Let's get the obvious out the way. 'Happy' is no 'Bleeding Love'. Perhaps it was unrealistic to expect it to match one of the defining pop singles of the past decade. Maybe it was always going to be the Dannii to that song's Kylie. However, once you accept this, 'Happy' is by no means a disappointment.

Produced by Ryan Tedder – yes, we all know which Leona single he worked on previously – it's a stately piano ballad with an explosive chorus hook and lashings of emotion. Leona shows real artistic growth here, claiming a writing credit on a song whose message – sad but optimistic, essentially Seize The Day – is realised sensitively and elegantly. Then there's the singing. Her entire performance is exemplary of course, but the vocal run from 2.39 to 2.44 suggests she could be the best pop singer we've got at the moment. And by "we", we do of course mean "the world".


> Click here to watch the 'Happy' video