Leigh Sinclair is a soulful singer and songwriter from Houston, Texas who aims to bring a fresh take on what it means to be a vocalist, musician, and person devoted to her craft with her dynamic vocal range and artistic mission. Her style has been likened to the witchy edge of Stevie Nicks combined with the raw heartbreak of the late Amy Winehouse. True to her Cajun roots, Leigh's sound combines jazz, blues, rock, & soul-pop with captivating power.
Leigh Sinclair released “Tread Lightly”, a song that sticks to her southern grit while showcasing her sensual side. “Tread Lightly” begins with a sultry and bluesy instrumental sound before her passionate and seductive vocals transitions in. You can instantly perceive that Leigh is filled with significant amount of power and range in her voice. One of my first impressions while listening to “Tread Lightly” was “Her voice is like silk”. It was smooth-sailing, yet showed the potential of her hitting those big bold notes. It gave me chills the way she was able to take her voice through different registers in a connected sequence without a single detection of errors. The lyrics in “Tread Lightly” from what I interpreted discussed a girl who is attempting to accept the heartache from a man. She’s allowing it to sink in, yet she don’t want him to interfere in her life in any way possible. Overall, Tread Lightly was a powerful song energized by subdued elements.
We had the chance to chat with Leigh about her upcoming release. Check it out below!
Hi Leigh, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Hello Buzz readers & internet frands. I’m Leigh Sinclair of Houston, Texas. I play a red Fender Strat and sing from the soul. I’m apart of a few bands, most actively 'The Bad Bad Randys' and 'Tipsy Kitten,' a group I started with my sister.
Currently I’m trying to find the balance between promoting my music and my confusion around exhibitionism. I feel so not cool for saying that! Oh well! I have a degree in philosophy, which makes it hard to turn off the analytical brain, the part of me that wants to think in black and white. That’s where playing music comes in. Stimulating the dusty corners of my little heart. Essentially giving myself permission to let my hair down. It’s the duality of being a performer I guess. Off stage & in my spare time, I recharge by writing, reading, spending too much time on astrology/being witchy with my sisters, and escaping to the Texas hill country.
How was it growing up in Texas? Were you ever influenced by your outside environments?
Hell yes. Growing up in Houston has influenced who I’ve become (and who I don’t want to become). Houston is a money town. The Htown hustle: everybody is on their grind. Which is inspiring and sometimes exhausting! That’s why its nice to hit the road and play small towns. Houston has a wonderful jazz & blues scene that has molded the way I play and how I feel about myself as an artist. I’ve been welcomed in so many incredible circles of professional musicians. The love is big here and the talent even bigger. It's a humbling place to grow as an artist. I’ve lived in a few different places but I find myself in Houston for the time being. I love Texas. It’s home. It’s a feeling. I am committed to playing music and activism. So I plan to stick around and help affect change in whatever way I can.
Do you think your musical upbringing impacted your artistry in any way possible?
My musical upbringing definitely impacted my artistry. I am a musical theatre/choir kid from the start. I have training in dancing and acting. I really wanted to study musical theatre in college, goo tBroadway, the whole thing. But I didn’t have the structure needed to pursue that type of goal. I sort of let that dream slip, and that’s when I picked up my guitar and took it seriously. I could say whatever the hell I wanted on stage. That was refreshing. My artistry has taken an authentic turn now, and I’m so grateful to be able to do what I do. It’s different from theatre but, in a sense, I take a lot from my training. I like to put on a show!
Did you have any inspiration when writing “Tread Lightly” ? If so, mind sharing with our readers?
The inspiration for Tread Lightly was pure heartbreak. I needed to bleed my heart out on the piano to get over a situation. And that’s what I did. In a petty way, I wanted the person who made me feel so small to see how I rose. I don’t know if that happened or not. The interesting part is, I don’t harbor emotions around the past once I process it, but I still get to sing it out and explore my lyrics in new ways.
How would you explain the lyrical connotation of “Tread Lightly” to our readers?
The title and chorus, “Tread Lightly,” came to me when thinking about the weight of people’s words. Empty promises were heavy on my heart when I wrote this tune. I was broken down. I felt I had been made a fool. So I take some jabs in there that my highest-zen-self isn’t proud of but I didn’t really care when writing it. That’s why I think it hits the way it does. I wasn’t told to write a heartbreak song. This spilled out of me. It’s raw. Some people say things to cut you down when they’re insecure and that’s what I experienced. I don’t know. I’ll probably be uncovering the lyrical connotation to all my songs forever. You’ll hear in the song that I admit to being a fool too. Somewhere in there I probably knew better. In the end, I still don’t know who was fooling who.
What’s the dream and goal for you in 2019?
Dreams and goals for 2019, oh baby! Here we go: Wrap my EP, “The Lover Sings." Tour it. Connect. Network. Let go. And finally, give myself permission instead of waiting for it from others. So you know, just a few things!! Thanks for reading y’all. Thank you for the platform Buzz. All my love, Leigh
Connect with Leigh Sinclair on social media:
Instagram: www.instagram.com/notyagrl_ Website: www.leighsinclairmusic.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/leighsinclairmusic