Spirit

The conventional path for a TV talent show winner in the early 21st century is to come straight from the show and, before being forgotten about or passed over for the following series' successes, release an album of cover versions — bland and boring, the same songs that were sung on the weekly shows. So when Leona Lewis won the 2006 final of The X Factor and immediately released what would be a number one version of "A Moment Like This" just in time for Christmas, the same was expected from her. However, she was one of the first singers on the show, then in its third season, to actually appear to have the potential for long-term talent (compared to no less than Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey). She was shipped off to the U.S. to learn more about stagecraft and the business of being a pop star. But back she came in November 2007 with the single "Bleeding Love," written by Ryan Tedder and Jesse McCartney, sounding really fresh, nothing like a typical cover version. Admittedly, it didn't have much of a tune and didn't show off Lewis' vocal talents in the way that early Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston singles had done, but it was something new. It sounded like a hit and indeed it was, spending seven weeks at number one and going on to become the biggest-selling single of the end of the year. By mid-November it had been joined at the top by its parent album, Spirit, which also spent seven weeks at number one and just barely failed to emulate the single as the year's best seller.