Living between Portugal and the UK, leo. writes songs that become a raw interpretation of life through music. His mellow acoustic sound has seen a great deal of streaming success, with his approach to his fanbase creating a loyal community. leo.’s musical journey began with rigorous classical training, slowly expanding into this own signature style, a bedroom pop aesthetic with bounds of nostalgia.
His latest single ‘pretend’ is the second single in the lead up to his new album set for release this September. The happy-go-lucky ukulele chords are contrasted with a melancholic vocal performance that expands in texture through humming harmony, pretty piano lines and a lush string atmosphere. It’s another emotive and relatable performance in store from the listener as leo.’s lyrics hit home for many. It’s euphoric, choir like and showcases his ability to take simple songs and turn them into expansive masterpieces.
On ‘pretend’, leo. shares, “‘pretend’ is about a problematic relationship and its spectacularly messy ending. ‘Staying friends’ after a break-up is never a good idea, especially when you keep on doing stuff friends wouldn’t usually do. I remember writing this song on a coach trip during a very uncertain time in my life. I wrote it to try and make sense of my feelings, and to figure out if I could pretend for just a bit longer that I didn’t have all these problems to fix. (I definitely did)
It sounds really fun and I had a blast nailing down the vibe with Ed Allen, the producer. Even though it’s about relatively heavy things, I also wanted to capture how adventurous and fun it can feel to make bad decisions, even when you know they’re gonna mess you up in the future. I hope people can relate.
This is the second track off my upcoming album “a new one”, which is all about processing trauma and learning how to love again after some harmful experiences. ‘pretend’ represents everything that kick-started the work I had to do to unlearn so many negative things—the album begins with me in a really messy place, and with each song, I put more and more pieces back together.
Since writing ‘pretend’, revisiting it so many times to record it, film the music video, and, now, to release it, has really made me appreciate how much I’ve grown, and how much allowing myself to be vulnerable can really help.”
‘pretend’ is available for your enjoyment on streaming services now!
