Spirit (Leona Lewis album)
Encyclopedia
Spirit is the debut album by British singer Leona Lewis
, released by Syco Music in November 2007 in the United Kingdom and Ireland, followed by a worldwide release during early 2008. After winning the third series of reality singing contest The X Factor
in December 2006, Lewis began recording the album in Sweden, UK and the United States, working with a variety of writers and producers. Critics praised the album for creating a contemporary album using such a variety of producers, and for showcasing Lewis's voice, though criticised her "lack of personality". The release of the album marked Lewis as the first winner of a major television talent show in both the UK and U.S. to be given a major global launch with a debut album.
The album debuted at number one in nine countries, including the United Kingdom, United States and Germany, and peaked in the top five in a further eight countries. It held the record for the biggest digital album sales in a week ever for a new artist. The album was the 6th biggest selling of 2008 in the world, as according to the IFPI. It has gone on to sell over seven million copies worldwide, and was the 4th best-selling album of the 2000s in the UK,, where it has since sold over 3 million copies.
Spirit spawned seven singles, including two from a re-release of the album. Lead international single "Bleeding Love
" went on to top the charts in 34 countries, becoming one of the best selling singles by a female of all time. It was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Record of the Year
at the 51st Grammy Awards, and British Single at the 2008 BRIT Awards. Followup single "Better in Time
" also fared well, charting in the top ten in thirteen countries and reaching number eleven in the US. After a well received performance of Snow Patrol
's "Run
" whilst promoting Spirit, Lewis recorded a studio version for the re-release of the album, Spirit - The Deluxe Edition, which was released as a download only single in the UK, where it charted at number one, going on to be the third platinum selling single from Spirit, following X Factor winner's single "A Moment Like This" and "Bleeding Love".
is an A&R
executive. Cowell also mentored Lewis on the show. During the live final, Lewis duetted with Gary Barlow
of band Take That
, who told Cowell, "This girl is probably fifty times better than any other contestant you have ever had, so you have a big responsibility to make the right record with her." Cowell admitted that Barlow's words resonated with him, and thus the decision was made to not rush her debut album, as he wanted an "incredible record" of original material, which he believed could not be done in less than a year. Lewis also wanted a high quality album that she could feel proud of. Cowell told Lewis that he did not care if the album took three years to make, he wanted to get it right.
On 25 April 2007, a press release was sent out revealing that Simon Cowell and Clive Davis
, chairman and CEO of J Records
, would work together in a first-of-its-kind partnership on both the song and producer selection for the album. Lewis performed a showcase for several American music executives at the Beverly Hilton Hotel
in Beverly Hills, California
. Lewis named the album Spirit because "it is my heart and soul and the voice within that says everything is possible." The album originally had a September 2007 deadline, but was delayed due to Lewis suffering from tonsillitis
and waiting for producers to become available.
, who produced the songs "Homeless" and "Footprints in the Sand
". "Homeless" was written by Jörgen Elofsson
, and was previously recorded by Swedish singer Darin
. "Footprints in the Sand" was written by Per Magnusson
, David Kreuger
, Richard Page
and Simon Cowell
. The song is an adaptation of the Christian
poem "Footprints
", and Lewis commented "Originally it was a poem; it's very inspirational so we put it into a song. I think it is very moving, with a very emotional lyric and I really love to sing this song". Cowell came up with the idea to base a song around the poem, and asked Kreuger and Magnusson whether they could write something dealing with this subject. They took the idea to a songwriting session the pair already had scheduled with Page at his home in Malibu, California and they finished the song the following day. When Cowell mentioned the song concept to Lewis, she agreed that it could be "really quite interesting".
In Los Angeles, California, Lewis teamed up with OneRepublic
singer Ryan Tedder
, with whom she recorded two songs, "Bleeding Love
" and "Take a Bow". In February 2007, OneRepublic
frontman Ryan Tedder and pop singer-songwriter
Jesse McCartney had written the song "Bleeding Love" for Departure
, McCartney's third studio album. However, his record label, Hollywood Records
, did not like the song. Tedder believed it was a "massive" song and the record company was "out of their mind". McCartney wanted to keep it for himself as he had a personal attachment to the song, but Tedder felt it would not work for him. Tedder had previously made the decision not to work with contestants from the singing competition American Idol
, but he had not heard of The X Factor. After being shown a website about Lewis, he thought that "her voice just sounded unreal," saying that "from a writer's perspective, this girl – with or without a TV show – has one of the best voices I've ever heard." On hearing that Cowell was looking for songs for Lewis's debut album, Tedder rearranged "Bleeding Love", changed the key and tailored it to suit her voice. "Take a Bow" was written and produced by Tedder, Louis Biancaniello
, Wayne Wilkins and Sam Watters
. Watters and Biancaniello also wrote "Yesterday", with Jordan Omley, Michael Mani, and Nina Woodford. "Better in Time
" was recorded in Los Angeles with producer J. R. Rotem
, who wrote the song along with Andrea Martin
. "I Will Be
" is a cover of an Avril Lavigne
song, written by Lavigne, Dr. Luke
and Max Martin
, that was released as an iTunes bonus track and on the Limited edition of her album The Best Damn Thing
. "The Best You Never Had" was also record in LA, written and produced by Billy Steinberg
and Josh Alexander, "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
", a cover of the Ewan MacColl
song, was recorded in both Atlanta and Los Angeles. It was produced by Wayne Wilkins, Sam Watters and Louis Biancaniello. "I'm You" was recorded in Atlanta with Ne-Yo
, "Angel", a Stargate
production, was written by Stargate, Espen Lind, Amund Bjørklund
and Johnta Austin
, and recorded in New York.
Lewis co-wrote "Here I Am" with Walter Afanasieff
and Brett James
in LA. Lewis wanted to be involved in the writing process, and said that Cowell allowed her to do so as it was "her album". She noted "I've not been given a formula to follow. I had the time to find my feet and co-write a lot of material. I've learned a lot and Simon and Clive really listen to me." In Atlanta, Georgia
, Lewis worked with producers Alonzo "Novel" Stevenson and Dallas Austin
on the song "Whatever It Takes", which Lewis co-wrote together with Novel and Tony Reyes. In Miami, Florida
, Lewis worked with Salaam Remi
, and "Forgiveness" was recorded. It was written by Lewis, Remi and Kara DioGuardi
. Lewis's debut single, a cover of Kelly Clarkson
's "A Moment Like This", is included as a bonus track on releases in the UK, Ireland and Japan. Two new songs were record in 2008 in order to help the album appeal more to an American audience: "Forgive Me", which was written and produced by Akon
, and "Misses Glass" written by Mad Scientist and RockCity. In an interview with Digital Spy
, Lewis explained "I wanted to do something a bit different and the chance to work with Akon came about. I'm really pleased with how it's turned out and it's great that it's different, rather than what I always do."
Opening track "Bleeding Love" employs a church organ which is audible throughout the song until the bridge. Synthesized strings are also prominent throughout the song, which intermittently integrates wood block
percussion throughout the track. A heavy, distorted marching band-like drum loop backs the song. McCartney wrote the song about his longtime girlfriend, and said: "I kept thinking about being in love so much that it hurts. I was away from my girlfriend for four months at the time and I really wanted to [quit] and fly home. I was so in love that it was painful. It was like bleeding, it cut me open." The song refers to someone in a relationship who is extremely blinded by love. Regardless of the numerous warnings from her friends and the fact that she is emotionally hurt by her lover, she continues to love him and accepts the pain. Metaphorically, this is represented in his "cutting her open". However, all she can do is "bleed love" for him. "Whatever It Takes" was described as a "chipper slice of soul-pop, anchored by a surprisingly bone-shaking beat", followed by "Homeless", a "moody piano-heavy trembler" and a "haunting, blues-style ballad". "Yesterday" has been described as "a smoochy R&B slow jam". "Better in Time" is a pop and R&B song set in a moderate tempo. Lyrically the song talks about someone who cannot forget her ex-partner, and at the end the protagonist knows that "it will all get better in time". "Take a Bow" has been described as starting with an "ice-cool synth riff" and having "big, crunchy beats and powerhouse chorus". "I'm You" features "delicate harps, echoey vocals and skittering beats". "Footprints in the Sand", a "massive power ballad", incorporates elements of pop and R&B genres, and contains a gospel
production performed by the choir and features "crashing drums". It incorporates keyboard instrument
s, guitar
, bass
and includes a choir performance by The Tuff Session Singers. The song is about "standing by someone and being there for people who need your help." "Forgive Me" is an R&B, soul and dance-pop song written in A minor
. The song refers to a protagonist in a one-sided relationship who leaves her boyfriend and eventually finds someone to reciprocate her love. Though she has found love from someone else, she defends herself and asks her ex-boyfriend for forgiveness.
". It also features "Misses Glass" from the American version of the album, and Lewis's cover of Snow Patrol
's "Run
". In addition to the extra tracks, the deluxe featured a DVD containing all of Lewis's music videos to date except the video for "Run". The deluxe edition was released on 3 February 2009 in the US, including two out of three of her b-sides as well as the single mix for "Run", which is 34 seconds shorter than the international album version. The accompanying DVD includes all of Lewis's music videos, with the exception of "A Moment Like This", along with a live video of "I Will Be".
On 24 September 2007, Lewis performed a special album launch party at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel
in Knightsbridge
, London. She performed "Bleeding Love", "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", "Homeless" and "Whatever It Takes". Lewis went on a two-day UK regional radio tour to promote the album and single "Bleeding Love" on 11 and 12 October. This was followed by an appearance on This Morning
on 15 October. Lewis performed "Bleeding Love" live on the fourth series
of The X Factor
on 20 October 2007. From 29 October 2007, Spirit was BBC Radio 2
's Album of the Week. In November 2007 she performed "Bleeding Love" and a cover of the Snow Patrol
song "Run
" on BBC Radio 1
's Live Lounge
show. Lewis performed "Bleeding Love" and "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" on Saturday Night Divas. During February and March 2008, Lewis promoted the album in Europe. In February, Lewis made her American TV performance debut on The Oprah Winfrey Show
singing "Bleeding Love
". Then through the course of Late March and Early April Lewis carried out a large scale promotional tour throughout America appearing and performing on TV shows including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Ellen
, Jimmy Kimmel Live
, Tyra Banks Show, Good Morning America
, Late Show with David Letterman
and TRL
, with a performance in late April on American Idol
followed by a promotional tour of Australia.
