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Todd Michael "Leon" Bridges (born July 13, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He signed with
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
to release his debut studio album, '' Coming Home'' (2015), which peaked at number six on the ''Billboard'' 200, received
platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...
certification by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) and earned a nomination for Best R&B Album at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. His second and third albums, '' Good Thing'' (2018) and '' Gold-Diggers Sound'' (2021), also earned Grammy nominations for Best R&B Album; the former peaked at number three on the chart while the latter peaked at number 17 and yielded critical acclaim. His 2018 single, "Bet Ain't Worth The Hand", won the Best Traditional R&B Performance at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.


Early life

Todd Michael Bridges was born in
Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, on July 13, 1989, and raised in
Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...
. Bridges learned to play the guitar by playing simple chords to accompany his lyrics. While working at Del Frisco's Grille in Fort Worth, he played countless open-mics until he was signed by
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
in December 2014. It was his song "Lisa Sawyer", written about his mother, that first defined his style.


Career


2014–2015: ''Coming Home''

Bridges began writing and performing
1950s File:1950s decade montage.png, 370x370px, Top, L-R: U.S. Marines engaged in street fighting during the Korean War, late September 1950; The first polio vaccine is developed by Jonas Salk.Centre, L-R: US tests its first thermonuclear bomb with co ...
and '60s-style soul music that was described by Austin 360 as "a transmission straight from the heart." He began to attract followers, and his break into the music industry has been attributed to meeting guitarist Austin Jenkins and Joshua Block of White Denim. It was Bridges' performance of " Coming Home" that caught the attention of the two. Bridges worked on his first few tracks with Jenkins and Block as producers. They recorded an album with vintage equipment, using local musicians affiliated with White Denim. Bridges released two demo songs on SoundCloud in late 2014. "Coming Home" received airplay from local radio stations including KKXT. It attracted the attention from several record labels with Bridges eventually signing with
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
in December 2014. Bridges began his first national tour in January 2015, playing shows in
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
as well as playing support for Sharon Van Etten in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. His first official single, "Coming Home", was released on Columbia Records in February 2015. The song continued the success of the demo version and became a Top 10 Most Viral Track on Spotify the same month as its release. Bridges toured with Jenkins and Block until they resumed work with White Denim. He also played at the
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...
and played at the
SXSW South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...
festival in 2015. His debut album was released in the summer of 2015 and has been referred to as a 2015 "Album to Look Forward to From Texans" by ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''. Bridges made the cover of ''Fort Worth, Texas'' magazine in May 2015 for his vocal accomplishments and his distinctive retro style. "Coming Home" is featured in an
Apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...
iPhone 6 commercial. Bridges made his first appearance in the UK as an artist in May when he sold out the London Village Underground. He went on to announce four July dates, ending with a gig at
Shepherd's Bush Empire Shepherd's Bush Empire (currently known as O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire for sponsorship reasons, and formerly known as the BBC Television Theatre) is a music venue in Shepherd's Bush, West London, run by the Academy Music Group. It was original ...
on September 28. ''Coming Home'' was nominated for Best R&B Album at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. Aside from his own shows, Bridges also supported
Pharrell Williams Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973), also known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the music production duo ...
at the Apple Music Festival on September 26. While opening at the intimate Roundhouse, he was able to perform songs such as "River", "Better Man" and "Lisa Sawyer" from his debut album ''Coming Home''. Bridges was the featured musical guest on ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'' on December 5, 2015. He performed " Smooth Sailin'" with a full backup band and sang "River" with only backup singers and organ, accompanying himself on guitar.


2016–2019: ''Good Thing'' and ''Texas Sun''

