Following the release of his sleek soul offering 'Always', we caught up with Leon Jacques to find out more about the music he loves, in effort to find out what has inspired this artist's unique sound! We love his picks and if you're a fan of any of the tracks below, be sure to check out Leon's new track 'Always'.
1. Monsta Boy - Sorry
UK Garage music is quite literally the soundtrack of my childhood and this record by Monsta boy Ft Denzie is my all time favourite. The thing that is special about British music generally is that it tends to be a product of the culture it exists within and for me this song takes me right back to those under 16 foam parties in a local music hall where we learned ( by failing) how to navigate the unspoken dancefloor etiquettes that enabled us to catch those 3 minute partner dancers with whoever you thought was the hottest person in the party! I miss those days :)
2. Beyoncé - BIGGER
As the self proclaimed CEO of the Beyhive a list of my favourite songs could never be complete without the Queen! The Lion King is a classic for me and my peers but this song, which is from the soundtrack of Black is King found on Disney plus came at a time where i really needed to hear it. I was diagnosed with Clinical depression and anxiety in 2014 and with Borderline personality disorder in 2021 so it goes without saying that my self talk isn’t the best however the first time i played this record i cried like a baby! I felt seen and validated in a way that I can't truly put into words but if you’re ever questioning what is the point in pushing through a hard time… I HIGHLY recommend adding this to your self care playlist.
3. Xavier Omar - Afraid
Xavier Omar takes the spot as the most annoying artist that I'm a fan of because he writes songs I would write before I can write them!!!! I experienced one of those, “ lock yourself in your room for 3 week” heartbreaks some years back and made one of those silly promises to myself that I would never allow someone to hurt me in that way ever again… after some painfully honest conversations with myself i eventually stumbled into a situationship that i was self sabotaging out of fear. She wasn’t having it and honestly I was fed up with myself and the way my trauma was still affecting my life years later. This song reminded me that when it comes to Love, pain is somewhat inevitable and that is terrifying! But on the other side of fear is joy, so be scared, hesitant, whatever your version looks like…. Just make sure you get to see the other side because it's worth it.
4. Che Lingo - My Block
Okay okay! I just wanted to have a proud moment for this one. Not only is Che lingo a long-time collaborator of mine but I also think he is the best lyricist in the scene right now! He allowed me to create the vocal arrangement for the choir part of this record which is led by my niece Miss Moresha and my best friend cartell green-brown. It is important to me to work with genuinely good people and all three of them fit the description perfectly! I will always stand in their corner and I promise this is not the last time you hear from them! Make sure you spin this one twice to catch the wordplay! They don’t call Che the wizard of Wandsworth for nothing!
5. Cleo Sol - Why Don't You
Love is the message and gratitude is the attitude! This song is from me to you via Cleo to let you know that you are valid at every part of your journey, when you find yourself in a situation that doesn't serve you… let go! I promise promise promise that there is better out there for you! “Sometimes i still doubt myself, but at least now i love myself”
Listen to 'Always' now. Keep your ears open as Leon is set to release a new track every month of 2022!
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