LEONA LEWIS
...is the next Mariah Carey
Her backstory is almost bizarrely similar to that of a certain high-note-hitting pop star. You've got your hardscrabble upbringing (this time in a tough East London neighborhood), parents who worked multiple jobs to help foster her dreams of a performing-arts career, and the patronage of a record industry mogul (or two). After Leona Lewis, a former pizza-parlor waitress, decisively won The X Factor (the U.K.'s American Idol) last December, judge Simon Cowell and BMG CEO Clive Davis joined forces for the first time to groom the unassuming 22-year-old sensation. She already has a sizable U.S. following thanks to No. 1 fan Perez Hilton and countless YouTube clips that highlight her supple, soaring voice. Lately she's been earning justified comparisons to Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, and yes, Mariah Carey. So divas, watch out: Her debut album, Spirit, arrives in March. —Nicholas Fonseca
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