Emeli Sande’s Demo Of Leona Lewis’ “I To You” Surfaces: Who Sang It Better?

Mike Wass | October 25, 2013 5:44 pm

One of the many ballads on Leona Lewis‘ frustratingly uneven 2012 Glassheart LP was penned by a then relatively unknown Scotswoman called Emeli Sande. “I To You” didn’t really stand out among the other mid-tempo tunes but that could have something to do with the overly slick production because the original demo is pretty satisfying.

Emeli’s version is dark and gritty. What it lacks in the way of a big pop hook, it more than makes up for with raw emotion and atmosphere — two traits notably absent from Leona’s sterile album track. Both divas have very different styles, so it’s not an easy comparison to make but something appears to have been lost in translation. Listen to both versions after the jump and judge for yourself.

Here is Leona’s finished version of “I To You”:

Compare that with Emeli’s original demo:

Which version is better? You be the judge in the comments below.