Leona Lewis Covers Rihanna’s ‘Man Down’ On Live Lounge

Published: Monday 23rd May 2011 by Sam

Taking a break from recording her third studio album, songbird Leona Lewis stopped by BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge. As well as announcing that the broadcaster’s annual Big Weekender extravaganza will take place next year from her home town of Hackney, she also performed a brief live set.

Putting a unique reggae spin on her hit ‘Better In Time’, the talented star dashed Rihanna‘s latest single ‘Man Down’ into the fray, with fantastic results.

Listen for yourself after the jump…

Credit where it’s due, Ms. Fenty isn’t half the terror she  usually is on ‘Man Down’, hence Leona made an already solid song even better. Beyond the obvious comparisons between their renditions, it was uber refreshing just to see Leona dabble in something different. Here’s hoping the new album she speaks of boasts more in the way of such experimentation. Roll on August…

Your thoughts?

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  1. May 23, 2011

    Did she get a nose Job?

  2. browngirl May 23, 2011

    cant wait for her new album!

  3. browngirl May 23, 2011

    i know this has nothing to do with anything, but i just realised it’s been exactly 2 years since i saw beyonce live. that was the best night of my life!

  4. rob May 23, 2011

    SLAYED

  5. MISHKA May 23, 2011

    Leona is incredible. We need her to come back fast and to upgrade Billboard Hot 100.

    Btw, I hope she’s working on losing her british accent and improving her acting skills : She IS the one who will play Whitney Houston. She better be ready when Clive Davis will call her up on the phone.

    We know Rih-Rih can’t-sing-but-she-cute but she’s bajan and nobody can take that from her. She’s always good when she sings on her hometown rythm because she’s more comfortable.

  6. John May 23, 2011

    @MISHKA

    Are you kidding me? Lose her british accent? I don’t think so, i think she is proud to be british and wouldn’t like to be fake and have an accent that isn’t hers. Im sick of Americans not realising how much talent britain has and how we are dominating the states ATM i.e. Adele/Royal Wedding… Lets all be honest you know its real and you all love it. However, with MISHIT or whatever, you just can’t face it. Don’t hate me cause you ain’t me.

  7. LIz May 23, 2011

    AMAZING!! Can’t wait for next album!!!

  8. Mahogany May 23, 2011

    @_

    Nosejob??? Haha, more like fotoshopping. She always looks the horseface. I see no different.

  9. Mahogany May 23, 2011

    UGH… NEVER THOT I’D SAY THIS BUT R******’S VERSION IS BETTER EVEN WITH THE STRAINING VOCALS.

  10. Harvey May 23, 2011

    That was good…Did she get a nose job???

  11. Dekan May 23, 2011

    @MAHOGANY

    Horseface??? get out. she is beautiful… Just because she has high cheek bones and you are jealous of them… doesn’t mean you need to go around bagging her out because of it. And even if she had a horseface… which she doesn’t… she is a good person and wouldn’t be horrible bagging people out AT ALL….

    I hate when genuinely good, kind, sweet and beautiful people get hurt by people like you… Just because you are irritated that they have everything you don’t and you want.

  12. yaaaasss May 23, 2011

    she DID get a nose job yall!

  13. susie May 23, 2011

    Leona Lewis is a very sweet and decent girl, but fools always want to put her down!!

  14. TaTa May 23, 2011

    It was okay, a good update of a previous hit but i still think Leona is a goo singer instead of a great singer.

  15. UGh May 23, 2011

    Man Down is a solid song??????????????????????? it’s the worst song on the f****** album and i hate how she sounds like a fake Jamaican, that’s what makes it bad.

    I actually like Leona’s version. it sounds like how reggae is supposed to sound #idontcare

  16. MISHKA May 23, 2011


    JOHN
    May 23, 2011 at 9:55 am

    @MISHKA

    Are you kidding me? Lose her british accent? I don’t think so, i think she is proud to be british and wouldn’t like to be fake and have an accent that isn’t hers. Im sick of Americans not realising how much talent britain has and how we are dominating the states ATM i.e. Adele/Royal Wedding… Lets all be honest you know its real and you all love it. However, with MISHIT or whatever, you just can’t face it. Don’t hate me cause you ain’t me.

    ______________________________________

    Hmm Okay I should have said “learn the American accent” IN ORDER to get an iconic movie role. I thought we were all people who can READ here but obviously not exactly.

