hit40uk meets Leon Jean Marie
We love meeting new popstars so this week we took some time to meet 24 year old Leon Jean Marie just before he releases his spooky debut single Bed of Nails . We're happy to report that he was really lovely and we can't wait to hear him pop filled album.
Hello Leon, Mark Ronson produced your new single. How cool!
I know! Mark was a fan of my EP 'Scratch' when it came out about 2 years back so it was just before Lily & Amy. He was working on the 'Just' and he told me he was going to work on a covers album cos he had no other songs. Now it's amazing to hear the body of work he's done and see him win all the awards.
What we mainly want to know is how you managed to stop him covering 'Bed of Nails' in trumpets! It's seriously the only non trumpet filled Ronson track recently.
Haha. He's obsessed! I think I got there just early enough before the obsession took full hold though. He added the ploddy piano instead.
Your other connection with Mr Ronson is supporting Amy Winehouse on tour too?
I knew Amy before. She's such a nice girl, a total sweetheart. Being with her on tour was brilliant, but my main tour duties so far was for Mika.
His fans are so in love with him. Did they all boo you and want him to come on instead?
I've heard horror stories, but I've been lucky with my support acts. It's been full venues from the start rather than just people trickling in. And because I sincerely like Amy & Mika it's been fun, not a hassle if you like. As a support act you have a job to do, you need to rally up the crowd. Manchester with Mika was my biggest date with 3000 people.
Working with Mika was amazing, my first ever national tour. Seeing Mika live is crazy, he goes all out, it's like a circus show and I thought offstage it would be nuts. But behind the scenes, he is so focussed. I took that professionalism from him.
We love 'Bed of Nails' but when we play it in the office, we think you sound a lot like Suggs!
I am a fan of Madness, not die hard but they are briliant. I've always been drawn to sincere music and I think that's what they are. They're legends and to be compared is briliant.
Now as well as Ronson, you've also worked with Swedish producers and pop gods Bloodshy...
Yes. They are amazing guys. One of my guilty pleasures is Britney. 'Toxic' is amazing but I never knew who produced it. I knew Bloodshy had done Rachel Stevens and Jennifer Lopez and people but one day I spied a hidden picture of them with Quincy Jones and the Grammy for 'Toxic' and it was just like 'Woaaaaah'. They're so modest, you have to really interrogate them to hear how succesful they are.
And what type of songs have they come up with?
We really took influences from each other and they've ended up doing 4 songs on my album. They actually shifted Britney to fit me in. Mental. It was so not like proper work anyway. We'd start at 12, then end up going for a bike ride until 5 and then hit the studios in the evening. Amazing.
So is the album for dancing or quiet pondering?
It's a bit of both. 'Fear' and 'Eastern Blues' are definitely bump and groove tracks, but then there's laid back stuff like 'You Must Know' and 'I've Gots to Have It' which are the type of tracks you might just sit down and listen to by yourself… It's out in early June and is called 'Bent Out of Shape'.
And if you're not listening to yourself, what's on your stereo?
I'm a bit of a latecomer to it but I love Graduation by Kanye West. Also the Kings of Leon album was really cool. I tend to just pick up what I hear on the radio. I really like Duffy's next single 'Rockferry'.
And as far as new music goes, there's a band called The Clik Clik who are really cool, they're exciting little kids!
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