Leona Lewis - Forgive Me (UK Version - Official Video)

What this video is

Released on 3 November 2008 as the fourth UK single from Leona Lewis's debut album Spirit, 'Forgive Me' marked a deliberate stylistic pivot from the orchestral ballads ('Bleeding Love', 'Better in Time') that had defined Lewis's post-X Factor identity. Produced by Akon — then at the apex of his commercial influence — the song represented the crossover moment where UK talent-show pop engaged directly with American…

Why it matters

A defining artefact of late-2000s UK–US pop crossover production, 'Forgive Me' documents the moment X Factor pop engaged with American R&B/dance-pop at both song and video levels. The video's theatrical vignette structure — explicitly referencing West Side Story, The Rocky Horror Show, Singin' in…

The director

Wayne Isham (born December 2, 1958, Vinita, Oklahoma) is an American film and music video director with over 150–200 directing credits spanning four decades. A UC Santa Barbara alumnus, he has directed videos for Metallica, Bon Jovi, Britney Spears, Ricky…