BuILDING BRIDGES
Singer says finding his own voice is a ‘Good Thing’
Soul singer Leon Bridges performed for President Barack Obama at the White House, played alongside his hero Stevie Wonder and scored a Grammy nod for Best R&B album.
But for all his successes since his 2015 album, “Coming Home,” Bridges felt limited by how others perceived him.
“People put me in a box of being this retro artist and I felt that I was more than that,” he told the Daily
News.
More specifically, though Bridges, 28, is black and was recording music inspired by the civil rights era, he notes he’s struggled to connect with black audiences.
There was backlash on social media earlier this year when the Texas-born artist was announced as the featured performer for the annual Black Heritage Day at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Critics claimed Bridges lacked relevance in the black community.
“What type of music would I need to make to be accepted by black people,” Bridges wondered. “I don’t really know the answer to that, but I do understand that as a culture, (black people are) more drawn to what’s popular and what’s in the mainstream. With white culture, they’re taught to respect roots music. I feel like (black people) have moved far away from that.”
So while “Coming Home” demonstrated Bridges’ ability to emulate soul legends like Sam Cooke, his new album, “Good Thing” — out Friday — is an attempt to distinguish himself as an artist in his own right. Over 10 tracks, Bridges wears many different hats — falsetto crooner, disco party-starter, country troubadour — but each song possesses a pop sheen that distances him from his earlier throwback aesthetic.
Bridges worked with team of pop hitmakers including Ricky Reed (“Talk Dirty” by Jason Derulo), Justin Tranter (“Sorry” by Justin Bieber) and Wayne Hector (“Steal My Girl” by One Direction), as well as his longtime collaborators Austin Jenkins and Josh Block of Niles City Sound.
“Writing on my own, I would just do what’s comfortable to me,” Bridges said. “But it was interesting going into new territory.”
Bridges added that although he felt pressure to inject politics into “Good Thing,” he chose to just focus on “creating a vibe.”
“I have songs that didn’t make the record that are political,” Bridges said. “But I don’t want to make political music because it’s a trendy thing. If I want to make change, it might not even be documented. It’s all about action for me, not impressing people.”
He does, however, have strong feelings about Kanye West’s recent remarks to TMZ that slavery sounds “like a choice.”
“Of course, slavery wasn’t a choice,” Bridges says. “It definitely was shocking to hear that from such a prominent figure, especially from a black man.”
Despite the new record’s slick production, things come full circle on album-closer “Georgia to Texas,” which chronicles Bridges’ origin story, being raised by a single mother who did everything she could to put food on the table.
“My mother has taught me the importance of good character,” Bridges said. “Gaining fame and maneuvering through all of this music stuff can change you. For me, it’s all about standing my ground, being firm and sticking to who I am.”