Leona Lewis’ New Single “Collide”

Leona Lewis is saying sayonara to ballads, at least for her new single “Collide” from her forthcoming third album. The single premiered on UK radio today, and though some people have characterized the song as being “purple”, others would best describe the dancey tune as being “stolen”. Listen to the British singer’s new song below, as well as the beat it’s allegedly ripping off.

“I’ll pick you up when you’re down / Be there when no one’s around / When you’re in a familiar places / Count on me through life’s changes,” Leona starts off in a repetitive, monotonous up-and-down pattern. Thankfully the song continues and builds from there, and the chorus provides a euphoric thrill. But altogether, it sounds like a bastardized version of Alexis Jordan’s “Happiness”. (Guess what! Not a coincidence — both songs had the same writer.)

The song hasn’t even been out for a day, and there’s already some controversy. UK label Ministry of Sound is claiming Leona’s song is a rip-off of the piano-assisted dance song “Penguin” by their artist Avicii, a Swedish DJ.