Alexandra Burke has reportedly signed a US record deal with Epic worth £3 million.

The X Factor winner was picked up by the label for a five-album contract as a result of the success of her ‘Hallelujah’ single, The Sun reports.

An industry insider said: “Epic think Alexandra can follow in Leona’s footsteps.

“The US market loves women with big voices – and Alex certainly has that. If she comes close to Leona’s success it will be a job well done.”

It is claimed that Epic is planning a similar launch strategy to the one used by parent company Sony to promote Leona Lewis.

Earlier this week, Burke said that watching Coldplay’s success at the Grammys has made her more determined to crack America. {Source}

I must say, I’m particularly happy for Alexandra. With all the talk of her being ‘the’ next big worldwide star, a US deal really was a necessity. With Leona signing with J Records (also under the Sony Music umbrella with Epic), it really seems that they are following a similar template with Alex – a fact also made evident with the label’s choice to take time with the recording of the album (which is due in November). Working with the top US producers, stylists etc also seems an inevitability as the £3Million is what will be used to both make and market the album, as well as carving out an image for Alex. Exciting stuff.

LeToya Luckett will shoot a video for “Not Anymore” on Friday in Los Angeles. The mini-movie will be directed by Bryan Barber (OutKast, The Game) and is the first single off the 27-year-old’s sophomore album Lady Love.

The treatment calls for nothing you’ve seen from the R&B songstress before, conceptually and visually. The video will be set in the early 1960s, but will have a modern feel similar to Barber’s video for Christina Aguilera’s “Ain’t No Other Man.”

Taking place on an old revival tour bus and “American Bandstand”-like stage, LeToya is the newest addition to a Motown record label and is burning up the charts, eventually moving on from the man who broke her heart and reveling in the ultimate revenge—success.

With the song being a grower – and not as instantly likable as, perhaps, required – a killer video is just what is needed. I’m particularly anticipating this one, as some Barber’s previous work have really been awesome.

“You could never imagine how empowering it is to be nude in front of cameras and have people looking at you in that way and seeing you as beautiful,” she told MTV News. “You’re seeing yourself as beautiful. I mean, a lot of the times I think I’m seen as a bad girl, and I think that’s because I’m so open.”

O’Day said that she agreed to the pictorial only after the magazine made Klinko available. He’s snapped portraits of everyone from Mariah Carey to Pamela Anderson, in addition to the cover of Beyoncé’s 2003 album Dangerously In Love, and O’Day knew he’d make her Playboy spread something to remember.

“I only agreed to do it because [Markus] was shooting it,” she said. “He is unbelievably amazing. He agreed with me that we needed to do something classy, iconic and truly beautiful. I mean, I think a lot of the type of way I’m portrayed in the media isn’t always the way I am in my heart. And I think that we were able to capture that with [this shoot].

“It’s going to be very elegant, very iconic,” she emphasized. “We wanted to do something very beautiful and classic. And I’m very excited about, just in general, how liberating the shoot was and how great it’s going to be to express myself and be comfortable with my sexuality. I think in society we tend to put ourselves in boxes and corners and restrict ourselves, and we constantly feel the need to not say this or not wear this … and taking it all off and being nude is the most natural state that you can be in.”

And what does she think her detractors will say about the Playboy spread? Well, to be honest, she doesn’t really care. Because she’s not listening.

“I’m always gonna be true, whether people like it or not. I’m just gonna be me. I’m gonna be real. I’m not gonna do anything because people want me to. I’m not gonna hide something about me,” she laughed. “I think people are scared to be who they are, and if anybody’s gonna go out there and let everybody know, ‘Be who you are … no judgment here,’ it’s gonna be me.”