My girl managed to sneak into the Top 10 with Hurt EP this week. What's going on? It's a ballad, so I thought it would be at least a Top 3.

I was disappointed with the charting Collide got as well.

Is it really poor promotion or has the lassie past her sell by date? The last album she released didn't really set the charts alight. I think she did get to No 1 but not for long.

Did she have one in the first place?

She's so dull I'm surprised she hasn't bored herself to death.

It's definitely poor promotion.

Imo, it all went downhill as soon as she moved on from Happy. I Got You was a poor 2nd single of Echo, and then the video was released at the last minute, and the promotion for that wasn't the best, so it charted at a crap #14, then the whole album was abandoned as if there was no way of doing any better which I think they could have.

Then Collide could have done really well for her, but then all the controversy with Avicii took over, as well as the video being released at the last minute, and added to that the only promotion was the Red or Black performance and a G.A.Y appearance. Collide only got to #4 and it's been silence since then, until she released the EP but she stated it would be a gift for the fans until the album came out.

Her management and label are going to be her downfall. She has a lot of talent which is just going to waste

Her last may have not "set the charts alight" but it did however do much better in comparision to other singers and their releases.

In late 2009/2010, her album sold over 650,000 copies. All off of 2 singles.

Compare that to Alex Burke. She sold700,000 with 5 singles.

Pixie Lott, she has sold 800,000 with 6 singles.

And even comparing it to current times.

Her sophomore has done so much more than otherfemale artists in the UK. She is beating pixie by alot (and pixie had AAT) and SUBO (she is doing pretty bad ATM).


Yes 'Collide' didn't set the world into a Leona friendzy like Bleeding Love/Run did.
However, the fact she is working with some of the worlds best songwriters/producers in the industry, I believe people genuinely want her to suceed.

Having had 8 top ten hits in 5 years is a huge accomishment seeing how she hardly promotes the talent she possess. Let's see where Pixie/Nash/EstelleDuffy are 5 years after their debut.

The Hurt EP did quite well considering it had no radio play or a video to sustain sales throughout the week. It's basically down to the label at the end of the day, they have no idea what to do with her. They're scared of releasing up tempos, but they're also scared to just release ballads - it's all about finding a good balance. Yes continue to release ballads, but make them a bit more uplifting to avoid the boring tag, but don't be afraid to give her uptempos, they just need to be great e.g.

Scene of the Crime (biggest travesty that this wasn't put on Echo)
Glassheart (hopefully this will be a single)

Estelle's debut was 6 years ago.

To me she just doesn't have star quality - she has a great voice, pretty enough - but there's nothing that excites me AT ALL....she can be given the best songs, best producers but without "the X factor" it isn't enough - you cannot polish a turd

that`s a bit harsh, she`s hardly that. personally, i think the ep has done well. despite being universally panned and no radio support. it shows that she has a lot of support out there.

TBH she has never reached her potential she has a great voice but weak albums and poor singles except Bleeding Love. And also she releases alot of covers which would turn some people off and question her artistry and talent. Also unlike the other big voiced diva's Celine, Mariah, Whitney, Xtina, Adele, Jessi J they all have big personalities and something unique and special that sets them apart Leona is just someone with a big voice and a complete lack of anything else she is inoffensive nice and just a little dull that wont adhere her to non fans and the eneral public.

i loved her before but this new record is very boring, i said that on the homepages where it says what new music is out this week and someone pointed out i should listen to the original of the song and i did and loved it, hate her version though.

Have to agree, albeit without calling her a turd Say what you want about Christina, Mariah, Celine, Whitney and the rest but they've got charisma and star quality stamped all over them. Leona just comes across as a nice girl with a great voice singing dull songs. You either have it or you don't and poor Leona doesn't have star quality unfortunately. I agree with those who say she could have done better if it wasn't for her shoddy record label. At the end of the day she can still sing and with the right songs could sustain a healthy career. It's when it comes to stage presence and such that's she's shown up for her lack of star quality.

i just don't like the song. I don't really care what artists look like. At the end of the day i listen to music for my own enjoyment not for who's singing or what they're wearing or even their personality. We don't know the artists and probably never will so who cares if they can put on a raunchy scene etc as long as they can make music i enjoy then i will keep buying.