In November 2009, dates in the United Kingdom and Ireland were confirmed for Lewis's debut tour
, supporting Spirit and Lewis's second album Echo
.
in the UK and Ireland from midnight on 17 December 2006, after Lewis won the third series of The X Factor, followed by a CD release on 20 December. It became the fastest selling UK single when it was downloaded more than 50,000 times within thirty minutes of release. On 24 December, "A Moment Like This" was crowned the 2006 UK Christmas number-one single, and it stayed at number one in the UK Singles Chart
for four weeks and in the Irish Singles Chart
for six weeks. It was the second biggest selling single of 2006, behind Gnarls Barkley
's Crazy
, and went on to be certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry
.
"Bleeding Love
" was released in October 2007 in the UK and Ireland, followed by a worldwide release in early 2008. It entered the UK Singles chart at number one with sales of 218,000 copies, which was the biggest first-week sales of 2007 to date. It stayed at number one for seven weeks in the UK, and reached number one in a further thirty-three countries, including the United States, where Lewis became the first British solo female to reach number one since Kim Wilde
's "You Keep Me Hangin' On
" in 1987. Written by Jesse McCartney
and Ryan Tedder
, the song was planned for McCartney's third solo album, but his record label did not like it, so Tedder rearranged the song to fit Lewis's voice. The song was well received by critics, who praised Lewis's vocal performance. It was nominated for Record of the Year
and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 51st Grammy Awards
, and British Single at the 2008 BRIT Awards
.
"Better in Time
" was Lewis's second worldwide single, released in March 2008 in the UK and during spring and summer throughout the rest of the world. In the UK it was released as a double A-side with "Footprints in the Sand
", in aid of Sport Relief
. The single reached a peak of number two in the UK, and was certified silver by the BPI. It peaked within the top ten in a further thirteen countries, and at number eleven in the Billboard Hot 100. The song received positive reception from critics, and was nominated for British Single at the 2009 BRIT Awards
. "Forgive Me
" was released between July and November 2008 throughout Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, and was the first single from the re-release of Spirit. Critics praised the change in direction for her, although the lyrical content was criticised. It reached number five in the UK, and also peaked within the top ten in Ireland, Italy, Sweden and Turkey.
"Run
" was released as a download-only single in the UK and Ireland in November 2008, and later worldwide. Lewis first performed "Run" on the Live Lounge
section of The Jo Whiley Show
, where artists perform two songs: one song of their own and one by another artist, in an acoustic format. After positive fan reaction Lewis decided to record a studio version for the re-release of her album. Critics praised her version, which spent two weeks atop the UK Singles chart, giving Lewis her third UK number one. It also reached the number one spot in Austria and Ireland, and reached the top ten of Finland, Germany and Switzerland. The finale single "I Will Be
" was released in January 2009, only in North America; it peaked at number 66 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 83 in Canada.
s upon its release. At Metacritic
, which assigns a normalized
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
score of 65, based on 13 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".
IGN
's Chad Grischow described Spirit as the "perfect showcase for [Lewis'] fantastic skills", praising her ability to sing both upbeat tracks and "tender piano ballads". Sarah-Louise James from the Daily Star gave a positive review, saying, "Fans of her sweet, soaring vocals and power ballads won't be disappointed." Chris Elwell-Sutton of the Evening Standard
said that Spirit will be "a very successful album with some much-needed grit." Digital Spy
's Nick Levine gave the album four out of five stars, claiming that although Lewis had a pallet of different producers working with her, they managed to prevent her from sounding "too fusty or old-fashioned." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic said "Lewis can hit those big notes but make it seem easy, never straining her voice and building nicely to the climax. Unlike most divas, there is a human quality to her voice, as she's singing to the song, not singing to her voice." He compared it to Mariah Carey
's debut album, but criticized the old-fashioned sound. Popjustice
' s review was brief, summing up that "[Spirit] has four absolutely blinding tracks on it, three far better than average tracks on it, and some others which are quite good. There are no totally chronic songs on Spirit apart from 'A Moment Like This'." The Boston Globe
s Sarah Rodman praised Lewis's ability to make unremarkable songs sound impressive, saying "The tracks are impeccably manicured, super-tuneful, and offer lyrics about the various agonies and ecstasies of love that are unremarkable in and of themselves but reach nuclear-threat levels of desperation thanks to Lewis's voice."
In the mixed reviews critics generally praised Lewis's voice but criticised the music. Lyndsey Winship from BBC Music complimented Lewis's vocal ability but perceived a lack of "hooks, innovation and personality". On Lewis's vocals Robert Christgau
commented "The subtle flutter of her finest melismatics could give an open-minded person goose bumps. Her coarser melismatics, however, are the usual showoff BS
and probably also a commercial prerequisite, like not having a harelip." Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine
praised Lewis's voice but criticised the mixture of styles within the album. The New York Times
s Nate Chinen felt the album did not live up to the standards of lead single "Bleeding Love", but was successful in showcasing Lewis's vocal capabilities. Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian
was disappointed, saying "[Lewis] has clearly invested every scrap of energy into these songs [...] but being able to belt 'em out is only half the story, and if there's a personality here, it's well hidden." Victoria Segal of The Times
praised Lewis's voice, but criticised the music, saying "[Lewis] has a powerful voice but on Spirit it seems to have paralysed her collaborators creatively. Instead of taking the opportunity to craft it into new and exciting shapes, it has been stuck in a big spotlit display case, revolving slowly and rather boringly on a velvet cushion of overstuffed balladry." She concluded by saying, "If Lewis is looking for the greatest love of all — public adoration — she will have to do better than this."
Lewis was nominated for four awards, including British Female Solo Act, British Breakthrough Act and British Album for Spirit, and was the favourite to win most awards, however she walked away empty handed. She garnered three nominations at the 51st Grammy Awards
including Best Pop Vocal Album
. At the 2008 Music of Black Origin Awards Spirit won the MOBO award for Best Album and Lewis was nominated for Best UK Female. The album was nominated in the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards Album of the Year category, whilst Lewis won Best UK + Ireland Act and was nominated for Act of 2008 and Europe's Favourite Act. Spirit won Best Album 2008 at the Urban Music Awards
, and was nominated for Worst Album at the NME Awards
. In December 2008 Lewis was named Top New Artist by Billboard
magazine. Additionally, Lewis was nominated for Breakout Artist at the 2008 Teen Choice Awards, won the World Music Awards for Best New Artist and Best Pop Female, and was awarded the Shooting Star Bambi Award
.
at number one with first-week sales of 375,872 copies, making it the fastest selling debut album in the UK, beating Arctic Monkeys
' Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
(2006) by 12,000 copies, until the release of Susan Boyle
's debut album I Dreamed a Dream
in November 2009, which sold 410,000 copies in its first week. It was the fourth fastest selling album of all time, behind Be Here Now (Oasis
, 1997), X&Y
(Coldplay
, 2005) and Life For Rent
(Dido
, 2003). The album remained at number one for seven weeks, and reached one million sales after 29 days, making it the fastest album to sell one million copies by a solo female in the UK. Spirit became the second biggest selling album of 2007 in the UK, behind Back to Black
(Amy Winehouse
, 2006). For the first seven weeks Spirit sold over 100,000 copies, a record which was later equalled by JLS
(JLS
, 2009), and beaten by 21
(Adele
, 2011), which sold over 100,000 copies for twelve weeks. On 23 November 2008, Spirit returned to number one for a week, following the release of the deluxe version of the album. By 14 June 2009, Spirit was listed as the 27th best selling album of all time in the UK, with sales of 2,812,524 copies, and was the fourth best-selling album of the 2000s in the UK. The album has been certified 9× platinum by the British Phonographic Industry
, with sales of 3,034,653 copies as of 24 July 2011.
Spirit was also successful elsewhere in the world. It entered the Irish Albums Chart
at number one, breaking a record by being the fastest selling debut album ever, beating the Arctic Monkeys
by a margin of 6,000 sales. The album remained at the top of the chart for two weeks before being knocked off by Shayne Ward
's Breathless
. It was the biggest selling album in 2007, and the fourth best selling album in 2008. The standard version of the album has since gone 7× platinum, and the deluxe version 4× platinum. In February 2008, the album debuted at number one on the Australian ARIA Chart
, where it went on to be certified platinum for shipments of 70,000 copies, and on the New Zealand RIANZ chart, where it went on to be certified gold for shipments of 7,500 copies. In Germany the album spent one week at the top spot, and was certified triple-gold for shipments of 300,000 copies. Spirit also topped the Austrian and Swiss charts, with certifications of platinum and double-platinum respectively. It was certified four times platinum by the IFPI for sales of four million copies in Europe.
In the US, Spirit went straight to number one on the Billboard Top 200, selling 208,607 copies in its first week, which made Lewis the first and only British solo artist to debut at number one with their first album, and the first British female to debut at number one with an album in over twenty years when Sade Adu
topped the chart in February 1986 with Promise
. As of 30 June 2008 the album has been certified platinum. The album also reached number one in Canada, and was certified platinum on 30 May 2008. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, Spirit was the sixth best selling album of 2008, and has gone on to sell over seven million copies worldwide.
Managerial credits
Vocal credits
Instrumentation credits
Production credits
Leona Lewis
Leona Louise Lewis is a British singer and songwriter. Lewis first came to prominence in 2006 when she won the third series of the British television series The X Factor....
