The heart of man will always be dark. There will always be evil people. The problem is that there is nothing we can humanly do to change them.
I'm not trying to compete with any other revival soul acts. It's just Leon Bridges, a kid from Fort Worth trying to be himself and give people hope. It's great music to dance to and just love.
My mom is a very religious woman. So when I began recording music, I was afraid she wouldn't accept it. But when I played her a song, she loved it.
I was washing dishes at Del Frisco's Grille and busing tables at a Tex-Mex place and writing songs the whole time. I did a lot of my writing at those jobs, thinking up melodies in my head.
One time, when I was about eight, these guys started throwing water balloons at me. That really did ruin my summer.
I've always had a very clear vision of what I wanted to do.
My mother and my great-aunt told me stories, like how when my grandfather first met my grandmother at a party, he noticed her long legs and was like, 'Woo woo!' I like to incorporate those stories into my music. They just seem to fit.
I think I'll always live in Fort Worth. It's great that I can now go anywhere I want to play music, but I love coming back here. I can roll down the streets and just reminisce.
The thought of me not having to clock in for a job anymore is something that I can't really put into words, aside from 'amazing' and 'awesome.'
When I started writing, I just wanted to do something different and creative. I first thought neo-soul was a good pathway for me, so I tried that out but realized I didn't want to be placed in that box.
I'm totally open to exploring different types of music. I just have to always remember to be true to who I am.
When I started writing the music, I wanted everything to be consistent from the way I dressed to the way I presented myself online. I wanted everything to match what I was doing on stage.
I love the pioneers like Sam Cooke and Otis Redding, but when I write music, it comes out in my own way.
I write based on how I feel.
I like to wear short-sleeved collared shirts and high-waist trousers with shiny shoes. And at night, when I'm playing, I'll often wear suits. But it started with my uncle's vintage clothes.
For me, making music just starts with a simple melody, and lyrics will come sometime after that.
I want people to see an honesty within me. I'm not trying to be the next Sam Cooke or Otis Redding.
I believe that gospel is more than just a sound, it's a way of life. I don't really have any shame to talk about spirituality in my music. A lot of your favorite soul songs started out in gospel.
Fame and all that type of stuff is inevitable, but I'm very content having a good band with no negativity, and everyone is on the same page.
I don't like a lot of attention. That's kind of who I am at heart. So I see everything, the people circulating around me and a lot of people know me - it kind of feels like a heavy weight sometimes.
