Spirit (Leona Lewis album)

Spirit
Studio album by
Leona Lewis
Released9 November 2007
RecordedDecember 2006 – September 2007
Studio
Genre
Length53:39
LabelSyco
Producer
Leona Lewis chronology
Spirit
(2007) 		Echo
(2009)
Singles from Spirit
  1. "A Moment Like This"
    Released: 17 December 2006
  2. "Bleeding Love"
    Released: 16 September 2007
  3. "Better in Time" / "Footprints in the Sand"
    Released: 25 February 2008
  4. "Forgive Me"
    Released: 26 July 2008
  5. "Run"
    Released: 30 November 2008
  6. "I Will Be"
    Released: 6 January 2009

Spirit is the debut studio album by English singer Leona Lewis, released by Syco Music in November 2007 in the United Kingdom and Ireland, followed by a worldwide release during early 2008. The album made Lewis the first UK solo artist to debut at number one with a debut album, in the US, on 26 April 2008.[3] Spirit became the fastest-selling debut album in the UK, at time of release.[4] It also became the fastest album to sell one million copies by a solo female in the UK.[5] The album remains the best-selling debut album by a female artist in the UK, and is one of the best-selling albums in UK chart history.[6] Spirit is officially the best-selling debut album by a female artist in the 21st century, according to the Official Charts Company.[7]

After winning the third series of reality singing contest The X Factor in December 2006, Lewis began recording the album in Sweden, the United Kingdom and United States, working with a variety of writers and producers. Critics praised the album for creating a contemporary album using such a variety of producers, and for showcasing Lewis's voice. The release of the album marked Lewis as the first winner of a major television talent show in both the UK and US to be given a major global launch with a debut album.

The album debuted at number one in nine countries, including the United Kingdom, United States and Germany, and peaked in the top five in a further eight countries. It held the record for the biggest digital album sales in a week ever for a new artist. The album was the sixth biggest-selling of 2008 in the world, as according to the IFPI.[8] It has gone on to sell over eight million copies worldwide,[9][10] and was the fourth best-selling album of the 2000s in the UK,[11] where it has since sold over 3.12 million copies and remains the best-selling debut album by a female artist. In October 2019, Spirit was recognised as the seventh best-selling album of the 21st century in the UK.[12][13]

Spirit spawned seven singles, including two from a re-release of the album. Lead international single "Bleeding Love" went on to top the charts in 36 countries, becoming one of the best-selling singles by a female of all-time. It was nominated for Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 51st Grammy Awards, and British Single of the Year at the 2008 Brit Awards. Follow-up single "Better in Time" also fared well, charting in the top 10 in 13 countries and reaching number 11 in the US. After a well received performance of Snow Patrol's "Run" whilst promoting Spirit, Lewis recorded a cover version for the re-release of the album, titled Spirit – The Deluxe Edition, which was released as a download-only single in the UK, where it charted at number one, going on to be the third Platinum-selling single from Spirit, following X Factor winner's single "A Moment Like This" and "Bleeding Love".

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference RCA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference allmusic was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Leona Lewis Makes Big Splash Atop Billboard 200 Archived 8 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine Billboard. Retrieved 21 March 2012 [verification needed]
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference recorddebut was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Winehouse album is UK top-seller". BBC. 21 December 2007. Archived from the original on 24 December 2007. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  6. ^ Copsey, Rob (13 October 2018). "The UK's Top 40 biggest studio albums of time". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2019. [verification needed]
  7. ^ "Twitter". mobile.twitter.com. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  8. ^ Biggest Selling albums of 2008 (Worldwide) Archived 24 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine IFPI
  9. ^ Bliss, Sara (6 July 2015). "Why Leona Lewis Isn't Hiding Behind Her Hair Anymore". Yahoo! Beauty. Archived from the original on 14 October 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
  10. ^ "BMG U.K. Signs Leona Lewis to Worldwide Publishing Deal". BMG. 2009. Archived from the original on 16 October 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  11. ^ "James Blunt records the biggest selling album of decade". Press Office. BBC. 29 December 2009. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  12. ^ "Radio 2 reveals the best-selling albums of the 21st Century". BBC. Archived from the original on 13 October 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  13. ^ "The UK's Top 40 biggest studio albums of the 21st Century". www.officialcharts.com. Archived from the original on 6 November 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2019.