Sounding everything except what you’d expect from its title, “Happy” by Brit pop diva Leona Lewis is the latest single preceding the release of her upcoming studio offering Echo, which features collaborations from hit-maker Timbaland and pop superstars like Justin Timberlake and Ne-Yo.

As you’ve come to expect of Ryan Tedder, whose recent production credits can be found on albums by Beyonce Knowles and Kelly Clarkson, the gloomy and broody track begins with a quiet piano riff showcasing Leona’s masterful restraint at delivering the song’s sombre lyrics “Don’t you take chances/ you might feel the pain/ don’t you love in vain/ because love won’t set you free”, before the pace quickens with the addition of looping drums in the background that set your pulse racing and ready for the storm to begin. As the other instruments such as the strings and horns bring on the drama and dazzling effects, the stage is once again set for Leona’s supreme vocal talent to take its rightful place centre stage and in the spotlight. After slightly more than 150 seconds of spectacular sonic fireworks, Leona’s voice finally takes flight and soars into the stratosphere of melodic highs where only a few like Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston have reached, before everything drops to a deathly quiet to prepare for the show’s grand finale. And as the curtain for the final act is drawn, Leona cries out the final lines with an emotional depth that would jumpstart even the coldest of hearts: “So what if it hurts me/ So what if I break down/ So what if this world just throws me off the edge my feet run out of ground/ I gotta find my place/ I wanna hear my sound/ Don’t care about all the pain infront of me/ Cause I’m just trying be happy/ Just wanna be happy…”

(Check out her performance of Happy at the recent VH1 Divas Concert)

No longer available

The song is written, produced and sung in the exact mould of her previous monster hit “Bleeding Love” from her debut album in 2007, with even Ryan Tedder, reprising his roles as producer and songwriter. Only this time, “Happy” is bigger sounding, more electrifying vocally and, all in all, the best diva anthem we’ve heard all year.  Not only will the song race to the top of the charts faster than you can say Leona, the blockbuster track will probably wind up as one of the biggest singles of the year, accelerating Leona’s rise to megastardom faster than what “Bleeding Love” did for her. It’s that good. And if the song is anything indicative of what the whole of Echo might sound like, UrbanWire is sure to grab a copy of the CD when it hits our music stores in November.

Until then, “Happy” is definitely happening for us.

Echo will be released worldwide on Nov 15.