It’s been nearly four years since Swedish singer-songwriter Lotta Lindgren, known as LÉON, went viral after her disco-pop single “Tired of Talking” exploded unexpectedly on SoundCloud. The track has accumulated more than 66 million streams on Spotify and earned praise from Katy Perry and Vogue, who dubbed LÉON as “Sweden’s Next Big Thing” in 2016.
In the years that followed, the 24-year-old released numerous EPs, including Treasure, For You and Surround Me, solidifying her presence as an international artist. In 2017, she launched LÉON Recordings Imprint with BMG, ultimately fulfilling her dream to start her record own label and add to her creativity. “I know now that I’m the happiest when I know that I can release a song tomorrow, if I wanted to," she said to me in an interview.
On March 1, LÉON delivered her highly-anticipated self-titled debut album. With musical inspirations like Norah Jones, Adele and Monica Zetterlund, LÉON intertwines elements of sixties soul and lush pop melodies. But, she doesn’t want her sound to simply be put into a box of labels. She wants her music to be “all over the place," so she can continue to try new things.
From the album's vibrant debut single “Baby Don’t Talk” to the dynamic and upbeat "Falling” and "You And I," LÉON is home to a string of mood-lifting tracks that will make you want to get up and dance. The album's tender focal ballad, “Come Home To Me," slows down the album; the piece reflects the emotions of frustration you may feel when you're in a long relationship, she explained. A bulk of the album was produced by Los Angeles-based production duo Electric.
You will be able to unapologetically jam out with LÉON when she embarks on the North American leg of the You And I Tour, which kicks off April 19 at the 9:30 club in Washington, D.C. Check out our full interview, below.
Monica Mercuri: You are releasing your self-titled album soon, that’s so exciting! What was the process like creating the album?
LÉON: I learned so much during the entire process of making this album. It took a lot of work and since I want to be a part of every little step on the way, it tends to get a bit intense for me! I might have gone a bit manic making this record haha. But other than that I had an amazing time and the people I got to work with have been so patient, caring and helpful. And that means a lot. It’s been so fun to be able to explore new sounds and be free in whatever I want to create. No guidelines or rules when it comes to anything.
Could you give me a short summary of how you emerged into the music scene?
Ever since I was little I knew that the only thing I wanted to do was to write and sing. When I went to high school I started my own band to get an outlet for that. Me and my friends did some shows around Stockholm and after I got out of high school I felt like I had to find more people that wanted to do the same thing as me. So I entered this school for songwriters and producers and got to know some really great people there. The only thing I focused on was writing for myself and then I started my own project, finished some songs and then I sent them around to labels but no one called me back, which I totally get! But I decided that I couldn’t just sit around and wait for something to happen so I released a song independently and that first song was "Tired of Talking." I put it out on SoundCloud and that was kind of the beginning of it all.
Why did you decide on LÉON for your stage name?
During the time, I didn’t think at all that many people would hear my music in the first place, so I wasn’t thinking too hard about it. I did know that I wouldn’t use my real name, just because it didn’t sound right. I wanted something short and I had thought that if I ever had a son I might name him Léon. Then I took it for myself instead, haha.
Who do you look up musically? How have your musical influences impacted your sound?
There’s so many artists I love and respect. Sade, Stevie Nicks, Norah Jones, Adele, Monica Zetterlund, Robyn, to name a few. I wouldn’t like to be put in a box with a label on it cause I love to try new things. That’s why I think my music is a bit all over the place, but I like it like that. I’m into so many different genres of music so I guess that’s how it has impacted me. The sound I made for the record won’t be the same for the next, I can tell you that!
You started your own record label, LÉON Recordings Imprint on BMG. Why did you decide to start your own label and what does this mean for you as a musician?
It’s always been a dream of mine to start my own label and it has made me even more creative, I think. I know now that I’m the happiest when I know that I can release a song tomorrow, if I wanted to. So I think it’s done a lot for me mentally. And I really love being a part of making everything from the artwork to the videos and the productions so it’s been working out really well, so far.
How is this album different from your previous EPs, Treasure (2015), For You (2017), and Surround Me (2017)?
That’s really hard to say. I really enjoyed making bigger productions for this record, like "Lost Time" and "You and I." Even a song like ”Pink” feels big in the production even if it doesn’t have a lot of instruments in it. I was really thinking about my live show too when I made this record. I think one difference is that it’s more upbeat. I wanted to be able to dance a little when listening to it.
Could you talk about the album’s focal track, “Come Home To Me," and your inspiration behind the single?
I was in a session with two lovely ladies, Charlie and Violet, and the three of us just talked for hours and hours about everything. And a lot about relationships and my relationship. It was a very self reflecting conversation. I wanted this song to be about how frustrating and hard it can be to be in a long relationship. I can get so annoyed with myself so I wanted to sing about that. I don’t know how it happened, cause we talked the majority of the time, but suddenly we had written this song and we recorded maybe two or three takes of it and that was it. I was done with the album already so I was like ”shit, now I need to tell my manager that I’m putting one more song on the record!” It was all very last minute, haha.
What are you most excited about for the You and I Tour?
I love performing live so that’s something I’ve been longing for a lot. And to meet the people that listen to the music is the best part of it all. I’m eager to see how people have connected with the new songs.
Listen to LÉON here.
Check out LÉON's North American You and I Tour dates, below.
4/19 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
4/20 - Philadelphia, PA - Foundry
4/23 - Boston, MA - Paradise
4/24 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza – SOLD OUT
4/26 - Montreal, QC - Petit Campus
4/27 - Toronto, ON - Mod Club – SOLD OUT
4/29 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
4/30 - Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line
5/3 - Denver, CO - Summit
5/4 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
5/6 - Portland, OR - Wonder
5/7 - Vancouver, BC - Imperial
5/8 - Seattle, WA - Neptune
5/10 - San Francisco, CA - August Hall – SOLD OUT
5/11 - Anaheim, CA - Parish @ HOB – SOLD OUT
5/12 - Los Angeles, CA - Belasco
5/14 - Phoenix, AZ - Crescent
5/16 - Austin, TX - Antone’s – SOLD OUT
5/17 - Dallas, TX - Cambridge Room @ HOB
5/18 - Houston, TX - Bronze Peacock @ HOB
5/20 - Atlanta, GA – The Buckhead Theatre - *UPGRADED VENUE*
5/21 - Nashville, TN - Basement East