, released by Syco Music in November 2007 in the United Kingdom and Ireland, followed by a worldwide release during early 2008. After winning the third series of reality singing contest The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
in December 2006, Lewis began recording the album in Sweden, UK and the United States, working with a variety of writers and producers. Critics praised the album for creating a contemporary album using such a variety of producers, and for showcasing Lewis's voice, though criticised her "lack of personality". The release of the album marked Lewis as the first winner of a major television talent show in both the UK and U.S. to be given a major global launch with a debut album.
The album debuted at number one in nine countries, including the United Kingdom, United States and Germany, and peaked in the top five in a further eight countries. It held the record for the biggest digital album sales in a week ever for a new artist. The album was the 6th biggest selling of 2008 in the world, as according to the IFPI. It has gone on to sell over seven million copies worldwide, and was the 4th best-selling album of the 2000s in the UK,, where it has since sold over 3 million copies.
Spirit spawned seven singles, including two from a re-release of the album. Lead international single "Bleeding Love
Bleeding Love
"Bleeding Love" is a pop/R&B ballad co-written by Jesse McCartney and Ryan Tedder and produced by Tedder for British singer Leona Lewis's debut album, Spirit. The song is the album's lead single , released in the United Kingdom and Ireland in October 2007...
" went on to top the charts in 34 countries, becoming one of the best selling singles by a female of all time. It was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Record of the Year
Record Of The Year
Record of the Year may refer to:*Grammy Award for Record of the Year*The Record of the Year, a British award based on public polling...
at the 51st Grammy Awards, and British Single at the 2008 BRIT Awards. Followup single "Better in Time
Better in Time
"Better in Time" is a pop and R&B song performed by British singer Leona Lewis. It was written by J. R. Rotem and Andrea Martin, and was produced by Rotem. It is featured on Lewis's debut album Spirit...
" also fared well, charting in the top ten in thirteen countries and reaching number eleven in the US. After a well received performance of Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol are an alternative rock band from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Formed at the University of Dundee in 1994 as an indie rock band, the band is now based in Glasgow...
's "Run
Run (Snow Patrol song)
"Run" is a cover of the Snow Patrol song by Leona Lewis on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge on 31 October 2007. She later released the song as a single from Spirit: The Deluxe Edition in November 2008. At the time, "Run" was the UK's fastest-selling digital only release ever, selling 69,244 copies in just...
" whilst promoting Spirit, Lewis recorded a studio version for the re-release of the album, Spirit - The Deluxe Edition, which was released as a download only single in the UK, where it charted at number one, going on to be the third platinum selling single from Spirit, following X Factor winner's single "A Moment Like This" and "Bleeding Love".
Background
In December 2006, Lewis won the third series of British reality singing contest, The X Factor, her prize being a £1 million recording contract with Sony BMG, for which Simon CowellSimon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
is an A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
executive. Cowell also mentored Lewis on the show. During the live final, Lewis duetted with Gary Barlow
Gary Barlow
Gary Barlow is an English singer-songwriter, pianist and record producer. He is frontman and lead vocalist of pop group Take That and is currently the head judge on the eighth series of The X Factor. Barlow is one of Britain's most successful songwriters...
of band Take That
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
, who told Cowell, "This girl is probably fifty times better than any other contestant you have ever had, so you have a big responsibility to make the right record with her." Cowell admitted that Barlow's words resonated with him, and thus the decision was made to not rush her debut album, as he wanted an "incredible record" of original material, which he believed could not be done in less than a year. Lewis also wanted a high quality album that she could feel proud of. Cowell told Lewis that he did not care if the album took three years to make, he wanted to get it right.
On 25 April 2007, a press release was sent out revealing that Simon Cowell and Clive Davis
Clive Davis
Clive Davis is an American record producer and music industry executive. He has won five Grammy Awards and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer. From 1967 to 1973 he was the President of Columbia Records. He was the founder and president of Arista Records from 1975...
, chairman and CEO of J Records
J Records
J Records was an American record label, owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment, and was distributed through the RCA Music Group.-Company history:...
, would work together in a first-of-its-kind partnership on both the song and producer selection for the album. Lewis performed a showcase for several American music executives at the Beverly Hilton Hotel
Hilton Hotels
Hilton Hotels & Resorts is an international chain of full-service hotels and resorts founded by Conrad Hilton and now owned by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton hotels are either owned by, managed by, or franchised to independent operators by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton Hotels became the first coast-to-coast...
in Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
. Lewis named the album Spirit because "it is my heart and soul and the voice within that says everything is possible." The album originally had a September 2007 deadline, but was delayed due to Lewis suffering from tonsillitis
Tonsillitis
Tonsillitis is an inflammation of the tonsils most commonly caused by viral or bacterial infection. Symptoms of tonsillitis include sore throat and fever. While no treatment has been found to shorten the duration of viral tonsillitis, bacterial causes are treatable with antibiotics...
and waiting for producers to become available.
Writing and recording
Lewis recorded the album in several locations, the first being London, England, where she worked with Steve MacSteve Mac
Steve Mac , is a songwriter, record producer and owner of Rokstone Studios in London.He has produced more than 22 number one singles in the UK and had several multi-million selling albums worldwide...
, who produced the songs "Homeless" and "Footprints in the Sand
Footprints in the Sand (song)
"Footprints in the Sand" is a song recorded by British singer Leona Lewis for her debut studio album Spirit . It was written by Simon Cowell, David Kreuger, Per Magnusson, Richard Page, and produced by Steve Mac. It was released on 9 March 2008 in the United Kingdom as Lewis's third...
". "Homeless" was written by Jörgen Elofsson
Jörgen Elofsson
Jörgen Kjell Elofsson is a Swedish songwriter who has written or co-written hits for stars such as Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, Guy Sebastian, Ana Johnsson, Marie Serneholt, Shayne Ward and Super Junior. He has also written hit singles for groups such as Il Divo and Westlife...
, and was previously recorded by Swedish singer Darin
Darin Zanyar
Darin Zanyar more commonly known as Darin is a Swedish pop singer and songwriter of Kurdish descent and one of Sweden's best-selling artists, with numerous chart topping songs and music albums.-Early life:...
. "Footprints in the Sand" was written by Per Magnusson
Per Magnusson
Per Magnusson is a Swedish music producer and songwriter. His musical career took off in 1994 as one of the original team members of the now-legendary Cheiron Productions, meeting great international success working with Boyzone, Britney Spears, Westlife and the Backstreet Boys.Shortly after...
, David Kreuger
David Kreuger
David Kreuger is a Swedish songwriter.David Kreuger began at Cheiron Studios in the spring of 1993. During the period 1993-1997, he worked with Per Magnusson on several projects....
, Richard Page
Richard Page (musician)
Richard Page , is an American musician who is the lead singer and bassist of 1980's US band Mr. Mister and is now a songwriter and solo artist.-Early life:...
and Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
. The song is an adaptation of the Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
poem "Footprints
Footprints (poem)
"Footprints," also known as "Footprints in the Sand," is a popular allegorical text written in prose.-Content:This popular text describes a dream, in which the person is walking on a beach with God. They leave two sets of footprints in the sand behind them. Looking back, the tracks are stated to...
", and Lewis commented "Originally it was a poem; it's very inspirational so we put it into a song. I think it is very moving, with a very emotional lyric and I really love to sing this song". Cowell came up with the idea to base a song around the poem, and asked Kreuger and Magnusson whether they could write something dealing with this subject. They took the idea to a songwriting session the pair already had scheduled with Page at his home in Malibu, California and they finished the song the following day. When Cowell mentioned the song concept to Lewis, she agreed that it could be "really quite interesting".
In Los Angeles, California, Lewis teamed up with OneRepublic
OneRepublic
OneRepublic is an American pop rock band from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Formed in 2002 by Ryan Tedder and Zach Filkins, the band achieved massive success on MySpace, becoming the most prominent unsigned act on the website then...
singer Ryan Tedder
Ryan Tedder
Ryan Benjamin Tedder is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the frontman of the pop rock band, OneRepublic, though he has an independent career as songwriter and producer for various artists such as Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, Far East Movement, Jordin Sparks, Leona...
, with whom she recorded two songs, "Bleeding Love
Bleeding Love
"Bleeding Love" is a pop/R&B ballad co-written by Jesse McCartney and Ryan Tedder and produced by Tedder for British singer Leona Lewis's debut album, Spirit. The song is the album's lead single , released in the United Kingdom and Ireland in October 2007...
" and "Take a Bow". In February 2007, OneRepublic
OneRepublic
OneRepublic is an American pop rock band from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Formed in 2002 by Ryan Tedder and Zach Filkins, the band achieved massive success on MySpace, becoming the most prominent unsigned act on the website then...
frontman Ryan Tedder and pop singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Jesse McCartney had written the song "Bleeding Love" for Departure
Departure (Jesse McCartney album)
Departure is the third studio album by American recording artist Jesse McCartney. It was released on May 20, 2008, through Hollywood Records. The album was re-released on April 7, 2009, under the name Departure: Recharged...
, McCartney's third studio album. However, his record label, Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records is an American record label owned by Disney Music Group, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company.-History:Hollywood Records was founded in 1989 by then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner with the idea of expanding the music operations of the company and to develop and promote...
, did not like the song. Tedder believed it was a "massive" song and the record company was "out of their mind". McCartney wanted to keep it for himself as he had a personal attachment to the song, but Tedder felt it would not work for him. Tedder had previously made the decision not to work with contestants from the singing competition American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
, but he had not heard of The X Factor. After being shown a website about Lewis, he thought that "her voice just sounded unreal," saying that "from a writer's perspective, this girl – with or without a TV show – has one of the best voices I've ever heard." On hearing that Cowell was looking for songs for Lewis's debut album, Tedder rearranged "Bleeding Love", changed the key and tailored it to suit her voice. "Take a Bow" was written and produced by Tedder, Louis Biancaniello
Louis Biancaniello
Louis John Biancaniello is a songwriter, record producer, and musician.-Background:Louis' skills were developed while working alongside producer Narada Michael Walden with whom he produced hits for Shanice "I Love Your Smile", Whitney Houston "I'm Every Woman" from the Grammy winning album The...
