London-born Leo Kalyan’s dream-like sound is one of a kind.
His distinctly soft, soulful vocals and poetic lyricism are infused with training in Indian Classical singing, lilting over pulsating R&B beats that he produces himself.
An independent artist & songwriter, walking the line between art & activism, Leo was one of the first South-Asian musicians in the world to publicly come out as gay & non-binary, and is fast becoming one of the most unique & important musical voices in Britain 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's upcoming album will take listeners on a global musical journey, including his first song written & performed entirely in Hindi.
