Leona Lewis has ''definitely grown up a lot'' for her new album.

The 'Bleeding Love' hitmaker - whose last record, 'Christmas, with Love' was released in 2013 - split from Simon Cowell's Syco label last year and signed a deal with Island Records, during which she feels she has become a lot more mature.

She said: ''I'm still the same but I've definitely grown up a lot.''

The 30-year-old star continued to say her new-found maturity has helped her to make changes in her life, which she has penned tracks about on her fifth studio album, set to be released later this year.

She explained: ''I had to make some pretty big changes in my life and in certain situations, which has definitely tested me, but a lot of that I've written about in this new record.''

The 'X Factor' winner - who won the third series of the talent show in 2006 - added she now feels much stronger artistically, because she has written honest songs and spent time ''empowering'' herself.

Speaking to Ken Bruce on BBC Radio 2, who premiered her new single 'Fire Under My Feet', she said: ''I went out and made this record on my own really.

''It's definitely come from a very strong place, and it's just all about empowering myself and hopefully other people through it.''