Interview with singer and songwriter Terrence Léon

July 03, 2021

Interview with singer and songwriter Terrence Léon

Debuting in 2015, Terrence Léon is a singer-songwriter based in Austin, Texas. Starting on SoundCloud, his first EP, “The Richest Man in Babylon”, received raving reviews and reception. While finding his foundation from the relaxed, nostalgic aesthetic of traditional 90s R&B, yet his distinctly vibrant, ethereal sound is a derivative of today's modern influences. Switching between R&B, Alt-R&B and Pop Adjacent productions, Terrence takes from life experiences to either create a sonic refuge or a place to process.

Why did you name "LOADING...the mixtape", your 5-song mixtape about the end of a relationship you weren't quite done with?

Well in a sense because it was a timestamp of my processing. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was feeling, or how I was processing it. From not being able to accept that it’s over, to questioning what it was from the beginning. I went through every emotion, even wanting to resolve it. The beginning stages of mourning your loss of whatever the situation was, but still actually understanding what you’re feeling to process at all.

What was your idea/concept behind this project?

I honestly went with a feeling more so than anything else. I wasn’t hyper-focused on an outcome, sound, or anything, I just went where the music took me. We’ve all experienced a relationship or situation that left us feeling “a way.”

Who and which genre(s) do you look up to?

I’m a R&B kid by heart. I may venture into other worlds or be influenced by other genres, but R&B is home. The way the songs are crafted, the vocals are cut and delivered, combined with the lyrical storytelling does “it” for me. And its influence can be heard everywhere.

How did you derive your sound? What influences your music?

I write about life, be it mine or someone else’s. I think the beautiful thing about life is you can live the same event multiple time and experience something new or different every time.