Leona Lewis - Leona Lewis More Talented Than Chart Rivals

Leona Lewis More Talented Than Chart Rivals

Leona Lewis thinks reality TV singers are "more talented" than other artists.

The 'Bleeding Love' hitmaker - who shot to fame after winning the UK version of 'The X Factor' in 2006 - believes contestants in star-search shows have to rely more heavily on their natural abilities than their chart rivals, who can use auto-tune and other studio trickery on their vocals.

She said: "Because my first single, 'Bleeding Love', did so well - it went number one in, like, 30 different countries - I've proved myself not to be a sell-out. And people see me on the show, where people are singing live; there's no miming like you see so many artists now doing on TV shows. You're out there in front of so many people and there's so much pressure.

"So in all honesty, a lot of reality-show musicians are more talented than the artists who are actually out right now. There's no Auto-Tune, no nothing. It's all raw, genuine, so a lot of the people are actually very, very talented."

Leona also admitted she feels "lucky" to have kept the support of Simon Cowell, who was her mentor on the show.

She added in an interview with Time Out Dubai magazine: "I feel lucky that he actually likes me. We've worked quite closely together since the show; I'm signed to his record company. He's cool offstage. We've always got along; he's always been a real supporter of me and my music. Everything happens so fast: One minute no one knows you, the next minute 13 million people in the UK are seeing you on TV. It's crazy."