Jesse McCartney has nothing but praise for Leona Lewis -- whose single, Bleeding Love, he co-wrote for the singer.
He insists Leona transformed the song -- and has no regrets that he didn't release the track himself.
He says, "Leona took the song to a whole new level with the vocals she delivered. She did an incredible job.
"We put it on a European version of my album but we decided it would be a better record with a female vocalist.
"Leona was looking for her first single at the time and Simon Cowell heard the song and thought it would be appropriate for her - and I guess he was right."
The 21-year-old -- who was in boyband Dream Street at the age of 13 -- is now set to release his third solo album, Departure, in which he's using a more RnB influence that he feels will have a more "universal" appeal.
He adds, "As a listener of music, I always found myself leaning towards soulful music.
"I was thinking 'why don't I make more of this kind of album?'
"The thing with Elvis Presley was - he's a white guy making soulful music, and I think he was one of the reasons I was like - 'I should do this'.
"At an early age I didn't think I was mature enough and into the right headspace - until now."
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