../images/Emo41.gifליאונה בראיון למגזין ספרדי ../images/Emo17.gif ../images/Emo141.gif
אוקיי,זה ארוך אבל שווה לקרוא
אוקיי,זה ארוך אבל שווה לקרוא
■ What’s it like to see posters of yourself around the place, or in magazines? “When I see myself in magazines it is a bit surreal. I always have fun on my shoots; it’s nice to be creative and I love that side of it as well. When I see the finished product, it’s kinda like, ‘wow’; it’s something to really be proud of.” ■ Are you able to walk the streets – or too famous for that now? “Yeah, of course.” ■ Don’t people always come up to you, and stop you every two minutes, saying that they voted for you on The X-Factor? “Some people come up to me and tell me that they voted for me, but I think it’s something nice because the people that supported me are the same people who have allowed me to do what I’m doing. I’m so grateful for that and I’ve got all the time in the world for people who wanna have a little chat.” ■ A lot of people were talking about how unassuming and shy you were then. Has that changed; are you more confident now? “I don’t think I’ve changed at all – I think I’m exactly the same person that I always was. On the show you go out and you’re judged on two minutes of performing a song, so it was very nerve-wracking. I wasn’t really confident on the show, but I always have a quiet self-confidence, and that’s just me, and I’m still me now.” ■ Tell us about your cultural background (like Mariah Carey…mixed race)? “My dad’s Guyanese and my mum’s Welsh.” ■ Was it difficult for you growing up being mixed race? “It wasn’t a big deal for me because my parents were so supportive. I just grew up thinking that everyone’s different at the end of the day, I’m me, and what’s different about us is what makes us unique. It would be boring if we were all the same.” ■ How has your family dealt with your success this year? “Since I left school I’ve always been flickering around doing music, and doing different projects here and there, and they were always really supportive of that. They’d just tell me to do what my heart tells me to do, and do the best that I can. I make time whenever I can to see my friends and my family, but at the moment we’re all just on such a high.” ■ Your boyfriend has been very supportive also, right? “My boyfriend, my mum, my dad, my family, my friends – they’re just so happy for me. A lot of my friends have been around since I’ve been really young, so they’ve always known singing is what I love to do, and so they’re all really happy for me.” ■ Do you have to look after your voice any differently these days? “I do exactly the same routines that I always do. I had a singing teacher and she always told me to warm up my voice and make sure that you’re looking after it properly. That’s kinda what I do now.” ■ What do you like doing on your day-off? How many days off have you had in the last month?“I’ve had a few days off. (laughs) I just usually veg out on the couch and watch a DVD, or take my nephew out somewhere, or I’m a real big film buff so I’ll go to the cinema or something.” ■ No celebrity parties and mingling with the A-list? “Ya know when I have time off I’d really just rather be with my friends and family, and just chill out with them. Seriously – I’m so tired sometimes that I just wanna go chill out at home. It’s nice to go to awards and stuff like that – I went to the Cosmo Awards the other night and I was really lucky enough to win the best newcomer award, which was amazing for me; my family were really excited about that so we just kinda go out and celebrate together.” ■ Can you believe the year you’ve had – or is it all like a dream? “I do find I have to pinch myself a lot… it’s so amazing. To win The X-Factor was a dream come true to me, so I do have to pinch myself a lot.” ■ Your iPod top three? Anytime You Need A Friend – Mariah Carey; No One – Alicia Keys; Pastime Paradise – Stevie Wonder. ■ In terms of everything that’s happened – what are you most proud of? “I think I’m most proud of the album (Spirit) because I’ve taken time out to work on it. For all the people that have supported me, and for my debut album, I wanted it to be something that I could be proud of, and something people would want to listen to. So, I took that time, and I worked hard on the album, and I think that’s what I’m most proud of – the final product.”