Originally hailing from Portugal and now based in the UK, leo. has seen seismic growth since his 2019 single ‘despair’ rocketed him to the forefront. His signature nostalgia and lush instrumentations has built a community where listeners feel understood. After years of classical training, the artist’s approach to indie-pop has been refreshing to listen to and exciting to watch.
leo. has just released his hotly anticipated album, fittingly titled ‘a new one’. Whether its on keys, guitar or ukulele, throughout the project leo. is able to capture your attention with passionate performances and well-penned lyricism. The album is emotional, brutal, vulnerable and always relatable with his classical training shining through as he sets the scene with unconventional chord patterns that tug on your heart strings. The use of huge, choir-like backing vocals and and lush string layers create expansive backdrops that offer a deeper connection to the music by expanding past the easy-listening song-writing. From upbeat indie-pop bops to slower, bittersweet ballads, leo. maintains his dynamic energy and theatric presence, playing a character not so different from himself.
leo. explains, “‘a new one’ feels more like a piece of my soul than anything I’ve done. I wrote these songs over the course of a year and they detail the process of learning to love again as I was going through it – ultimately in a healthier way, but not without its setbacks. More than that, I can see my growth as a person over the last year in these songs. After writing all 10, and using some material I had written way back, I took them to Ed Allen around this time last September. After months of recording, re-recording, arranging, trying new things out, trying old things out, crying, screaming, etc., we finally finished my most ambitious project so far – and I’m really proud of it. I’ve always loved the idea of telling stories with my music, and with these tracks, videos, artwork, and lovely interactions with my audience, I can tell a story that’s important to me, and might be important to a lot of other people too.”
‘a new one’ is out now! Listen here:
