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c o m i n g   s o o n

leo kalyan - by furmaan ahmed 3.jpeg

 
Leo Kalyan’s dream-like sound is one of a kind.

With a distinctly soft, soulful voice infused with Indian Classical vocal training - Leo's lilting, poetic lyrics pulsate over self-produced bedroom R&B beats + downtempo dance basslines - all filtered through a futuristic lens of Bollywood film soundtracks. 

An independent artist walking the line between art & activism, Leo was the first South-Asian musician in the world to publicly come out as queer & non-binary, and is fast becoming one of the most unique & important musical voices today.

 

The lead track from his Silver Linings EP, ‘Fingertips’, shot to the top of Spotify’s Global Viral Chart before being added to the BBC 1Xtra playlist. The buzz lead to sold-out London gigs, a performance on BBC Introducing’s SXSW stage and a headline slot at BBC Asian Network’s Future Sounds festival.

 


On his follow-up Outside In EP, Leo grappled with his identity for the first time, with lead single ‘F*cked Up’ exploring how being queer & closeted strained his personal relationships. This new direction saw The Guardian name Leo one of “pop’s real rebels.”
 
In 2018 came The Edge, Leo’s most accomplished EP. On its release, Paper Magazine described Leo as an artist “on the edge of glory” who “makes the kind of emotionally resonant pop music that can incite positive change.”
 
Telling personal & political stories with equal passion and ferocity, the EP was BBC Radio 1Xtra’s number one EP for the month, and created famous fans including Elton John, Maxwell, Diplo & RuPaul.


 


In 2022, after a 3 year hiatus over the pandemic, Leo returned with direct-to-camera performances on TikTok, mashing up classic Bollywood songs with Western Pop. The videos went viral worldwide within the first week, gaining tens of millions of views & an explosion of new fans. His bold fashion choices also made Leo the most googled person in India, a country of a billion inhabitants, leading to praise from Vogue Magazine, who lauded his fashion as “a takedown of the central conceit of heteronormative fashion”.

Leo is also a BRIT award & Ivor Novello nominated songwriter, most notably for the global number 1 smash-hit single “Head & Heart” by Joel Corry & MNEK. Leo also co-wrote “Rush” by Raveena, “Cheque” by Don Diablo & “OK” by Mabel. 

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