Rhys Mathews catches up with Leona Lewis while she’s in New York picking up a Music Pioneer award before her UK tour and March show in Cardiff.
What’s the meaning behind the album title I Am?
When I started making the album a lot of the subject matter was really empowering, liberating and freeing. So I decided to call it I Am because I was putting out the message of being empowered and uplifted. I feel like it’s a very strong statement because whatever you put after I Am is basically what you put out into your own world. So it’s really a question of what you want to put out there. I talk a lot about my personal story and lots of the things that I’ve been through and empowering and uplifting myself, and it has very positive undertones.
And you write all your own songs don’t you?
Yeah, I started working on this album independently, so I was out of a deal. I wrote the album and then found a deal with Island Records and Def Jam and then finished the album with them. So me and one other person wrote every single song on this album. For me, that was the only way to get the message across to just be very genuine and open.
How do you create the concept behind your tour?
Well I come up with how I want people to feel, and then when I start from there, I build the show around that. The main thing is that I want people to feel uplifted, and I want it to be very positive and I just feel like, there’s so much craziness going on, I just want it to be something where people come together and feel positive and feel love, and feel good about themselves. And then I’ve got my band, who are amazing, and this time I’m going on tour with two singers who have a gospel background, so that’s going to give a very uplifting atmosphere. I have different ideas that I want to implement into the show and then visually we come up with all those concepts.
Do you enjoy touring?
I do, I enjoy all the parts of making music. I haven’t been on tour for a few years now, so I’m definitely ready to go out there. I’ve had enough of a break, and I’ve got the new music together and now it’s time to take this album I’ve created and do a tour with it. It’s so fulfilling for me to watch all of that come to life.
Are you looking forward to coming back to Cardiff?
Yes, Cardiff is amazing for me, because that’s where half of my family are from. My Mum grew up in Penarth, and my family live in Rhoose and Snowdonia, so they all come down and see the show, and at my last show my cousin proposed to his girlfriend, I got him on stage. It was so cool, it was such a moment. I have amazing memories of Cardiff.
You mainly live in L.A. right now, so how often do you get to come back to Britain when you’re not touring?
I travel between both London and L.A. a lot, I was in London twice this month. It’s so crazy. But I love L.A., where I live is a horse community, so I’m surrounded by cowboys and stuff, it’s definitely a nice way of life.
What artist would you like to work with in the future?
I really love Sia, I’ve written with her before, so I’d really like to work with her again. I think Bruno Mars has such a fantastic voice and I really love Hozier. I’m a big fan of male singers, so I’d like to do some duets, Sam Smith obviously!
What else have you got in your sights that you’d like to achieve in your career?
I’d like to continue with my different projects that I have now, I’m starting to go back in the studio again and create some new songs, just continue working on another record.
Leona Lewis, I Am, St David’s Hall, Cardiff. Wed 2 Mar. Tickets: £29.50-£55. Info: www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk