Leon is out now!
Image: Jack Bool.
Grammy Award winner Leon Bridges has unveiled his highly-anticipated fourth studio album, Leon. We caught up with the musician to unpack the album and more.
Bridges will return to Australia next year, bringing his live show down under once again. Kicking off at Brisbane’s Riverstage on January 17, the run of shows will continue on to ICC Sydney Theatre and Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl, and will make stops at some of the nations most spectacular wineries, including Bowral’s Centennial Vineyards and Geelong’s Mt Duneed Estate, for a day on the green. Tickets are on sale now!
It's been almost three years since your last album, Gold-Diggers Sound. How do you think your artistry has kind of evolved throughout this time in to what you've presented on this new body of work, Leon?
I think, you know, Leon is kind of, it's like an amalgamation of all the projects that I've put out. I think my songwriting is stronger, and then also I feel like I've grown vocally. It's, yeah, that's a mixture of just all the work that I've put out up until this point.
In my opinion, it's such a personal body of work that does showcase your depth as a songwriter and artist. The album gives insight into not only you, but your hometown, the people around you and the environment you grew up in. Could you like unpack the themes of the record and the importance to you with documenting them on this album?
It's really, it's about home. It's like the place that I really deem is like my place of refuge and that's Fort Worth, Texas. It's not only about my story, but it's about the people that are a part of that. Just talking about some of the friends, some of my childhood friends and like my family. Just people that really had an impact on me. It's a lot of reminiscing on my childhood, but I think the main thing is kind of focusing on the things that matter the most to me.
That's lovely. Have you played them the album? What have they thought?
I haven't. I mean, there's a song I wrote about my sister that's on there called Ivy and she still hasn't heard it yet [laughs].
I love that I've heard it before your sister. When it comes to the sound of the record, how did you go about crafting the sonic realm that it exists within?
So it was one of those things like this album, you know, it took five years and when I initially started working on it, it was more so I guess just kind of looking at our pantheon of just like favourite like seventies records. I wanted to kind of bring some of that spirit with some of these songs and I think what was most important. The songwriting and then like, kind of building a world around it that felt simple. But also I wanted to have a kind of that, that dust of like some of those seventies records.
Sonically, and lyrically, it's just such a beautiful album to listen to. You just mentioned there, it did take you kind of five years from the initial point of working on the album to it being out in the world. How did it evolve over that time?
When I was working on it, I was kind of simultaneously working on two albums and I kind of put everything on the back burner because at the time I was making this album called Gold Diggers, which is like, it's all about more bravado RnB thing. They just didn't fit into the context of that. Man, it was just one of those things that, yeah, the songs, you know, I tried to ignore them, but this song just kept coming back to haunt me. So we pretty much went down to Mexico City and just took all the songs and like reimagined everything. It was just about kind of bringing that psychedelic, just like Texas vibe. I really love pedal steel and this had to be guitar heavy and all those little elements that really are unique to Texas, I feel.
When it came to writing this record, did you find that you had like quite a distinct creative process or do you think each song kind of took on its own form?
When I write, it always has to start with guitar and I just kind of fiddle on it, and like singing something incoherently until something emerges from that. I guess what I loved about the process of this is just going out to Mexico and finding a place that I could really disconnect from all the distractions. I love how vibrant and beautiful Mexico City is and the whole hope was to go there and that some of that magic would kind of seep into the songs.
If you had to pick three songs from Pointy Heights to play to someone who had never heard your music, that you think would make them an instant fan - like they are going to come to the live show, they are going to buy all the merch, they're going to be obsessed with this album for the next seventy nine years - which three songs would you play for them?
I would tell them to listen to When A Man Cries, That's What I Love and God Loves Everyone.
Is there a particular line, lyric or musical motif from the album that you find gets stuck in your own head more often than not? Or maybe one you're most proud of?
I probably have to go with an interlude on the album, and it's called Teddy's Tune. I don't know if people know, but Teddy is like one of my nicknames and which kind of comes from Teddy Pendergrass being one of the greatest. I'm carrying the torch of that, of soul. I haven't really played a lot of guitar on my albums. At least the guitar stuff never makes it into the recording. It was kind of cool to incorporate one of my little guitar diddlies on the album.
In more exciting news, you're coming back to Australia in January. It is your sixth visit to Australia since 2016. What what keeps you coming back to Australia?
Man, um I mean, I'm always like kind of humbled by the love and support people show there, I feel like I've had some of my best shows there. I'm definitely looking forward to coming back.
How are you going about bringing this new album into a live context, and creating a live experience around it?
For me, it was kind of about just making sure... I think the live thing is always going to be a different kind of interpretation, but just keeping everything that's close to the record as possible. I recently hired some really top tier musicians and I think we're going to be able to bring this thing to life in a great way. People are going to be really blessed by it.
How important is live music and performing to you, not only in terms of showcasing your art, but also making that in-person connection with the audiences who do resonate with your music around the world?
The stage is my sanctuary, you know? I really love that exchange of energy. That's the real thing. It's to see people singing the songs word for word, and just like seeing that collective joy in the audience is like something really cool to be a part of.
That's so lovely. So to finish off, what do you hope that people take away from listening to this new album?
It's a lot of distractions and noise. in this world. Just a reminder for everyone to really focus on things that matter in this life and not get too caught up in the stuff that's fleeting, you know, and here today going tomorrow. For me, that's family. That's home.
Leon is out now!
LEON BRIDGES AUSTRALIAN TOUR
JANUARY 2025
With special guests Glass Beams (Brisbane)
With special guests Los Bitchos (Melbourne & Sydney)
With special guests Glass Beams & Maple Glider (a day on the green)
Presented by Penny Drop, Chugg Entertainment & Frontier Touring
FRIDAY 17 JANUARY
Riverstage | Brisbane QLD
SUNDAY 19 JANUARY
Centennial Vineyards | Bowral NSW (a day on the green)
TUESDAY 21 JANUARY
ICC Sydney Theatre | Sydney NSW
THURSDAY 23 JANUARY
Sidney Myer Music Bowl | Melbourne VIC
SATURDAY 25 JANUARY
Mt Duneed Estate | Geelong VIC (a day on the green)
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