Leon Bridges Releases His Most Personal Album Yet — A Love Letter To His Hometown of Fort Worth
Look Out For The Grammy Award-Winning Songwriter's Self-Titled Album This Week
BY Courtney Dabney // 10.02.24Leon Bridges is at home with himself and with his Fort Worth roots. (Courtesy of Columbia Records)
Fort Worth native, and Grammy Award-winning songwriter Leon Bridges is set to release his fourth, full-length LP this week. It’s his most personal offering yet. In many ways, it’s a love letter to his hometown and the community that shaped him. His newest self-titled album, Leon, will be released on October 4 through Columbia Records.
As for his upcoming tour? Fans in Fort Worth have already sold out his one-stop at Dickies Arena on November 15 ― proving Panther City is as fond of him as the singer is of his hometown.
“Leon has been a long time coming,” Leon Bridges says in a personal letter to fans announcing his new album, “I started writing pieces of it as far back as Gold-Diggers Sound. They didn’t fit what I was trying to do with that album and I tried moving on. But I couldn’t shake them because they’re part of me. And, if I’m honest, also because I think this is some of my most excellent work yet.”
“In many ways, Leon has been in the works since my childhood,” he says. “This record is about simpler days. It’s about time spent in my beloved Fort Worth and the experiences that made me the man I am today. It’s soulful music in the truest sense – it’s imbued with my soul.”
Leon Bridges Finds His Peaceful Place
Ever since his first record, Coming Home, launched his career in 2015 with his first Grammy Award nomination for best R&B album of the year (he’s racked up six nominations and one win so far) ― the musician has been swept up in a tidal wave of music industry success, world tours, and new music debuts. But, his friends and family in Fort Worth have kept him grounded ― as he returns home again and again.
Bridges has even joined forces with TCU’s former football coach Gary Patterson to give back to the Fort Worth community in impressive fashion, raising $1.3 million in its fourth year alone. The Big Good is tackling educational disparities, homelessness, and career training among other investments.
The artist has already had a busy year ― collaborating with Gunna on “clear my rain,” releasing “Chrome Cowgirl” for the Twister movie soundtrack, and joining Kacey Musgraves for a duet on “Superbloom”.
Inside The First Record In Three Years
“Leon features 13 handcrafted tracks spotlighting Leon’s signature storytelling and organic genre alchemy,” says Columbia Records.
The first single off the new album ― “Peaceful Place” ― was released on August 8, and it’s already a hit. According to Columbia Records, “The video was filmed in Leon’s own peaceful place, the outskirts of Mexico City, the official video gives a candid look at the recording of the album, showcasing Leon’s explorations as he finds inspiration in the culture with his newfound state of mind that no one can take away.”
Another track, “Laredo” was released the following month, on September 3. It’s a reminiscence of a trip he took to the border town for a dance competition at the age of 20. Of course, Bridge’s dance moves and fashion sense are both notable features that fans can’t get enough of.
No one rocks a 70s-style jumpsuit better, can look as dapper in a bucket hat, or exude as much swagger floating around town in an exaggerated pair of bell bottoms and boots. No one! If you know where to look, you might even spot him around town, at a local record store or coffee shop, or grooving with friends around a vintage white Cadillac, with its “65 LAC” license plate.
“Leon unfolds as his most poignant, powerful, and personal body of work to date as the man himself takes you through the streets he knows best, the things he holds dearest, and the memories of the people and place that shaped him. This record is unmistakably Leon,” says Columbia.
The jet-setting, world tour will follow Leon’s October 4 debut. He’ll kick things off at Austin City Limits before crisscrossing Texas and hopping from California to Australia.
“I’m excited to share these stories about my home, about nostalgia, about my upbringing, about where I’m from, with all of you,” Bridges says. “I hope this music brings you back to your roots and your journey.”