Leetham Feature 

• Courtesy Photo
• Leeham

When we last caught up with Leetham, they were gearing up to release their self-titled debut album, and shared the inspiration for what became one of their most popular tracks, "Patience." Since that time, Leetham has shared their music at exciting shows, but is ready to embark on some new journeys as the year progresses.

"Things have been going pretty great. I released an album, and a music video to accompany the album, and then I did my own headliner show," Leetham said. "We almost sold out Kilby Court. "After the album came out, I think it got 15,000 streams in the first 24 hours,which was kind of mind-blowing, because I didn't think people would listen."

The journey to get Leetham out to the public was a long one. Starting during the pandemic, the album took a lot of time and money to put together, but Leetham had a lot of help from producers, engineers and friends during the process. "I think I wrote a good 30 songs, and I was like, 'I need to weed out the bad ones,' the ones that wouldn't stick. So, out of 30 songs I picked seven to release." Which is good news for listeners, knowing Leetham has some additional material on the backburner waiting to be released.

Leetham the album is a lively journey that reflects their equally quirky and enjoyable personality. It's a perfect album to throw on for a house party full of friends, especially because it starts out with a track called "Mai Tais," which goes on to set the tone for the album. It's all about having a good time and living life to the fullest, boasting a steady beat with Leetham's lovely voice in the forefront, and an epic chorus fit for singing as loud as you can with your pals. Each track tells its own story, but ultimately they all fit together as a whole. All of the time, money and energy required for the creation of this body of work was well-spent.

Having a self-titled project was important for Leetham, because it's a good way to make an introduction. "I've been active in the scene since I was in high school, but under this project I've been doing it only for a year, and kind of flying under the radar, not getting any press, not really playing shows," they said. "It's nothing super-inspiring. It's just kind of like, 'Hey, this is me. I'm Leetham. This is my music.'"

It was also important to create this new project because Leetham quit music for a time. Mental health struggles get the best of many of us, and Leetham is no exception. "I needed serious help," they said. The pop singer had undiagnosed conditions that made life difficult in many ways. "I didn't even know that I had any of these things, and I had hurt my band mates in my previous band, broke a lot of connections, burned a lot of bridges and it ended up costing me quite a bit. A lot of friendships."

Now that things are looking up, and the introduction has been made, Leetham is able to look to the future and explore other avenues. "I've been signed to a talent agency to be represented as an actor," they shared. "I auditioned for my first movie in December, and I've been taking classes to kind of hone my abilities as an actor."

In addition to branching out into acting, Leetham is starting to focus more on video as well. They wanted to do more projects that are showy and fun, so they recruited their film student kid brother to help out with video production. For these, Leetham is recording their versions of current trending songs. To kick off the series they started with a remix of "As It Was" by Harry Styles. The remix is more electronic, and Leetham's vocals lend themselves well to the popular song. The video is equal parts fun, camp and cute. Leetham's personality shines through, and the video effects are lively, making you want to watch on a loop.

While the pop singer is involved in some fun and exciting new things, there's still new music coming as well, hopefully in March or April. "The plan is to put out a single every month or two. I just want to stay fresh and just explore new ideas," they said. "On a lot of my new stuff, I've actually taken an emo route with some of my music. So, it's a complete 180. It's really different. It still kind of has that pop feel, but one that I have been working on is more of a slow punk emo ballad with trap beats."

Keep up with Leetham's exciting music videos on their Instagram @lukeleetham, and TikTok under the same handle. As we wait for more music from Leetham, keep in mind that their work is meant for you to have fun while listening to it. "Don't think about it too much," they said. "My music isn't revolutionary. It isn't everyone's cup of tea. I think it's good music, but it's meant for you to have a good time with and say, 'Okay, let's dance, let's reminisce on fun times that we've had in life.'"