost a steely quality to her upper chest voice which isn't always pleasant. However Leona has one of the prettiest head voices ever no doubt about that.
ReplyDeleteOne of the funniest classifications besides Jordin's lol. This should be an obvious Soprano Classification. She's almost incapable of producing any true chest tones down in the lower register of her voice. It's barely audible. She has a high tessitura (although lately she's been singing mid-mezzo tessitura) and can sing within the Soprano tessitura with ease. She possesses the brightness of a Lyric Soprano as well. All in all, she has a really good voice. Her head voice is very beautiful. My favourite is probably Whitney, but Leona's a close 2nd. These 2 ladies have amazing Head Voices.
ReplyDelete