A Voice for Animals
Songstress Leona Lewis on animals, Avatar, and advocacy.
voice. The British pop star got her start just four years ago on The X Factor, the UK counterpart to American Idol, when she was famously one of the few to stun the critical Simon Cowell into silence. Since then, she has successfully hopped the pond with her music, being the first British solo artist to top the US Billboard 200 with a debut album.
I could rattle off a whole list of Lewisโ fabulous feats: she performed at the closing
ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics, she was hand-picked to sing the theme song for James Cameronโs latest golden project, Avatar; but best of all, sheโs using her amazing
voice to stand up for those who donโt have one. Originally a fan of Lewisโ music, a fact I shamelessly admit to her over the course of our conversation, I soon become a fan of the woman herself as I listen to her discuss her passion for animals.
Lewisโ alignment with the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) started out as support in the form of monthly donations, signing petitions, and spreading the word to friends and family. But it was โwhen everything happenedโ in her career that she really got involved, doing a campaign called โAnimals Matter To Meโ that asks for public support for WSPAโs mission, one Lewis believes in very much.
โBasically WSPAโs mission is to have a universal declaration
for the protection of animals,โ Lewis says, โwhich is kind of like a human rights act, only for animals, so that they can enforce more animal protection laws. I just really admire the way they go about things, changing laws and petitioning.โ
WSPAโs Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare doesnโt just cover companion animals, but wildlife and farm animals as well, another thing Lewis can relate to.
โEver since I was little, really, Iโve always had an affinity for animals. Iโve always wanted to be around them. My rabbitโs jumping on me as we speak; her name is Melrose, sheโs really sweet. Iโve always had animals around me, Iโve always felt very comfortable with animals and Iโve just always loved them. Iโm sure I was an animal in a previous life!โ
When pressed a little as to what kind of animal she mightโve been, Lewis laughs softly. โI definitely think I was a horse in a past life, because I love horses and I just feel a very deep connection with them.โ
It was a Yorkshire Terrier named Suzie, however, that was Lewisโ companion for seventeen years before passing away, and leaving a dog-sized hole in Lewisโ life.
โ[Suzieโs death] was very upsetting to the whole family. Literally, I donโt remember life without my dog.โ Thereโs still the family dog, Misty, a rescued Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and she has plans to adopt in the future.
โI would love to [adopt]. Actually, after we did the [Modern Dog] shoot, my friend went to adopt one of the dogs that came to the shoot. Unfortunately, when we got there, sheโd been homed the day before, so we were sad but happy at the same time that she got a home. That organization is really helping. I would never buy from a breeder or from a pet store. Iโve talked to a lot of my friends about this. There are so many dogs in shelters.โ
Lewis cites the Lange Foundation, a non-profit shelter in Los Angeles where the photo shoot dogs came from, as well as the Battersea in London, as somewhere she would look for her future furry companion.
โI really feel for [animals] and I feel sorry for how poorly theyโre treated. Theyโre not protected. I feel they need to be because they canโt speak for themselves. Thatโs why I pick animal charities to work with because I feel there are not enough people that are really supporting them.
โWSPA has a lot of different issues that theyโre tackling at the moment, but Iโm really passionate about horses. There are horses sent to slaughter that are perfectly healthy and Iโm very passionate about trying to stop that. Iโd love to have a sanctuary for horses, because theyโre such big animals; they require a lot of work, a lot of space, so itโs very hard for charities.โ
Her devotion to animal welfare is evident not only in her zeal for animal charities, but in her lifestyle choices as well.
โI am a vegetarian. I donโt eat meat or any fish, and I do try to be a vegan at least once a week where I donโt drink milk or eat cheese or eggs. Iโve been a vegetarian since I was twelve.โ
Lewis tweeted recently: โKnowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must doโ and she applies that principle in her own life.
โYou can know about things, but kind of hide it and pretend itโs not really happening. Iโm speaking about basically applying it to yourself. and doing things instead of just talking about it, which a lot of people tend to do. I love people that take action. I admire that.โ
She admires the McCartney family in particular for everything theyโve done in the fight against animal cruelty, from Stellaโs animal cruelty-free accessory line to Sir Paulโs new initiative, Meat Free Mondays.
โI really admire that family for all that theyโve done. Paul McCartney is just lovely and Stella is just a cool vegetarian.โ
Seeing her beliefs shared by others means making a real difference, as well. Every year on her birthday, Lewis requests that her friends and fans donate to charity instead of giving her presents. This year, J records donated to the SPCALA to remove dogs from โdeath rowโ in shelters.
โItโs so amazing. Itโs so wonderful getting the message out there; itโs getting through to people. People are supporting it and being made aware of it. If I can make a difference
in a tiny, tiny way, thatโs great.โ
Lewis gets the message out there with her music, as well, where the core theme is always love.
โI feel that having compassion and a love for animals and humans alike helps inspire me for every song. Iโve always wanted to be a singer. I actually studied classical from when I was very young. I wanted to be an opera singer for a very long time. Itโs still in my repertoire and itโs helped me so much in my pop singing. Then I got into more modern. I try to keep my mix very eclectic. Iโve just always wanted to do music.โ
This mix of classical and pop styles may have helped her to win over the decision makers behind Avatarโs theme song, โI See You.โ
โI was approached by the writers of [โI See Youโ]. They asked me to sing the song and see how it sounded. They told me what it was for and I was, โOh wow!โ Iโm very into movies and I had heard about this movie a long time before they asked me to be involved. They said, โWeโll play it for James [director James Cameron] and see what he thinks.โ
โI was very nervous, and like โplease use itโ, because that would be so amazing. He heard it and loved it. I went and met him and he showed me reels from the film. It was so incredible to be involved in such a historic film.โ
Lewisโ composed voice reveals excitement, thrilling me into the realization that even celebrities can get a little star-struck. She also admires Alicia Keys as her creative contemporary, and has worked with some of the music industryโs top players.
โIโve worked with some of the best writers in the world. I worked with Clive Davis who discovered Whitney Houston. Itโs quite daunting at first, itโs such an amazing opportunity. I was just so humbled and just so honoured to be working with people like that.โ
But her most memorable moment is probably one that is etched into the minds of the billion or so people who watched Lewis perform atop a red double-decker bus, belting out โWhole Lotta Loveโ with Led Zeppelin guitarist
Jimmy Page at the closing ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Lewis is currently focused on touring to promote her two albums, Spirit and Echo, while continuing to work closely with WSPA; a visit to one of their bear sanctuaries is in the works. Animal advocacy is not something she is likely to lay aside, no matter her fame or her busy schedule.
โRemember the love the animals bring, and remember that they are vulnerable
and they donโt have a voice. We need to help them in any way we can because theyโre part of our lives and our history, and we need to be very aware and help protect them any way that we can.โ
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