Exclusive Interview with ‘RHIANNON LEONARD’

Her most recent album is an ode to the pop-punk and emo music she grew up with. She made the decision to go all out this time. Ex-Lovers Mixtape is a collection of songs about past relationships that was inspired by a conversation with a person who deserved some poetic retribution.

These songs range in age from just over a year to over ten years. The EP, in her opinion, is really entertaining but undoubtedly has its flaws. She has adopted Taylor Swift’s method of using suffering as inspiration for her art, transforming it into everything from feeling totally hopeless in a fruitless relationship (Crash) to tenderly letting someone go (Hard Feelings). Check out the exclusive interview with Rhiannon Leonard and her latest EP Ex-Lovers Mixtape below:

1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?

RHIANNON LEONARD: I’m from a town in Stourbridge, which had an incredible live music scene when I was growing up. I spent my teens in an all-female emo band, which really sparked my love of performing live. When that finished, I continued writing songs but it took a couple of years before I switched to an acoustic guitar and decided to just play them for and by myself. I continued an acoustic duo with one of the girls from the band for many years, but when she moved away I just stuck to solo stuff. I’ve been doing regular acoustic gigs for the last 6 or 7 years, but after having so much fun in the studio last year, I decided my older acoustic stuff needed a pop facelift.

2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?

RHIANNON LEONARD: Completely self-taught, which probably explains a lot. In the studio I ask a lot of questions, and my input is usually along the lines of ‘that sounded good’ or ‘maybe a ‘HEY!’ would be fun there’.

3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences?

RHIANNON LEONARD: Spice Girls, which I think is reflected in the music video for Ex-Lovers Mixtape. I remember being in Reception and when we went round the circle taking it in turns to sing songs, I chose ‘2 Become 1’. The first CD I remember buying was the ‘Barbie Girl’ single. I still absolutely adore 90s and 00s pop, which was very influential on the new EP. In terms of strongest musical influences now though, Taylor Swift all day every day, now and forever. I just adore everything about her and everything she puts out.

4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?

RHIANNON LEONARD: The sound for this EP is balls-to-the-wall bubblegum pop, but I think, hopefully, the lyrics will still resonate with people. I try to be thoughtful when I write, and even when the songs are storytelling as opposed to lifted straight out of my life, there’s always truth and relatable content there.

6. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?

RHIANNON LEONARD:

Interaction with a live audience – nothing beats the thrill of performing for me, and I feel like I’m continually growing in confidence and becoming a better performer. Nothing beats the joy of people singing back at you and enjoying themselves. I have mixed feelings about being in the studio. I just don’t have the technical knowledge to contribute in what I feel is a meaningful way, and the producer I work with (Chris Dando of Vault Studios) is fantastic at coming up with ideas. I really feel like he brings out the full potential in a song, so I’m much more comfortable outsourcing that. At best, I can manage an extremely rough GarageBand demo on my own.

7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?

RHIANNON LEONARD:

I genuinely just do it for fun. Being able to search my name on Apple Music and have things I wrote come up is a thrill in itself that I haven’t tired of yet. However, I would love to get booked specifically for my original songs. The gigs that I’m playing are still acoustic, still me singing other people’s songs. I’d be absolutely buzzing to perform the new stuff to a live audience who were keen to consume new music.

8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?

RHIANNON LEONARD:

It depends on the song. I find writing the lyrics to be the easiest part, so writing the Milquetoast album with Daryl was a dream because for most of the songs, he would send me a song that was a blank canvas, which is also what I’m doing with my new band and is my favourite way to write. I’m less confident in my own abilities for writing the actual music; most of my solo songs are basic chords. Sometimes I know a direction I want them to go in – for example, I knew I wanted Tease to be vocal-heavy when it went into the studio in the style of Billie Eilish, lot of ahs and that lovely, dreamy sound. I find I’m faster if I have the music first, but that’s the part that takes me the longest. Lyrics usually come quickly. I do have notes on my phone though, of lines or verses that come to me here and there. My process has changed a lot over the years, and these days it just depends on my intention. Is it going to the studio, is it for the band, am I writing with someone else? There’s not a strict routine I follow.  

9. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?

RHIANNON LEONARD: 9 times out of 10, I don’t really mind. The only time I’ve ever really felt like the message of a song was super-important to me was when I wrote Mine for the last album. That was a way for me to process that trauma and was truly cathartic. There was one review that mentioned that song and completely got it wrong. The lyrics really speak for themselves – ‘you thought you had some claim on me, so helped yourself to my body’, ‘ignoring me when I said no’, so I was a bit miffed when one review wrote something about it telling the story of a relationship. It just made it painfully obvious that they hadn’t really listened. But for the most part, go wild. They’re usually pretty obvious; people close to me love listening and trying to guess who they’re about. I’ll usually own up to it, but there are some I’ve said are about made-up stories that actually were true. I won’t admit which though!

10. What would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?

RHIANNON LEONARD: Honestly just having people take the time to listen to the music and give me feedback is enough. It’s a passion project and means a lot to me when people are supportive and go out of their way to send positive messages. I’m just happy to be doing something I love, purely for the love of it. I’m under no illusions – I have a full-time job, I’m getting on a bit, I’m not about to go on The X Factor or have a Susan Boyle moment. I’m just happy to be making music.

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Photo credits: DanCat Photography