Leah Jacqueline Cooney, known professionally as Leah Haywood, was born on August 16, 1976, in New Zealand and later moved to Perth, Western Australia. She trained on piano and vocals before relocating to Sydney by 1999. Haywood signed with Epic Records (Australia) and released her debut single "We Think It's Love" in February 2000, which peaked at number 7 on the ARIA Singles Chart. Her subsequent singles "Crazy" and "Takin' Back What's Mine" also charted within the Top 40. Haywood's debut album Leah was released in July 2001 and reached the Top 40 on the ARIA Albums Chart. She performed backing vocals for Celine Dion on "That's the Way It Is", and her song "Summer of Love" served as the theme for Channel 10 Australia at the start of 2002. In 2002, Haywood relocated to Los Angeles with her husband Daniel James to establish Dreamlab, a production and songwriting company. Through Dreamlab, she co-wrote and co-produced notable tracks such as Aly & AJ's "Rush" and worked with various artists including Britney Spears, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Nicki Minaj, and Blackpink. In 2021, Haywood resumed her solo career under the stage name Haywood, releasing singles like "Cheers to Us", "Backbeat", and "Bleeder". Her second studio album Pressure on My Heart was released in July 2022.