, Wayne Wilkins and Sam Watters
Sam Watters
Sam Watters is a Grammy nominated American songwriter, record producer, singer, and record executive. Watters was a member of the multi-platinum selling 1990’s R&B group Color Me Badd and co-authored many of their hits including “I Wanna Sex You Up”, “I Adore Mi Amor”, and “All 4 Love”...
. Watters and Biancaniello also wrote "Yesterday", with Jordan Omley, Michael Mani, and Nina Woodford. "Better in Time
Better in Time
"Better in Time" is a pop and R&B song performed by British singer Leona Lewis. It was written by J. R. Rotem and Andrea Martin, and was produced by Rotem. It is featured on Lewis's debut album Spirit...
" was recorded in Los Angeles with producer J. R. Rotem
J. R. Rotem
- Early life :Rotem was born in South Africa to Israeli immigrant Jewish parents. He moved to Toronto at the age of two and finally to Moraga, California when he was twelve.Rotem's entry point into music was in receiving classical piano tuition at a young age...
, who wrote the song along with Andrea Martin
Andrea Martin (musician)
Andrea Monica Martin is an American R&B singer, songwriter and producer.She is primarily known for writing hit songs for artists like Toni Braxton , Monica , Angie Stone , En Vogue , SWV , and Leona Lewis Andrea Monica Martin is an American R&B singer, songwriter and producer.She is primarily...
. "I Will Be
I Will Be
"I Will Be" is a song by British singer Leona Lewis. In 2007, and released it as her third and final single from her debut album, Spirit in North America....
" is a cover of an Avril Lavigne
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more...
song, written by Lavigne, Dr. Luke
Dr. Luke
Lukasz Gottwald , better known as Dr. Luke, is an American songwriter, record producer, and remixer. Luke performed with the Saturday Night Live Band for ten seasons until 2007. He has co-written and co-produced a string of commercially successful songs...
and Max Martin
Max Martin
Martin Karl Sandberg, known professionally as Max Martin, is a Swedish music producer and songwriter. Raised in Stenhamra, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden, he broke through as a producer and songwriter in the mid to late 1990s after crafting a string of hits for pop artists like the Backstreet Boys,...
, that was released as an iTunes bonus track and on the Limited edition of her album The Best Damn Thing
The Best Damn Thing
The Best Damn Thing is the third studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne. It was released on April 13, 2007 through RCA Records. According to the IFPI, The Best Damn Thing was the fourth top-selling album worldwide and Sony BMG's top-selling album of 2007. The album was certified...
. "The Best You Never Had" was also record in LA, written and produced by Billy Steinberg
Billy Steinberg
William Endfield "Billy" Steinberg is an American songwriter. He has achieved most of his success as part of a song writing team, most notably with Tom Kelly. He has also co-written several hit songs with Rick Nowels.-Biography:...
and Josh Alexander, "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" is a 1957 folk song written by British political singer/songwriter Ewan MacColl for Peggy Seeger, who was later to become his wife. At the time the couple were lovers, although MacColl was married to someone else. MacColl and Seeger included the song in their...
", a cover of the Ewan MacColl
Ewan MacColl
Ewan MacColl was an English folk singer, songwriter, socialist, actor, poet, playwright, and record producer. He was married to theatre director Joan Littlewood, and later to American folksinger Peggy Seeger. He collaborated with Littlewood in the theatre and with Seeger in folk music...
song, was recorded in both Atlanta and Los Angeles. It was produced by Wayne Wilkins, Sam Watters and Louis Biancaniello. "I'm You" was recorded in Atlanta with Ne-Yo
Ne-Yo
Shaffer Chimere Smith, Jr. , better known by his stage name Ne-Yo, is an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer and actor. Beginning his career as a songwriter, Ne-Yo penned the hit "Let Me Love You" for singer Mario...
, "Angel", a Stargate
Stargate (production team)
This is a list of songs written and produced by the Norwegian production team Stargate.-Produced singles:-1999:5ive - Invincible*05. "Two Sides to Every Story"*06. "You Make Me a Better Man"Noora Noor - Curious*01. "Curious"...
production, was written by Stargate, Espen Lind, Amund Bjørklund
Espionage (production team)
Espionage is a New York-based Norwegian songwriting and music production team consisting of Espen Lind and Amund Bjørklund. Their breakthrough came in 2006 as co-writers of Beyoncé's worldwide smash "Irreplaceable", which was number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 10 consecutive weeks and the best...
and Johnta Austin
Johnta Austin
Johntá Austin is an American singer-songwriter, who is currently signed to Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Recordings. He is commonly known for collaborating with Producers Bryan-Michael Cox, Jermaine Dupri & The Production Team StarGate. Austin was awarded two Grammy Awards for his work on the songs...
, and recorded in New York.
Lewis co-wrote "Here I Am" with Walter Afanasieff
Walter Afanasieff
Walter Afanasieff is a multiple Grammy-award-winning record producer and songwriter. He is best known for his long association with Mariah Carey, for whom he was producer and co-writer for several years, beginning in 1990...
and Brett James
Brett James
Brett James Cornelius is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. Signed to Career Records as a solo artist in 1995, James charted three singles and released a self-titled debut album that year...
in LA. Lewis wanted to be involved in the writing process, and said that Cowell allowed her to do so as it was "her album". She noted "I've not been given a formula to follow. I had the time to find my feet and co-write a lot of material. I've learned a lot and Simon and Clive really listen to me." In Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, Lewis worked with producers Alonzo "Novel" Stevenson and Dallas Austin
Dallas Austin
Dallas Austin is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician, based in Atlanta, Georgia. Some of his most notable clients include Michael Jackson, TLC, Boyz II Men, Pink, Monica, Madonna, Gwen Stefani, Stacie Orrico, Another Bad Creation, Fishbone, Sugababes, Anastacia, Namie Amuro, Kim...
on the song "Whatever It Takes", which Lewis co-wrote together with Novel and Tony Reyes. In Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, Lewis worked with Salaam Remi
Salaam Remi
Salaam Remi Gibbs, better known as Salaam Remi, is a hip hop producer and keyboard player, known for his association with Nas, Amy Winehouse, and his reggae-tinged approach to production...
, and "Forgiveness" was recorded. It was written by Lewis, Remi and Kara DioGuardi
Kara DioGuardi
Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, music publisher, A&R executive, composer and TV personality. She writes music primarily in the light pop-rock, dance, and R&B genres. DioGuardi has worked with many popular artists; her songs have appeared on more than 159...
. Lewis's debut single, a cover of Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
's "A Moment Like This", is included as a bonus track on releases in the UK, Ireland and Japan. Two new songs were record in 2008 in order to help the album appeal more to an American audience: "Forgive Me", which was written and produced by Akon
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...
, and "Misses Glass" written by Mad Scientist and RockCity. In an interview with Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
, Lewis explained "I wanted to do something a bit different and the chance to work with Akon came about. I'm really pleased with how it's turned out and it's great that it's different, rather than what I always do."
Music and lyrics
Commenting on the albums lyrics, Lewis said, "[They] reflect things that I'm really passionate about. I have to be able to put myself in the song for it to ring true to me. If it doesn't ring true to me, it's not going to be believable to anyone else." Lewis described the album's style as "classic songs with a contemporary edge", containing R&B and "fresh pop" styles, ballads and "soulful up-tempo numbers". It has an American style, with some electronic 1980s sounds. However, the songs are not beat-driven or following the latest trends, but are songs that can be performed acoustically.Opening track "Bleeding Love" employs a church organ which is audible throughout the song until the bridge. Synthesized strings are also prominent throughout the song, which intermittently integrates wood block
Wood block
A woodblock is essentially a small piece of slit drum made from a single piece of wood and used as a percussion instrument. It is struck with a stick, making a characteristically percussive sound....
percussion throughout the track. A heavy, distorted marching band-like drum loop backs the song. McCartney wrote the song about his longtime girlfriend, and said: "I kept thinking about being in love so much that it hurts. I was away from my girlfriend for four months at the time and I really wanted to [quit] and fly home. I was so in love that it was painful. It was like bleeding, it cut me open." The song refers to someone in a relationship who is extremely blinded by love. Regardless of the numerous warnings from her friends and the fact that she is emotionally hurt by her lover, she continues to love him and accepts the pain. Metaphorically, this is represented in his "cutting her open". However, all she can do is "bleed love" for him. "Whatever It Takes" was described as a "chipper slice of soul-pop, anchored by a surprisingly bone-shaking beat", followed by "Homeless", a "moody piano-heavy trembler" and a "haunting, blues-style ballad". "Yesterday" has been described as "a smoochy R&B slow jam". "Better in Time" is a pop and R&B song set in a moderate tempo. Lyrically the song talks about someone who cannot forget her ex-partner, and at the end the protagonist knows that "it will all get better in time". "Take a Bow" has been described as starting with an "ice-cool synth riff" and having "big, crunchy beats and powerhouse chorus". "I'm You" features "delicate harps, echoey vocals and skittering beats". "Footprints in the Sand", a "massive power ballad", incorporates elements of pop and R&B genres, and contains a gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
production performed by the choir and features "crashing drums". It incorporates keyboard instrument
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
s, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and includes a choir performance by The Tuff Session Singers. The song is about "standing by someone and being there for people who need your help." "Forgive Me" is an R&B, soul and dance-pop song written in A minor
A minor
A minor is a minor scale based on A, consisting of the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. The harmonic minor scale raises the G to G...
. The song refers to a protagonist in a one-sided relationship who leaves her boyfriend and eventually finds someone to reciprocate her love. Though she has found love from someone else, she defends herself and asks her ex-boyfriend for forgiveness.