  17. Jason92 May 23, 2011

    wow Leona sounds REALLY good on a reggae beat!!! Hope simon read this blog!

  18. Yellow Gorillah May 23, 2011

    Man Down is not the worst song on LOUD.. CKB is worst!

    Leona better STAN! And she did a really good cover I hope she get’s success with this new album. She looks beautiful I don’t know what yall talking about

  19. Part Of The Blanco Family May 23, 2011

    This is promo… the same way Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez rapped Nicki Minaj’s super bass

  20. sabrina May 23, 2011

    Niceeeeee

  21. jrizza May 23, 2011

    Man Down is one of the BEST songs on the album actually. I love it, and her accent works, fake or not.

  22. MaZ May 23, 2011

    Love Leona! Can’t wait for her to come back! Her version of “Man down” is great.

  23. Pringle C May 23, 2011

    she’s a great singer..did better than rihanna..:)..Uggs Giving Away Stuff After PETA called them out.. http://ow.ly/4ZEie to Get Consumers to Support them….haha got 2 pair!

  24. BeeBee May 23, 2011

    every1 sayin she cant sing it better than rihanna cause rihanna is ‘caribbean’…umm so is leona lewis. im jus sayin

  25. Auntie Jackie May 23, 2011

    O__________________________________________________________________O

    She killed that s***.

  26. NICK May 23, 2011

    cute b**** loved it

  27. mobwife May 23, 2011

    No, no, no mama this is awful! The song is bad enough without other voices contributing to it!

    Oh my I feel a tad negative today…lol it seems that everything I hear sounds awful after that Billboard fiasco! (Beyonce killed it though 🙂 )!

  28. LOVEJT May 23, 2011

    Mi love it

  29. leonaweb May 23, 2011

    ABSOLUTELY STUNNING!!!! Love to hear a duet 🙂

  30. VA STAND UP!! May 23, 2011

    Awww! Leona! I totally forgot all about her! I hope she has been working on some new material cause I would love to hear some from her.

    She sounded great! She obviously has very powerful vocals, but she toned them down and put her own spin on it! She even got the accent, well a lil bit! Lol! I think she proved that she can switch up her sound and handle different types of songs rather than just big powerhouse ballads! Hopefully it will reflect on her new album!

    I wish she would stop wearing that ugly ass wig though! She has beautiful hair I don’t know why she wants that ugly brown stick straight s*** on her head. SMH.

  31. VA STAND UP!! May 23, 2011

    BeeBee
    May 23, 2011 at 1:44 pm
    every1 sayin she cant sing it better than rihanna cause rihanna is ‘caribbean’…umm so is leona lewis. im jus sayin

    —————————————————————————————–

    Um…Leona Lewis is British! Haven’t you heard her speak?! Where have you been?

  32. HUDSON MORRIGAN May 24, 2011

    She got a nose job after she was punched and after the horse kicked her 😛

  33. joey May 24, 2011

    why does it sound like someone is stomping on a roach in the background

  34. Jackie May 29, 2011

    She’s gorgeous and a nice humble person. Not to mention she’s one of the best singers out there. Seriously? Some of you are calling her horse face? That just makes you look dumb if you say that. She’s obviously exceptionally beautiful.

  35. butlerny June 1, 2011

    Leona Lewis is British born Her father is GUAYANESE Her mother is Welsh….
    This version was for radio one where stars do one of their own and a cover….the other is on youtube called Let the sun shine by labyrinth
    Leona showed she isnt just a ballad singer and that she dosnt have to do them all the time….the style was reggae /lovers rock and as for people slagging her off thats just jealosy…she has a new single out soon which will surprise everyone and her album is going str8 to no.1 (i hope)
    Leona has done a uk tour check out “cant breath live o2”
    at 3.00 something i got goosebumps!!…
    Leona will be dueting with Jessie J and hopefully Adele and guess what they all know each other and went to same music school School of Brits…i,m not going to slag off Rhianna as I like her and anyway its not nice…I like Beyonce but dont like her Girls song…
    Leona will be seen and heard everywhere quite soon…..AND IM SOO EXCITED

  36. David September 8, 2011

    TOTAL RUBBISH LEONA QUESTION FOR YOU LEONA LEWIS WHY DONT YOU JUST VANISH

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