Leona Lewis has wowed in a new stunning Rollacoaster magazine photoshoot for their autumn/winter 2020 issue.
Talking in a candid interview alongside it, the singer, 35, expressed her passion for sustainability and the environment.
Leona also reflected on her career nearly 15 years after winning The X Factor in 2006, admitting that she has felt ‘pressure’ and ‘judgement’.
Gorgeous: Leona Lewis has wowed in a new stunning Rollacoaster magazine photoshoot for their autumn/winter 2020 issue
Elsewhere, the singer claimed that it is a ‘waste’ if people don’t use their platforms to highlight ‘wrongness in the world’.
The star owns a 53-acre animal rescue sanctuary and has recently opened an eco-friendly cafe in Los Angeles called Coffee And Plants, which is plant-based with everything recyclable and a tree planted after 100 cups sold.
Talking about when her passion for sustainability started, the former X Factor star said: ‘I’ve always been aware of my environment, and I’ve always been aware of animals since I became a vegetarian at 12.
‘I remember at school when they were teaching us about the greenhouse gases or something like that and the teacher would be like ”Remember to turn of the light when you leave the house.”
Candid: Talking in a candid interview alongside it, the singer, 35, expressed her passion for sustainability and the environment
Career: Leona also reflected on her career nearly 15 years after winning The X Factor in 2006, admitting that she has felt ‘pressure’ and ‘judgement’
‘I used to go around my house switching all the lights off all the time and my parents were like ”What are you doing?” But I became really aware. I think I was such a hypersensitive child, so I think that was always in me.
‘But since I’ve become older and a bit wiser, I really got to know the implications of deforestation and how deforestation then dehomes a lot of animals.’
Talking about using her platform to raise awareness of ‘wrongness in the world’, Leona added: ‘If you have a platform where you can speak out about wrongness in the world, I feel like it would be a waste not too.
‘But I feel like also, each to their own. It depends what issues upset you or you feel need to be brought to light. With the platform I’ve earned, there are certain injustices that I see that moves me so to a point that I can’t keep quiet about it.’
Highlighting issues: Elsewhere, the singer claimed that it is a ‘waste’ if people don’t use their platforms to highlight ‘wrongness in the world’
Eco-warrior: The star owns a 53-acre animal rescue sanctuary and has recently opened an eco-friendly cafe in Los Angeles called Coffee And Plants, which is plant-based with everything recyclable and a tree planted after 100 cups sold
Leona also revealed that she unintentionally spent the first coronavirus lockdown in Los Angeles.
She said: ‘I was in London in March and then I went to LA and I thought I would be back to London within 3 weeks but I ended up having to actually stay there and quarantine there because they didn’t let anyone travel.
‘I was there for a little bit and at the beginning, my cousin was with me and we were in lockdown together with my husband [Dennis Jauch]. It’s kind of crazy you know, being away from everyone. Lots of Zooms and lots of Facetime happening.’
Leona also said she has used lockdown to work on some new music and work on a TV concept centre on where she grew up around Hackney, London.
Lockdown: Leona also revealed that she unintentionally spent the first coronavirus lockdown in Los Angeles
The singer soared to fame after winning the third series of The X Factor in 2006 and she will celebrate the 15th anniversary next year.
She said: ‘I know, it’s mad. Someone said that the other day. It does feel like that because so much has happened, but it also feels a bit like only a few years ago almost.
‘It’s weird when you think about how much time has actually gone. When people are like ”How long ago were you on the show?’ and I’m like ”seven years?” [laughs] its double that. It’s kind of mad…’
Reflecting on whether she has felt any pressure to change over the past nearly 15 years, she said: ‘I mean… there’s always different pressures I felt from outside.
‘Whether its lots of opinions on what I was doing, lots of judgement on things that I was doing, especially in the age that we live in where there are so many comments and there are so many opinions on what you’re doing.
Talented: The singer soared to fame after winning the third series of The X Factor in 2006 and she will celebrate the 15th anniversary next year
‘It’s hard not to feel that pressure and you’d have to be a very focused person not to. There were times I thought, ”Is this what I should be doing? Should I be doing that?”.
‘But I’m the kind of person who is quite stubborn so once I have my sight on something, I just go for it.
‘Although there were certain pressures, and I did feel certain things at certain times, I still had a good support system around me who believed in what I was doing and what I wanted to fulfil with whatever music endeavour that I chose to do.’
Way back when: She said: ‘ I know, it’s mad. Someone said that the other day. It does feel like that because so much has happened, but it also feels a bit like only a few years ago almost.’ (pictured in 2006)
For the photoshoot, Leona wowed in a collection of different vibrant ensembles as she posed up a storm.
In one look, the singer looked sensational in a pink strapless ballgown with a puffed out skirt.
While a different ensemble saw Leona in a strapless black and jewel-encrusted gown.
Read the full interview in Rollacoaster magazine, available now.