Release and promotion
The release of the album marked Lewis as the first winner of a major television talent show to be given a global launch with a debut album. Spirit was re-released on 17 November 2008 in the UK following the release of "Forgive MeForgive Me (Leona Lewis song)
"Forgive Me" is a song by British singer Leona Lewis featured on the North American version of her debut album Spirit . It was released as the fourth single of the album in the United Kingdom on 3 November 2008. The song was written by Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Claude Kelly and Giorgio Tuinfort, and...
". It also features "Misses Glass" from the American version of the album, and Lewis's cover of Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol are an alternative rock band from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Formed at the University of Dundee in 1994 as an indie rock band, the band is now based in Glasgow...
's "Run
Run (Snow Patrol song)
"Run" is a cover of the Snow Patrol song by Leona Lewis on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge on 31 October 2007. She later released the song as a single from Spirit: The Deluxe Edition in November 2008. At the time, "Run" was the UK's fastest-selling digital only release ever, selling 69,244 copies in just...
". In addition to the extra tracks, the deluxe featured a DVD containing all of Lewis's music videos to date except the video for "Run". The deluxe edition was released on 3 February 2009 in the US, including two out of three of her b-sides as well as the single mix for "Run", which is 34 seconds shorter than the international album version. The accompanying DVD includes all of Lewis's music videos, with the exception of "A Moment Like This", along with a live video of "I Will Be".
On 24 September 2007, Lewis performed a special album launch party at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel
Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London
Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London is a five-star hotel, located in the exclusive Knightsbridge district of London, owned and managed by Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. Housed in a historic, Edwardian-style building, the hotel originally opened its doors to the public as the Hyde Park Hotel in 1902...
in Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of central London. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park, west from Hyde Park Corner, spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
, London. She performed "Bleeding Love", "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", "Homeless" and "Whatever It Takes". Lewis went on a two-day UK regional radio tour to promote the album and single "Bleeding Love" on 11 and 12 October. This was followed by an appearance on This Morning
This Morning (TV series)
This Morning is a British daytime television programme broadcast on ITV. As of September 2011, its main presenters are Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, and Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, with various other presenters standing in for illness or contributing to sections of the programme.The...
on 15 October. Lewis performed "Bleeding Love" live on the fourth series
The X Factor (UK series 4)
The fourth UK series of The X Factor was broadcast on ITV in autumn 2007. The first show aired on 18 August 2007 and the series was won by Leon Jackson on 15 December 2007, with Rhydian Roberts the runner-up and Dannii Minogue emerging as the winning mentor...
of The X Factor
The X Factor (TV series)
The X Factor is a television talent show franchise originating in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for Pop Idol. It is a singing competition, now held in various countries, which pits contestants against each other. These contestants are aspiring pop singers drawn from...
on 20 October 2007. From 29 October 2007, Spirit was BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
's Album of the Week. In November 2007 she performed "Bleeding Love" and a cover of the Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol are an alternative rock band from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Formed at the University of Dundee in 1994 as an indie rock band, the band is now based in Glasgow...
song "Run
Run (Snow Patrol song)
"Run" is a cover of the Snow Patrol song by Leona Lewis on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge on 31 October 2007. She later released the song as a single from Spirit: The Deluxe Edition in November 2008. At the time, "Run" was the UK's fastest-selling digital only release ever, selling 69,244 copies in just...
" on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
's Live Lounge
Live Lounge
The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio station BBC Radio 1. Originally hosted by Jo Whiley on her mid-morning radio show and now hosted by Fearne Cotton, it exhibits well-known artists usually performing one song of their own and one by another artist, in an acoustic format...
show. Lewis performed "Bleeding Love" and "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" on Saturday Night Divas. During February and March 2008, Lewis promoted the album in Europe. In February, Lewis made her American TV performance debut on The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
singing "Bleeding Love
Bleeding Love
"Bleeding Love" is a pop/R&B ballad co-written by Jesse McCartney and Ryan Tedder and produced by Tedder for British singer Leona Lewis's debut album, Spirit. The song is the album's lead single , released in the United Kingdom and Ireland in October 2007...
". Then through the course of Late March and Early April Lewis carried out a large scale promotional tour throughout America appearing and performing on TV shows including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Ellen
Ellen
Ellen may refer to:* Ellen , a female given name* Television programs with Ellen DeGeneres:** Ellen , a sitcom about a bookstore owner...
, Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live! is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and broadcast on ABC.The nightly hour-long show made its debut on January 26, 2003, following Super Bowl XXXVII. Jimmy Kimmel Live! is produced by Jackhole Productions in association with ABC Studios...
, Tyra Banks Show, Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
, Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
and TRL
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
, with a performance in late April on American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
followed by a promotional tour of Australia.
In November 2009, dates in the United Kingdom and Ireland were confirmed for Lewis's debut tour
The Labyrinth (tour)
The Labyrinth is the name of the debut concert tour by British pop singer Leona Lewis. Beginning on 28 May 2010, it showcased songs from her debut album, Spirit and her second album, Echo. Dates in the United Kingdom and Ireland were completed with Australian singer Gabriella Cilmi serving as the...
, supporting Spirit and Lewis's second album Echo
Echo (Leona Lewis album)
Echo is the second studio album by British pop/R&B singer and songwriter Leona Lewis. It was released from 9 November 2009 including 16 November 2009 in the United Kingdom, and 17 November 2009 in the United States. Its worldwide release was through Sony Music.Lewis worked with Ryan Tedder, Justin...
.
Singles
Syco managing director, Sonny Takhar, initially expected at least five singles to be released from the record, stating "every track is a potential single — we really are spoiled for choice." Spirit spawned seven singles, two of which came from Spirit - The Deluxe Edition. "A Moment Like This" was available as a digital downloadMusic download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
in the UK and Ireland from midnight on 17 December 2006, after Lewis won the third series of The X Factor, followed by a CD release on 20 December. It became the fastest selling UK single when it was downloaded more than 50,000 times within thirty minutes of release. On 24 December, "A Moment Like This" was crowned the 2006 UK Christmas number-one single, and it stayed at number one in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
for four weeks and in the Irish Singles Chart
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...
for six weeks. It was the second biggest selling single of 2006, behind Gnarls Barkley
Gnarls Barkley
Gnarls Barkley is an American soul duo comprising Danger Mouse and Cee Lo Green. Their first studio album St. Elsewhere was released in 2006; along with its first single "Crazy". Both single and album were a major commercial success and have been noted for their large sales by download...
's Crazy
Crazy (Gnarls Barkley song)
"Crazy" is the debut single from Gnarls Barkley, a musical collaboration between Danger Mouse and Cee Lo Green, and is taken from their 2006 debut album St. Elsewhere...
, and went on to be certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
.
"Bleeding Love
Bleeding Love
"Bleeding Love" is a pop/R&B ballad co-written by Jesse McCartney and Ryan Tedder and produced by Tedder for British singer Leona Lewis's debut album, Spirit. The song is the album's lead single , released in the United Kingdom and Ireland in October 2007...
" was released in October 2007 in the UK and Ireland, followed by a worldwide release in early 2008. It entered the UK Singles chart at number one with sales of 218,000 copies, which was the biggest first-week sales of 2007 to date. It stayed at number one for seven weeks in the UK, and reached number one in a further thirty-three countries, including the United States, where Lewis became the first British solo female to reach number one since Kim Wilde
Kim Wilde
Kim Wilde is an English pop singer, author and television presenter who burst onto the music scene in 1981 with the number 2 UK Singles Chart new wave classic "Kids in America". In 1987 she had a major hit in the United States when her version of The Supremes' classic "You Keep Me Hangin' On"...
's "You Keep Me Hangin' On
You Keep Me Hangin' On
Vanilla Fudge's 1967 psychedelic/hard rock remake of "You Keep Me Hangin' On" reached #6 on the Hot 100 chart two years after the release of the Supremes' recording. While the version released on 45 RPM single was under three minutes long, the album version was extended to six minutes and...
" in 1987. Written by Jesse McCartney
Jesse McCartney
Jesse McCartney is an American singer-songwriter, actor and voice actor. McCartney achieved fame in the late 1990s on the daytime drama All My Children as JR Chandler. He later joined boy band Dream Street, and eventually branched out into a solo musical career...
and Ryan Tedder
Ryan Tedder
Ryan Benjamin Tedder is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the frontman of the pop rock band, OneRepublic, though he has an independent career as songwriter and producer for various artists such as Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, Far East Movement, Jordin Sparks, Leona...
, the song was planned for McCartney's third solo album, but his record label did not like it, so Tedder rearranged the song to fit Lewis's voice. The song was well received by critics, who praised Lewis's vocal performance. It was nominated for Record of the Year
Record Of The Year
Record of the Year may refer to:*Grammy Award for Record of the Year*The Record of the Year, a British award based on public polling...
and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 51st Grammy Awards
51st Grammy Awards
The 51st Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA on February 8, 2009. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were the biggest winners of the night, jointly winning five awards including Album of the Year and Record of the Year...
, and British Single at the 2008 BRIT Awards
2008 BRIT Awards
The 2008 BRIT Awards was the 28th edition of the biggest annual music awards in the United Kingdom. They are run by the British Phonographic Industry and took place on 20 February 2008 at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London. The ceremony attracted 6.1 million viewers, 800,000 more than the...
.
"Better in Time
Better in Time
"Better in Time" is a pop and R&B song performed by British singer Leona Lewis. It was written by J. R. Rotem and Andrea Martin, and was produced by Rotem. It is featured on Lewis's debut album Spirit...
" was Lewis's second worldwide single, released in March 2008 in the UK and during spring and summer throughout the rest of the world. In the UK it was released as a double A-side with "Footprints in the Sand
Footprints in the Sand (song)
"Footprints in the Sand" is a song recorded by British singer Leona Lewis for her debut studio album Spirit . It was written by Simon Cowell, David Kreuger, Per Magnusson, Richard Page, and produced by Steve Mac. It was released on 9 March 2008 in the United Kingdom as Lewis's third...