Bridges also participated in
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Macklemore & Ryan Lewis were an American Hip hop music, hip hop duo from Seattle, Seattle, Washington, formed in 2009 by rapper MacklemoreTrust, Gary (2013)Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' 'Can't Hold Us' Makes Hot 100 History, ''Billboard (magazine), B ...
's song "Kevin", which was released on the duo's second full-length album. On February 24, 2016, Bridges performed in Washington, D.C., as part of the series "In Performance at the White House" for President and Michelle Obama. He performed a song by Ray Charles as well as one of his own songs. On April 8, 2016, Bridges was the live artist featured on
BBC Radio London BBC Radio London is the BBC Local Radio, BBC's local radio station serving Greater London. It broadcasts on FM broadcasting, FM, Digital Audio Broadcasting, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at Broadcasting House in Langham Plac ...
Robert Elms show. Elms interviewed Bridges briefly, and played track 8, "Pull Away", from the ''Coming Home'' album. Bridges was set up to play live with Colin O'Brien. Together they performed a live version of "River". The live track was so well received it was played again as "live track of the week" on the Elms Saturday show on April 9, and again on April 11 during a program segment on the best-ever live performances on the Robert Elms show. In 2017 "River" received further recognition in the first season of the
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
series ''Big Little Lies''. It was later included on the soundtrack for the show. In 2018, his song "Better Man" was featured in the film '' Pacific Rim: Uprising''. He was the opening act on the South American and Mexican legs of
Harry Styles Harry Edward Styles (born 1 February 1994) is an English singer, songwriter, and actor. His showmanship, artistry, and flamboyant fashion have had a Cultural impact of Harry Styles, significant impact on popular culture. Styles's musical ca ...
' first solo tour. Bridges' second album '' Good Thing'' was released on May 4, 2018. He had a cameo appearance in
Damien Chazelle Damien Sayre Chazelle (; born January 19, 1985) is an American filmmaker. He directed the psychological drama ''Whiplash (2014 film), Whiplash'' (2014), the musical romance ''La La Land'' (2016), the biographical drama ''First Man (film), First ...
's film '' First Man'', playing singer
Gil Scott-Heron Gilbert Scott-Heron (April 1, 1949 – May 27, 2011) was an American Jazz poetry, jazz poet, singer, musician, and author known for his work as a spoken-word performer in the 1970s and 1980s. His collaborative efforts with musician Brian Jackso ...
. Bridges and Gary Clark Jr. appeared together on the song "Gone Away" from rapper Bun B's album '' Return of the Trill'', with Bridges singing the hook and Clark on lead guitar. On May 18, Bridges performed "Beyond" from the album ''Good Thing'' on an episode of the BBC series '' The Graham Norton Show''. In December 2019, Houston, Texas-based trio Khruangbin announced a collaboration and tour with Leon Bridges and released a single titled "Texas Sun" on December 6, 2019. The collaborative EP of the same name was released in February 2020.


2020–2022: ''Gold-Diggers Sound'' and ''Texas Moon''

On June 8, 2020, Bridges and Terrace Martin released a single titled "Sweeter" in response to the murder of George Floyd on May 25. Bridges performed at the 2020 Democratic National Convention. Bridges' third studio album, '' Gold-Diggers Sound'', was released on July 23, 2021. A second collaborative EP with Khruangbin, titled ''Texas Moon'', was released on February 18, 2022.


2024–present: ''Leon''

On August 8, 2024, Bridges released the single "Peaceful Place", simultaneously announcing his fourth studio album, '' Leon'', which was released on October 4, 2024.


Musical style


Artistry

Bridges's style is primarily
soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...
, but resembling 1960s
rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...
. ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' described him as a "throwback to '60s-soul a la
Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...
and
Sam Cooke Samuel Cooke (; January 22, 1931  – December 11, 1964) was an American singer and songwriter. Considered one of the most influential soul music, soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred to as the "King of Soul" for his distin ...
." Bridges performs in vintage clothing; '' Fort Worth Weekly'' described him as someone whose "music sounds like he looks."


Discography


Albums


Extended plays


Singles


As lead artist


As featured artist


Other charted songs


Guest appearances


Music videos


Awards and nominations


Grammy Awards

, - ,
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
, '' Coming Home'' , Best R&B Album , , - ,
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
, "River" , Best Music Video , , - , rowspan="2",
2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
, '' Good Thing'' , Best R&B Album , , - , "Bet Ain't Worth the Hand" , Best Traditional R&B Performance , , -


See also

* List of Columbia Records artists * Music of Texas


References


Notes


Sources


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bridges, Leon 1989 births Living people Musicians from Fort Worth, Texas Columbia Records artists African-American male singer-songwriters American male singer-songwriters African-American male guitarists Grammy Award winners Guitarists from Georgia (U.S. state) Guitarists from Texas 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century African-American male singers 21st-century American male singers Neo soul singers American soul singers Singer-songwriters from Texas Record producers from Texas Record producers from Georgia (U.S. state) Singer-songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) Singers from Atlanta Tarrant County College alumni