Subo's 2nd album was The Gift, released in 2010, which debuted at #1 in the UK and US and ended up 3rd in the world according to the IFPI, selling just shy of 4 million The current one is her third album and has fallen off, but it's not a Xmas album, so they're going to promote it all next year with her touring Musical. Subo's already made more money than she thought existed in this world, so she'll just keep doing her thing.

I think Leona's problem is that she's got Rebecca Ferguson on her heels, who is also beautiful , has a great voice and at least collaborates on all of her songs. But that's showbiz. There's always somebody new.

She's doing fine as it is =S

She got into the top 10 of the back of a (sadly) lackluster performance. She's had little to no advertisement for this ep and there's no video for it either.

I do however think she would have sold a bit more if she had have released iris as the main song from the ep as after hearing that, it is easily one of the best covers I've ever heard.

Her third album will be out soon, and it'll be interesting to see how much it sells. Sure it will be less than the first two, but it'll still probably be more than most other artists anyway,

Out of interest, in contrast to other successful x factor artists, how much does Leona get invested in her albums? Shes not really someone we hear about in contrast to JLS who always have a good televised advertisement for their albums =S

I think Leona could beat her Echo sales with this album, a few people have heard her new tracks and have said they are fantastic, someone even said it was her best work ever. Plus the song Glassheart sounds great and I think would make a strong single.

Glassheart

It did better than I thought it would

No airplay
No music video
No press

The X Factor performance wasn't very exciting

Alexandra has sold over 800,000 of Overcome, not 700,000.

When you consider that her debut sold millions in the UK alone, Leona's sophmore performance was hugely disappointing, no matter how you spin it.

Adele had a moderately succesful debut, then exploded with her 2nd album. Same for Amy Winehouse. It's not uncommon for acts to really become much bigger than their debuts, which Alex Burke should be aiming for. Leona has just gone backwards.

Blame the material & overall direction that is used for her. Trying to market her as the next Mariah or Witney was always going to a fail. Boring ballads, syrupy production & singing 55 notes when one will do is not where its at.

and overcome sold over 1m worldwide. about 780k here and 30k in ireland. so thats not too bad throughout europe to say that 100k was sold off the back of bad boys with a 2 week european promo trip. and that staggeringly low level of sales is poor due to *poor promo in the UK*. after broken heels which peaked in jan 2010,they didnt put out another single till mid may. BIG MISTAKE. the silence could've gone to number one in late march (debut week) as Alex was still red hot as the new XF winner with an album out/returning winner (if you get me). but they used the silence for the re-release; I'd have preferred her to have used overcome (the bridge has a more powerful belt - but thats by the by - and going off topic.)

spirit had all the promo in the world. simons threw everything into it, but technically it wasn't ALL that.

6m sold WW, and only 1m of that was in the USA, and 3m was in the UK, compare that to 21 (I know its been mental, but 4m sold in the US, and it outsold spirit in the same amount of time Spirit was a hot album.

a song cant make people love you. it has to be something about you. and leona (lovely girl) but she has no X factor. only the voice, and loads of classical singers have voices like hers. being classically trained, she got lucky entering a national comp where the average joe was the competition. simples.she's brilliant, but spirit (vocally) is her potential. she has no room for growth and thats the problem.

without the XF to launch glassheart it could help leona and alex so to speak. leona needs good charting material. stuff that can sell in the USA. and it'll sell here due to her name. but without that she'll flop. she wont be dropped as simon needs her name.

in short; balladeers always sell like spirit did (adele, whit, mariah, celine etc). Pop artists dont.

The title should read 'PASSED' her sell by date.

Hurt wasn't even an official single...it was part of an EP for fans. It had no video, it had no airplay, the first time anyone had heard it officially was the day it was avaialble to download. It can't be compared to any other single she has released becuase it wasn't one.

It is frankly amazing and testiment to how popular she is still that it charted in the top 40 at all, let alone the top 10.

especially at this time of year. but its down to the mid 30s on itunes now

"Hurt" did really well tbh, Like someone said, it has no video, no airplay, just two performances Leona gave (The X Factor and The Royal Variety). I like the song.

the latter performance was epic. as was nicoles. WOW nicole can SING!
classically trained obviously

I like hurt, but isn't it time Leona released an 'official' single because collide was only a 'buzz' single.