", in aid of Sport Relief
Sport Relief
Sport Relief is a biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, which brings together the worlds of sport and entertainment to raise money to help vulnerable people in both the UK and the world's poorest countries...
. The single reached a peak of number two in the UK, and was certified silver by the BPI. It peaked within the top ten in a further thirteen countries, and at number eleven in the Billboard Hot 100. The song received positive reception from critics, and was nominated for British Single at the 2009 BRIT Awards
2009 BRIT Awards
The 2009 BRIT Awards ceremony took place on Wednesday 18 February 2009. It was the 29th edition of the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The awards ceremony was held at Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London, and was broadcast live on ITV1 on 18 February at 8pm...
. "Forgive Me
Forgive Me (Leona Lewis song)
"Forgive Me" is a song by British singer Leona Lewis featured on the North American version of her debut album Spirit . It was released as the fourth single of the album in the United Kingdom on 3 November 2008. The song was written by Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Claude Kelly and Giorgio Tuinfort, and...
" was released between July and November 2008 throughout Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, and was the first single from the re-release of Spirit. Critics praised the change in direction for her, although the lyrical content was criticised. It reached number five in the UK, and also peaked within the top ten in Ireland, Italy, Sweden and Turkey.
"Run
Run (Snow Patrol song)
"Run" is a cover of the Snow Patrol song by Leona Lewis on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge on 31 October 2007. She later released the song as a single from Spirit: The Deluxe Edition in November 2008. At the time, "Run" was the UK's fastest-selling digital only release ever, selling 69,244 copies in just...
" was released as a download-only single in the UK and Ireland in November 2008, and later worldwide. Lewis first performed "Run" on the Live Lounge
Live Lounge
The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio station BBC Radio 1. Originally hosted by Jo Whiley on her mid-morning radio show and now hosted by Fearne Cotton, it exhibits well-known artists usually performing one song of their own and one by another artist, in an acoustic format...
section of The Jo Whiley Show
The Jo Whiley Show
The Jo Whiley Show was a British weekday radio show on BBC Radio 1 hosted by Jo Whiley. The programme was on air from February 2001 to September 2009 and was broadcast each morning between 10:00am and 12:45pm. And Bank Holidays And Good Fridays At 10.00-13.00-Show Format:The show began at 10:00am...
, where artists perform two songs: one song of their own and one by another artist, in an acoustic format. After positive fan reaction Lewis decided to record a studio version for the re-release of her album. Critics praised her version, which spent two weeks atop the UK Singles chart, giving Lewis her third UK number one. It also reached the number one spot in Austria and Ireland, and reached the top ten of Finland, Germany and Switzerland. The finale single "I Will Be
I Will Be
"I Will Be" is a song by British singer Leona Lewis. In 2007, and released it as her third and final single from her debut album, Spirit in North America....
" was released in January 2009, only in North America; it peaked at number 66 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 83 in Canada.
Critical response
Spirit received positive reviews from most music criticMusic criticism
See also Music journalism for reporting on classical and popular music in the media.The Oxford Companion to Music defines music criticism as 'the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres'. In this...
s upon its release. At Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalized
Standard score
In statistics, a standard score indicates how many standard deviations an observation or datum is above or below the mean. It is a dimensionless quantity derived by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by the population standard deviation...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
score of 65, based on 13 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".
IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Chad Grischow described Spirit as the "perfect showcase for [Lewis'] fantastic skills", praising her ability to sing both upbeat tracks and "tender piano ballads". Sarah-Louise James from the Daily Star gave a positive review, saying, "Fans of her sweet, soaring vocals and power ballads won't be disappointed." Chris Elwell-Sutton of the Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
said that Spirit will be "a very successful album with some much-needed grit." Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
's Nick Levine gave the album four out of five stars, claiming that although Lewis had a pallet of different producers working with her, they managed to prevent her from sounding "too fusty or old-fashioned." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic said "Lewis can hit those big notes but make it seem easy, never straining her voice and building nicely to the climax. Unlike most divas, there is a human quality to her voice, as she's singing to the song, not singing to her voice." He compared it to Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
's debut album, but criticized the old-fashioned sound. Popjustice
Popjustice
Popjustice is a music website founded in 2000 and is the work of UK freelance music journalist Peter Robinson, who has worked for NME, The Guardian, Attitude and many others....
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
s Sarah Rodman praised Lewis's ability to make unremarkable songs sound impressive, saying "The tracks are impeccably manicured, super-tuneful, and offer lyrics about the various agonies and ecstasies of love that are unremarkable in and of themselves but reach nuclear-threat levels of desperation thanks to Lewis's voice."
In the mixed reviews critics generally praised Lewis's voice but criticised the music. Lyndsey Winship from BBC Music complimented Lewis's vocal ability but perceived a lack of "hooks, innovation and personality". On Lewis's vocals Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
commented "The subtle flutter of her finest melismatics could give an open-minded person goose bumps. Her coarser melismatics, however, are the usual showoff BS
Bullshit
Bullshit is a common English expletive which may be shortened to the euphemism bull or the initialism B.S. In British English, "bollocks" is a comparable expletive, although bullshit is commonly used in British English...
and probably also a commercial prerequisite, like not having a harelip." Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
praised Lewis's voice but criticised the mixture of styles within the album. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
s Nate Chinen felt the album did not live up to the standards of lead single "Bleeding Love", but was successful in showcasing Lewis's vocal capabilities. Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
was disappointed, saying "[Lewis] has clearly invested every scrap of energy into these songs [...] but being able to belt 'em out is only half the story, and if there's a personality here, it's well hidden." Victoria Segal of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
praised Lewis's voice, but criticised the music, saying "[Lewis] has a powerful voice but on Spirit it seems to have paralysed her collaborators creatively. Instead of taking the opportunity to craft it into new and exciting shapes, it has been stuck in a big spotlit display case, revolving slowly and rather boringly on a velvet cushion of overstuffed balladry." She concluded by saying, "If Lewis is looking for the greatest love of all — public adoration — she will have to do better than this."
Awards and accolades
At the 2008 BRIT Awards2008 BRIT Awards
The 2008 BRIT Awards was the 28th edition of the biggest annual music awards in the United Kingdom. They are run by the British Phonographic Industry and took place on 20 February 2008 at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London. The ceremony attracted 6.1 million viewers, 800,000 more than the...
Lewis was nominated for four awards, including British Female Solo Act, British Breakthrough Act and British Album for Spirit, and was the favourite to win most awards, however she walked away empty handed. She garnered three nominations at the 51st Grammy Awards
51st Grammy Awards
The 51st Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA on February 8, 2009. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were the biggest winners of the night, jointly winning five awards including Album of the Year and Record of the Year...
including Best Pop Vocal Album
Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album
The Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality pop music albums...
. At the 2008 Music of Black Origin Awards Spirit won the MOBO award for Best Album and Lewis was nominated for Best UK Female. The album was nominated in the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards Album of the Year category, whilst Lewis won Best UK + Ireland Act and was nominated for Act of 2008 and Europe's Favourite Act. Spirit won Best Album 2008 at the Urban Music Awards
Urban Music Awards
The Urban Music Awards is a HipHop, R&B, Dance and soul music awards ceremony launched in 2003 and now held in six countries annually.The awards ceremony is held annually by Invincible Media Group. The UMA's is now held in 6 countries annually...
, and was nominated for Worst Album at the NME Awards
NME Awards
The NME Awards is an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine, NME .The first awards show was held in 1953 as the NME Poll Winners Concerts, shortly after the founding of the magazine....
. In December 2008 Lewis was named Top New Artist by Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine. Additionally, Lewis was nominated for Breakout Artist at the 2008 Teen Choice Awards, won the World Music Awards for Best New Artist and Best Pop Female, and was awarded the Shooting Star Bambi Award
Bambi (prize)
The Bambi - Deutschlands Wichtigster Medienpreis, often simply called Bambi Awards and stylized as BAMBI, are presented annually by Hubert Burda Media to recognize excellence in international media and television "with vision and creativity who affected and inspired the German public that year",...
.
Chart performance
On 19 November 2007 Spirit debuted on the UK Albums ChartUK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
at number one with first-week sales of 375,872 copies, making it the fastest selling debut album in the UK, beating Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys are an English indie rock band. Formed in 2002 in High Green, a suburb of Sheffield, the band currently consists of Alex Turner , Jamie Cook , Nick O'Malley and Matt Helders...
' Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not is the debut album by English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys, released on 23 January 2006. The album became the UK's fastest selling debut album, shifting over 360,000 copies in its first week, and remains the fastest selling debut album by a band. It...
(2006) by 12,000 copies, until the release of Susan Boyle
Susan Boyle
Susan Magdalane Boyle is a Scottish singer who came to international public attention when she appeared as a contestant on the TV programme Britain's Got Talent on 11 April 2009, singing "I Dreamed a Dream" from ...
's debut album I Dreamed a Dream
I Dreamed a Dream (album)
I Dreamed a Dream is the debut album from Scottish singer Susan Boyle. It was released on 23 November 2009 by Syco Music in the United Kingdom, and by Columbia Records in the United States one day later. In the standard edition, 11 out of the 12 songs that appear on the album are cover songs, plus...
in November 2009, which sold 410,000 copies in its first week. It was the fourth fastest selling album of all time, behind Be Here Now (Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
, 1997), X&Y
X&Y
X&Y is the third studio album by English rock band Coldplay, released 6 June 2005 in the United Kingdom via the record label Parlophone. The album, which features influences of electronic music, was produced by the band and British record producer Danton Supple...
(Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
, 2005) and Life For Rent
Life for Rent
Life for Rent is the second studio album by the British singer-songwriter Dido, released by Arista Records on 29 September 2003. The album was produced by Rollo Armstrong and American songwriter Rick Nowels. Work on the album began in mid 2002...
