Leona Lewis stole the stage last night (April 14) during a showcase of her new album with an intimate gig at London's Hospital Club, and we were there to catch it all...

The chart-topping star played five songs from her upcoming LP, including‘I Am’, ‘I Got You’ and ‘Ladders’ – a rhythmic and up-tempo track which channels nineties R&B starsWhitney Houston and Mariah Carey.

The Better In Time songstress looked sheepish at first but soaked up the crowd’s energy, clearly pleased to be returning to the stage.

The 30-year-old played through a short but stellar set with Leona blowing away the crowd with her vocal ability, soon jumping on the piano!

Addressing the audience, Leona revealed that the ‘low points’ in her life inspired her fifthstudio record.

In on ‘Fire’ – her latest single and an instant crowd-pleaser, she sings: "I'm set free, I begin to spread my wings. I'm happy and I've earned this."

It’s got attitude, a thumping beat and the crowd cheering, on the chorus she cries: “I got fire under my feet and I feel it in my heartbeat.”

Loving track ‘Thank You’ clearly shows the more melancholy side to this album, dedicating it to her family who were in the audience last night.

“Our hearts get stronger after they break, so thank you,” she serenades to an awe-struck crowd.

Leona has evidently grown as a songwriter and learnt to sing about pain, as she quips: “There have been a lot of changes in my life recently.”

The soulful vocalist takes an opportunity to thank her new bosses at Island Records for letting her make the album she wanted to, essentially putting her in control.

There’s a suggestion that the album sheds some light on her falling out with Simon Cowell and her departure from Syco in 2014.

There are definitely songs and lyrics on this album that can be taken as a dig to the music mogul, with the Sun reporting:

"It's no exaggeration to say that Leona was driven to the depths of despair by the end of her time signed to Syco,” a source told them.

"Some of the lyrics sound as if she's talking about a break-up from a boyfriend, but they're actually about leaving Simon.”

They added: "It had a huge impact on her life and for the first time she's not scared to say what she thinks through her music."

The singer took to Twitter to praise her fans and posted a snap of the evening’s set list.

Thank you to everyone who came and shared last night with me, I loved it xx pic.twitter.com/kzC7zA1Bb5

— Leona Lewis (@leonalewis) April 15, 2015

Speculation is rife around this record but it shouldn’t overshadowthe ballads and the fact that Leona'shighly anticipated return is one to watch out for.