Nearing the end of last year, ‘Better In Time‘ songbird Leona Lewis broke the news that her long awaited album ‘Glassheart’ was to be released in 2012 and not in November 2011 as had initially been scheduled.
So now, with not long to go until the project hits stores, record executive Clive Davis has shared a number of details regarding his contributions to the LP and aired out his feelings towards her second album, ‘Echo‘.
His comments below…
On working with Lewis, he explained:
My current album project is Leona Lewis. I was asked by Simon to consider producing her with him when she first broke through with X Factor. He sent me all the reels of her performances on the show, and she has a very big strong range, so I agreed to undertake that.
I held a songwriters audition appraisal and had her fly over to sing three songs for them, which triggered ‘Better In Time’ and ‘Bleeding Love’. That album sold 9 million copies worldwide.
When it came to her second album- she co wrote about eight songs which I was very skeptical about, because you don’t become a writer just because you think it’d help you earn more from publishing and royalties.
Even though it didn’t sell well in the United States, outside of the States it did very well so now that we’re about to finish her third album-which I think is damn good and has hits- I’ve been talking to Will.I.Am, Ryan Tedder , Polo and we’re taking the old fashioned approach of coming up with hit songs and hit records.
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hopefully its nothing like collide that song was a hot mess i want the bleeding in love style! i heard a demo of a song called birds or something like that and it was really good and i hope she keeps taking that approach to her music and not try to go the dance/pop route because not everone can make the trandition like rihanna has! leona kills it with r&b and that is how it should be.
YES! So happy she has him as a producer!
Plus there are some big names up there! WOW!
Love Leona, she should stick to R&B/Pop! Though I loved ‘Collide’ its not for her.
In her interview with The Guardian, she seemed to taking a more hands-on approach and more experimental direction as far as her music is concerned.
Now it seems like Clive is taking her back to her old self.
I wonder what it’s gonna be like in the end.
And for the record, I LOVED Collide. It’s one of the few songs of hers that i’ve liked.
“When it came to her second album- she co wrote about eight songs which I was very sceptical about, because you don’t become a writer just because you think it’d help you earn more from publishing and royalties.”
Shade! I cannot believe this man had the audacity to come out with this. He obviously knows jack s*** about Leona. Before X-Factor, Leona was writing her own music. I have about three albums worth of music and demos that Leona wrote herself before finding fame on the X-Factor. Simon and the record label obviously held back Leona from writing the album because they wanted her to be a massive success and:
a) They wasn’t certain enough her song writing abilities would produce hits
b) They wanted her to release music before all the hype from X-Factor dies down and it’s quicker for her to buy already written and produced songs
Obviously she had the chance to have more input in the creative side of the second album and grasped the opportunity. I am pretty certain Leona has earned more than enough to live comfortably and did not co-write because she wanted royalties. Estimated figures of what she is worth have been released, and we are still yet to see Leona become the type of celebrity who flaunts their money and an extremely lavish lifestyle.
Clive Davis is the untalented one who is in the music industry for the money rather than the music. Hence his ending comments about talking to the most popular producers around to come up with “hit songs and records.”
If when this album comes out and you are disappointed because it’s a bunch of generic “hits”, we know who to point our finger at.
Uhm I’m sure Spirit sold 10mil by now and Echo did well ww besides the states and I just can’t wait for the new album
Clive is so damn arrogant and misogynistic. He did this same thing to Kelly Clarkson when she wanted to release My December rather than a knock-off of Breakaway. Just because Whitney was happy to be a puppet doesn’t mean every other female singer wants to be one as well. How about, hmmm, nurturing the songwriting talents of your women singers rather than bringing in sub-par male talent like Will.I.Am and Ryan Tedder who only repeat their same style of production and songwriting over and over again?
this awful mummy needs to retire.
Will.i.am to feature. So?
@GiGi, Whitney wasn’t a puppet she was smart and has any of the others come close to her success?? hmmm i think NOT. look what happened to kelly Clarkson when she thought she knew it all, her cd flopped and her audience has abandoned her now she is struggling.
Yall Dumb as hell to think Clive Davis does not know what he’s talking about. Its not about being arrogant , he knows his s***. The artist that he suggested they sgould not write look where they are now.Once upon a time under his leadership they were unstoppable forces in music and now well…. He comes fro the old school model -Artist -Producer-song writers-etc. He didn’t let Whitney Houston write and she had an amazing career even though she probably is missing out on a s*** load of royalties and publishing . But in the end he knows better.
Kelly’s album didn’t flop it still went platinum. The label just didn’t push it because it wasn’t what they wanted. Also, she has a platinum single out now and a gold album and she’s just moving on to her second single. So how is she a flop? If anything she’s doing good.
will.i.am just needs to stop, especially tainting UK acts.
Whitney was very much a puppet who did anything Clive said–even covered up her “ghetto” image until drugs and Bobby busted that wide open. Clive has stated before in Rolling Stone magazine that he doesnt agree with artists particularly female artists writing their own music…he smoking crack try telling that to Alicia, Mariah, Adele, Sheryl Crow and countless others who wrote all their hits with the exception of a few remakes. Clive only major breakthrough was Whitney and Monica he now needs to sit his old “closet” ass down—yes New York Times outed him in a blind item six years ago and he was rumored to have a DL relationship with Luther back in the late ’70s when Luther was a back-up singer for Cissy Houston among others.
Sweet foundation, Clive.
one word for Leona Lewis heap of boring S***!!!!!!!!!!
I would imagine you tow the line or out you go, Leona doesnt seem like a greedy or pushy person to me, just happy she has had the break through into the pop scene. such a great singer. clive has spent to much time with whitney and co and pushing his american artists to be putting money behind leona, if she was to flop it would be clives and simons fault for taking her early success for granted, americans tend to look after there own and simon loves his money. he has neglected her british fans and hopefully she wont pay the penalty for that.
So clive needs to shut up and be ashamed with is comments if they are true.
Clive can go f****** kill himself.
Whitney hates him.
I thought that clive should have been managing leona a lot better than he has, he and simon just took it for granted that after her first success that the second album would sell without much promotion, the single happy should have been a major hit like bleeding love, but didint have enough promotion. they have caused a void between leona and her fans, she is a class act, she is not selling s** she is actually singing, notlike a lot of the other female artists out there.
And i dont think leona co wrote to make more money, she just wanted more experience, she has already written her own stuff in the past, just shows how much he has got to know leona.