(Dido
Dido (singer)
Dido Florian Cloud de Bounevialle O'Malley Armstrong , known as Dido, is an English singer-songwriter.Dido shot to worldwide success with her debut album, No Angel...
, 2003). The album remained at number one for seven weeks, and reached one million sales after 29 days, making it the fastest album to sell one million copies by a solo female in the UK. Spirit became the second biggest selling album of 2007 in the UK, behind Back to Black
Back to Black
Back to Black is the second studio album by English recording artist Amy Winehouse, released on 27 October 2006 by Island Records. It is the last album released in her lifetime. The album incorporates 1960s soul music styles and modern R&B production, with subjective lyrics that concern...
(Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse
Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer-songwriter known for her powerful deep contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres including R&B, soul and jazz. Winehouse's 2003 debut album, Frank, was critically successful in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize...
, 2006). For the first seven weeks Spirit sold over 100,000 copies, a record which was later equalled by JLS
JLS (album)
JLS is the debut album from English boy band JLS. The album was released in the UK on 9 November 2009 by Epic Records. It was preceded by the lead single, "Beat Again" on 13 July 2009. The album debuted at number-one in the UK and Ireland. It has been certified four times platinum in the UK, where...
(JLS
JLS
- Music :* JLS, an English boyband** JLS , debut album by JLS* JLS a Spanish Rock band based in Zaragoza , Spain formed in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic by lead Leo Susana.- Organizations :...
, 2009), and beaten by 21
21 (Adele album)
21 is the second studio album by English recording artist Adele. Released on 24 January 2011 in the United Kingdom and most of Europe, and on 22 February 2011 in North America, the album was named after the age of the singer at the time of its production...
(Adele
Adele (singer)
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins , known professionally as Adele, is an English singer-songwriter. She was the first recipient of the Brit Awards Critics' Choice and was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2008 in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2008...
, 2011), which sold over 100,000 copies for twelve weeks. On 23 November 2008, Spirit returned to number one for a week, following the release of the deluxe version of the album. By 14 June 2009, Spirit was listed as the 27th best selling album of all time in the UK, with sales of 2,812,524 copies, and was the fourth best-selling album of the 2000s in the UK. The album has been certified 9× platinum by the British Phonographic Industry
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
, with sales of 3,034,653 copies as of 24 July 2011.
Spirit was also successful elsewhere in the world. It entered the Irish Albums Chart
Irish Albums Chart
The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically...
at number one, breaking a record by being the fastest selling debut album ever, beating the Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys are an English indie rock band. Formed in 2002 in High Green, a suburb of Sheffield, the band currently consists of Alex Turner , Jamie Cook , Nick O'Malley and Matt Helders...
by a margin of 6,000 sales. The album remained at the top of the chart for two weeks before being knocked off by Shayne Ward
Shayne Ward
Shayne Thomas Ward is an English pop singer who rose to fame as the winner of second series of The X Factor. He has sold over 3 million records worldwide and has had number one albums and singles in 9 countries.During The X Factor competition, Ward was mentored by manager Louis Walsh...
's Breathless
Breathless (Shayne Ward album)
Breathless is the second solo studio album by British pop singer and winner of The X Factor, Shayne Ward. Record label Syco Music released it in the United Kingdom on 26 November 2007. The album is mostly written by Rami Yacoub, Arnthor Birgisson and Savan Kotecha. The album was commercially...
. It was the biggest selling album in 2007, and the fourth best selling album in 2008. The standard version of the album has since gone 7× platinum, and the deluxe version 4× platinum. In February 2008, the album debuted at number one on the Australian ARIA Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
, where it went on to be certified platinum for shipments of 70,000 copies, and on the New Zealand RIANZ chart, where it went on to be certified gold for shipments of 7,500 copies. In Germany the album spent one week at the top spot, and was certified triple-gold for shipments of 300,000 copies. Spirit also topped the Austrian and Swiss charts, with certifications of platinum and double-platinum respectively. It was certified four times platinum by the IFPI for sales of four million copies in Europe.
In the US, Spirit went straight to number one on the Billboard Top 200, selling 208,607 copies in its first week, which made Lewis the first and only British solo artist to debut at number one with their first album, and the first British female to debut at number one with an album in over twenty years when Sade Adu
Sade Adu
Helen Folasade Adu OBE , is a British singer-songwriter, composer, and record producer. She first achieved success in the 1980s as the frontwoman and lead vocalist of the Brit and Grammy Award winning English group Sade.-Biography:Sade was born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria...
topped the chart in February 1986 with Promise
Promise (Sade album)
Promise is the second studio album by the English group Sade. It was released in the United Kingdom on 16 November 1985 by Epic Records and in the United States on 21 December 1985 by Portrait Records....
. As of 30 June 2008 the album has been certified platinum. The album also reached number one in Canada, and was certified platinum on 30 May 2008. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, Spirit was the sixth best selling album of 2008, and has gone on to sell over seven million copies worldwide.
Track listing
Deluxe edition
Personnel
Credits adapted from Allmusic.Managerial credits
- Tim Blacksmith – managementManagementManagement in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
- Stephen Ferrera – A&R
- Larry Eaglin Jackson – A&R
- Harry Magee – management
Vocal credits
- Tawatha Agee – choirChoirA choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
- Ravaughn Brown – background vocals
- Robin Clark – choir
- Michelle Cobbs – choir
- Benny Diggs – choir
- Tavia Ivey – background vocals
- Leona LewisLeona LewisLeona Louise Lewis is a British singer and songwriter. Lewis first came to prominence in 2006 when she won the third series of the British television series The X Factor....
– lead vocals, background vocals
- Tammy Lucas – choir
- Cindy Mizelle – choir
- Billy Porter – choir
- Vaneese Thomas – choir
- Vanessa Thomas – choir
- Fonzi ThorntonFonzi ThorntonFonzi Thornton, is an American singer, song writer/producer, stage performer and radio personality.Thornton has provided background vocals on albums by artists which include Aretha Franklin, Luther Vandross, Diana Ross, Ray Charles, Chic, Sheena Easton, Mariah Carey, David Bowie, Michael Jackson,...
– choir, vocal contractor
Instrumentation credits
- Walter AfanasieffWalter AfanasieffWalter Afanasieff is a multiple Grammy-award-winning record producer and songwriter. He is best known for his long association with Mariah Carey, for whom he was producer and co-writer for several years, beginning in 1990...
– keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Josh Alexander – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, keyboards - Dave Arch – organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Louis BiancanielloLouis BiancanielloLouis John Biancaniello is a songwriter, record producer, and musician.-Background:Louis' skills were developed while working alongside producer Narada Michael Walden with whom he produced hits for Shanice "I Love Your Smile", Whitney Houston "I'm Every Woman" from the Grammy winning album The...
– keyboards - Amy Chang – violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- Jack Daley – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Mikkel Storleer Eriksen – instrumentationInstrumentationInstrumentation is defined as the art and science of measurement and control of process variables within a production, or manufacturing area....
- Stephen Ferrera – drums
- Karen Freer – celli
- Eric HudsonEric HudsonEric Hudson is a South Orange, New Jersey native and Grammy award-winning music producer. Born to father Curt Hudson, songwriter/producer . He went to Columbia High School in South Orange, NJ and graduated in 2004.-2006:Omarion - 21* 01. "Entourage"* 03. "Electric"* 11. "Been With a Star"John...
– instrumentation - Daniel Laufer – celli
- Chris Laws – drums
- Espen LindEspen LindEspen Lind, , is a Norwegian songwriter, producer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is one half of the production team Espionage.- Solo records :...
– guitar
- Phillip Lowman – drums
- Steve MacSteve MacSteve Mac , is a songwriter, record producer and owner of Rokstone Studios in London.He has produced more than 22 number one singles in the UK and had several multi-million selling albums worldwide...
– keyboards, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones... - Max MartinMax MartinMartin Karl Sandberg, known professionally as Max Martin, is a Swedish music producer and songwriter. Raised in Stenhamra, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden, he broke through as a producer and songwriter in the mid to late 1990s after crafting a string of hits for pop artists like the Backstreet Boys,...
– piano - John Paricelli – guitar
- Steve PearceSteve PearceStevan Edward "Steve" Pearce is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously held the seat from 2003 to 2009 and was an Assistant Minority Whip.-Early life, education and career:...
– bass - William Pu – violin
- Tony Reyes – guitar
- J.R. Rotem – instrumentation
- Olga Shpitko – violin
- Alonzo "Novel" Stevenson – keyboards
- Ian ThomasIan Thomas (Canadian musician)Ian Thomas is a singer, songwriter, actor and author. He is younger brother to famed comedian and actor Dave Thomas.-Career:...
– drums - Wayne WilkinsWayne WilkinsWayne Wilkins is a classically trained pianist, Record producer, songwriter, record engineer, and record mixer born in the southeast London neighborhood of Croydon...
– keyboards - Steven Wolf – drums, percussion
Production credits
- John Adams – assistant
- Walter Afanasieff – arrangerArrangementThe American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
, composerComposerA composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, programmingProgramming (music)Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock... - Josh Alexander – composer, digital editingDigital mediaDigital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital form. It can refer to the technical aspect of storage and transmission Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital (as opposed to analog) form. It can refer to the technical aspect of...
, engineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
, producer, programming - Dave Arch – string arrangements
- Dallas AustinDallas AustinDallas Austin is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician, based in Atlanta, Georgia. Some of his most notable clients include Michael Jackson, TLC, Boyz II Men, Pink, Monica, Madonna, Gwen Stefani, Stacie Orrico, Another Bad Creation, Fishbone, Sugababes, Anastacia, Namie Amuro, Kim...
– producer - Matt Beckley – producer
- Haydn BendallHaydn BendallHaydn Bendall is a British music record producer, engineer and mixer. He was Chief Engineer at Abbey Road Studios for ten years and was awarded the Audio Pro Industry Excellence Award for Best Studio Engineer in 2009.-Career:...
