'I lost my voice for a year after reaching semi-finals of ITV show The Voice'

Sheffield busker Leona Jorgensen wowed TV viewers with her performances on The Voice back in 2021.

After narrowly missing out on the finals of the ITV talent show, she got the chance to work with the chart-topping band Rudimental and was inundated with offers of recording contracts.

But not everything has gone according to plan since then, as she explained to The Star.

‘The Voice was an amazing experience’

“I loved being on The Voice. It was an amazing experience and it led to so many opportunities,” said Leona, who grew up in Woodseats and now lives in the Norfolk Park area of the city.

“During the show, Anne-Marie messaged me and said ‘my friends want to work with you’.

“Those friends turned out to be Rudimental, and I did a couple of songs with them, Straight From The Heart and Make You Move, which was amazing.

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“I had lots of people wanting to sign me up but I didn’t know what was the right option to take so I took no option.

“I think that’s because I’ve always been independent and wanted to keep things as organic as possible. Signing to a record label wouldn’t have sat right with me.

‘Losing my voice was really hard mentally’

“I went back to busking in Sheffield and other cities, but then I lost my voice for a year.

“I was going through a very stressful time and I developed muscle tension dysphonia which meant I couldn’t sing for the whole of 2023.

“It was really hard mentally, I was in quite a dark space. I was living off my savings and I started jogging and working out to counteract what I was missing out on by not being able to sing.

“Thankfully I finally have my voice back and things are a lot better now.

New album and working with Linkin Park singer

“After my voice came back I got a message from Mike Shinoda, from Linkin Park, saying he wanted to work with me.

“I was really anxious about it because I didn’t know if my voice was going to work but it did and I was able to record the London version of the single It’s Already Over, which was released on Spotify, with him. That was a really cool experience.

“I had my first ever headline show in February at Sidney & Matilda, which was intense but great, and I have another one coming up soon in Leeds.

“It’s been great to be back busking too, and I’m slowly rebuilding my confidence in my voice and trying not to overthink everything.

“I’ve got a great band from Sheffield, who are so supportive, and my drummer, Kyle, manages me.

“I have a new single out, called Picture of You, and I’m working on an album.

“I like to write about difficult experiences I’ve been through but not in a depressing way. I want to make people realise it’s not all doom and gloom even when it seems like it, and there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

“For me, music’s all about spreading good vibes, and not about clout.

“I’d just like to thank everyone who’s supported me over the years.

“You never know what’s around the corner, so I’m just taking things step by step.”

To follow Leona Jorgsensen on Instagram, visit: https://www.instagram.com/norskovmusic1.