Leon Bridges is gearing up for a new album era.
The Grammy winner has announced his fourth album, Leon, which releases Oct. 4 via Columbia Records. He describes the project as his “most personal album yet.”
“It’s called Leon because it’s my story – a bunch of my stories, anyway – in one place,” Bridges wrote in an Instagram post.
He continued, “I’m excited to share these stories about my home, about nostalgia, about my upbringing, about where I’m from, with all of you. I hope this music brings you back to your roots and your journey.”
In April, Bridges discussed with LA Weekly why his next album would not focus on attracting new audiences like Gold-Diggers Sound but on reconnecting with himself.
“With my most recent album, I felt like my music wasn’t connecting with the Black community, and I wanted to shape the album as an R&B album in my own style. My next album is going to be completely different from that,” Bridges shared.
“I was making music that initially felt a little bit more polished and along the Gold-Diggers lines, but I put all that stuff on the back burner to make something a little bit more simplistic. This next one is somewhat of a self portrait, a reflection of Texas, my upbringing, things I really value.”
Leon will include the lead single, “Peaceful Place,” set to release Thursday, Aug. 8 at 12 p.m. EST.
Leon is the follow-up to Bridges’ third album, Gold-Diggers Sound, released June 23, 2021, via Columbia Records. The project, executive produced by himself and Ricky Reed, included the singles “Motorbike” and “Why Don’t You Touch Me.”
“I want people to simply be intrigued by the music,” Bridges explained to Rated R&B about what he wanted fans to take away from Gold-Diggers Sound.
“This album encapsulates the multifaceted aspects of life, the peaks and valleys of life. There’s moments there where I’m honest about some of my struggles. I want people to be able to utlize these songs and their experiences in life. I hope that the songs simply resonate with the audience.”
Later in November 2021, Bridges issued a deluxe edition of Gold-Diggers Sound. The updated version included his Jazmine Sullivan-assisted collaboration, “Summer Rain.”
Gold-Diggers Sound was nominated Best R&B Album at the 64th Grammy Awards. The album’s opening track, “Born Again,” featuring Robert Glasper, was nominated for Best Traditional R&B Performance.
“I wanted to make this kind of parallel to the concept of spiritual newness in the Bible and more so talk about how the pandemic was very healing for me,” Bridges told Rated R&B about his collaboration with Glasper. “I finally got a chance to catch up with the person who had been running for five, six years.”
Rated R&B included Gold-Diggers Sound on its list of 30 Best R&B Albums of 2021.
“On his latest album, Gold-Diggers Sound, the Grammy winner broadens his reach with hints of trap, jazz, and moody alternative R&B. With the help of frequent collaborator and go-to producer Ricky Reed, the two fabricate a world where old and new sounds collide,” wrote Anders Hare.
In February 2022, Bridges reunited with Khruangbin to release their second collaborative project, Texas Moon. He followed its release by touring Gold-Diggers Sound abroad and in North America throughout that year.
More recently, Bridges released the song “Chrome Cowgirl” as part of the soundtrack for the summer thriller Twisters, which is now showing in theaters nationwide.
Prior to this soundtrack release, Bridges lent his voice to compilation for the Bob Marley: One Love biopic, released in February. He covered Marley’s 1980 classic “Redemption Song.”
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