– string engineer - Tom Bender – assistant, mixing assistantAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
- Louis Biancaniello – composer, engineer, mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
, producer, programming - Chris Brooke – vocal engineer
- David Channing – engineer
- Lloyd Cooper – assistant
- Simon CowellSimon CowellSimon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
– composer, executive producerExecutive producerAn executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production... - Clive DavisClive DavisClive Davis is an American record producer and music industry executive. He has won five Grammy Awards and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer. From 1967 to 1973 he was the President of Columbia Records. He was the founder and president of Arista Records from 1975...
– executive producer - Rich Davis – production coordination
- Craig Durrance – engineer
- Jörgen ElofssonJörgen ElofssonJörgen Kjell Elofsson is a Swedish songwriter who has written or co-written hits for stars such as Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, Guy Sebastian, Ana Johnsson, Marie Serneholt, Shayne Ward and Super Junior. He has also written hit singles for groups such as Il Divo and Westlife...
– composer - Mikkel Storleer Eriksen – composer, engineer
- Geoff Foster – string arrangements
- Chris Garcia – digital editing, engineer
- Serban Ghenea – mixing
- Tyler Gordon – digital editing, programming
- Aniela Gottwald – assistant
- Lukasz "Dr. Luke" GottwaldDr. LukeLukasz Gottwald , better known as Dr. Luke, is an American songwriter, record producer, and remixer. Luke performed with the Saturday Night Live Band for ten seasons until 2007. He has co-written and co-produced a string of commercially successful songs...
– composer - Tatiana Gottwald – engineer
- Keith Gretlein – engineer
- Mick Guzauski – mixing
- Janne Hansson – engineer
- Tor Erik Hermansen – composer
- Nate Hertweck – assistant
- Chris Holmes – engineer
- Eddie Horst – string arrangements
- Josh Houghkirk – assistant
- Eric Hudson – composer, producer
- James Ingram – assistant
- Brett James – composer
- Jaycen Joshua – mixing
- Rouble Kapoor – engineer
- Nik Karpen – assistant
- David Krueger – composer
- Chris Laws – digital editing, editing, engineer
- Leona Lewis – composer
- Chris Lord-Alge – mixing
- Carlton Lynn – engineer, mixing
- Steve MacSteve MacSteve Mac , is a songwriter, record producer and owner of Rokstone Studios in London.He has produced more than 22 number one singles in the UK and had several multi-million selling albums worldwide...
– arranger, producer - Ewan MacCollEwan MacCollEwan MacColl was an English folk singer, songwriter, socialist, actor, poet, playwright, and record producer. He was married to theatre director Joan Littlewood, and later to American folksinger Peggy Seeger. He collaborated with Littlewood in the theatre and with Seeger in folk music...
– composer - Per MagnussonPer MagnussonPer Magnusson is a Swedish music producer and songwriter. His musical career took off in 1994 as one of the original team members of the now-legendary Cheiron Productions, meeting great international success working with Boyzone, Britney Spears, Westlife and the Backstreet Boys.Shortly after...
– composer - Michael Mani – composer
- Andrea Martin – composer
- Max MartinMax MartinMartin Karl Sandberg, known professionally as Max Martin, is a Swedish music producer and songwriter. Raised in Stenhamra, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden, he broke through as a producer and songwriter in the mid to late 1990s after crafting a string of hits for pop artists like the Backstreet Boys,...
– composer - Jesse McCartneyJesse McCartneyJesse McCartney is an American singer-songwriter, actor and voice actor. McCartney achieved fame in the late 1990s on the daytime drama All My Children as JR Chandler. He later joined boy band Dream Street, and eventually branched out into a solo musical career...
– composer - Doug McKean – engineer
- Vlado Meller – mastering
- Greg Ogan – engineer
- Jordan Omley – composer
- Richard Page – composer
- Leon Pendarvis – string arrangements, string conductorConductingConducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
- Dave Pensado – mixing
- Trent Privat – assistant
- Daniel Pursey – engineer
- Tony Reyes – composer
- Tim Roberts – assistant
- Scott Roewe – digital editing
- J.R. Rotem – arranger, composer, producer
- The Runaways – composer
- Wesley Seidman – engineer
- Robert Smith – engineer
- Shaffer "Ne-Yo" SmithNe-YoShaffer Chimere Smith, Jr. , better known by his stage name Ne-Yo, is an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer and actor. Beginning his career as a songwriter, Ne-Yo penned the hit "Let Me Love You" for singer Mario...
– composer - Chris Soper – engineer
- Billy Steinberg – composer, producer
- Alonzo "Novel" StevensonNovel (musician)Alonzo Mario Stevenson, professionally known as Novel, is an American hip-hop artist based in Los Angeles, California. He is a rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer...
– composer, producer, programming - Tim Sturges – assistant, assistant engineer
- Ren Swan – engineer, mixing
- Tom Syrowski – engineer
- Phil Tan – mixing
- Ryan TedderRyan TedderRyan Benjamin Tedder is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the frontman of the pop rock band, OneRepublic, though he has an independent career as songwriter and producer for various artists such as Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, Far East Movement, Jordin Sparks, Leona...
– composer - Aliaune "Akon" ThiamAkonAliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...
– producer - Giorgio Tuinfort – producer
- Seth Waldmann – engineer
- Sam Watters – composer, engineer, mixing, producer, vocal producer
- Josh Wilbur – engineer
- Wayne WilkinsWayne WilkinsWayne Wilkins is a classically trained pianist, Record producer, songwriter, record engineer, and record mixer born in the southeast London neighborhood of Croydon...
– composer, engineer, mixing, producer, programming - Steven Wolf – producer
- Nina Woodford – composer
- Emily Wright – engineer, production coordination
Charts
| Chart (2007/2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
1 |
| Austrian Albums Chart IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... |
1 |
| Belgian Albums Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... (VL) |
5 |
| Belgian Albums Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... (WA) |
21 |
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
1 |
| Danish Albums Chart IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... |
3 |
| Dutch Album Chart NVPI The NVPI is the Dutch tradeassociation of the entertainment industry... |
4 |
| European Albums Chart European Top 100 Albums The European Top 100 Albums chart is the European adaptation of the Billboard 200 albums chart. It was created in March 1984.The European Top 100 Albums, commonly referred to as Eurochart Top 100 Albums shows the sales of an act in 19 European countries based on IFPI data.The European Top 100... |
1 |
| Finnish Albums Chart IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... |
14 |
| French Albums Chart | 21 |
| German Albums Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
1 |
| Greek Albums Chart IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... |
3 |
| Hungarian Albums Chart Mahasz Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary.... |
22 |
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
1 |
| Italian Albums Chart | 5 |
| Japanese Albums Chart Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... |
5 |
| Mexican Albums Chart AMPROFON Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas is a non-profit organization integrated by multinational and national record companies in Mexico. Established on April 3, 1963, it groups phonographic companies that represent more than 70 percent of the market in Mexico... |
69 |
| New Zealand Album Chart | 1 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... |
10 |
| Polish Albums Chart OLiS OLiS is the official list of the highest selling music albums in Poland. The list exists since October 23, 2000 and is provided by ZPAV.... |
4 |
| Portuguese Albums Chart IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... |
12 |
| Spanish Albums Chart PROMUSICAE Spanish Music Producers is a trade group representing the Spanish recording industry... |
26 |
| Swedish Albums Chart IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... |
2 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 1 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
1 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
1 |
Certifications
Year-end charts
| Chart (2007) | Position |
|---|---|
| Irish Albums Chart | 1 |
| UK Albums Chart | 2 |
| Chart (2008) | Position |
| Australian Albums Chart | 14 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 16 |
| Canadian Albums Chart | 13 |
| Dutch Album Chart | 29 |
| French Album Chart | 68 |
| German Albums Chart | 12 |
| Greek International Albums Chart | 19 |
| Irish Albums Chart | 4 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 21 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 9 |
| UK Albums Chart | 4 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 19 |
| Chart (2009) | Position |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 59 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 40 |
| UK Albums Chart | 48 |
Decade-end charts
| Chart (2000–2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums Chart | 46 |
| UK Albums Chart | 4 |
Release history
| Standard edition | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalogue |
| Ireland | 9 November 2007 | Syco Music | CD, digital download | 88697185262 |
| United Kingdom | 12 November 2007 | |||
| Sweden | 23 January 2008 | Sony BMG | 88697222432 | |
| New Zealand | 25 January 2008 | |||
| Italy | ||||
| Taiwan | ||||
| Germany | ||||
| Switzerland | ||||
| Korea | 8803581113907 | |||
| Australia | 26 January 2008 | 88697222432 | ||
| Hong Kong | 28 January 2008 | |||
| Greece | ||||
| Poland | ||||
| Singapore | ||||
| Spain | 19 February 2008 | 886972224329 | ||
| France | 10 March 2008 | 88697222432 | ||
| China | 9787799427188A | |||
| Mexico | 24 March 2008 | 886972224329 | ||
| United States | 8 April 2008 | J Records J Records J Records was an American record label, owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment, and was distributed through the RCA Music Group.-Company history:... |
88697025542 | |
| Canada | Sony BMG | |||
| Japan | 23 April 2008 | BMG Japan BMG Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann... |
CD / CD+DVD | BVCP24129 |
| Brazil | 24 April 2008 | Sony BMG | CD | 88697222432 |
| Deluxe edition | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalogue |
| Australia | 8 November 2008 | Sony BMG | CD / CD+DVD | 88697359692 |
| Europe | 14 November 2008 | |||
| Latin America | ||||
| United Kingdom | 17 November 2008 | Syco Music | ||
| Mexico | Sony BMG | |||
| Japan | 19 November 2008 | BMG Japan | ||
| United States | 3 February 2009 | J Records | ||
| Canada | Sony BMG | |||