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Leona Lewis is performing her first major string of U.S. shows with her Las Vegas residency, A Starry Night

The "Bleeding Love" singer opens up to PEOPLE about the residency and her career in this week's issue

"With this show I would love it if I could come off [stage] and people just know me more as a person," says Lewis

A lot has changed for Leona Lewis since The X Factor.

The British singer-songwriter won the show's U.K. version in 2006 and took over the airwaves with her No. 1 hit "Bleeding Love" a year later. Now, Lewis is performing her first major string of U.S. shows with her Las Vegas residency, A Starry Night , running at Voltaire at the Venetian Resort Las Vegas through Jan. 3.

The fact that Lewis hasn't toured the U.S. in the past may come as a surprise,

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