Words by Carol Wright | Photographs by Gramophone Media
We got to chat with Young Leon & Charcuterie about his new song “Coastal Café” and his advice for aspiring singers.
Have you always used music as a way to express yourself?
I’ve used music as a form of expression for a while now. When I was younger, my parents got me into guitar lessons, which I began learning a lot of Green Day and Blink 182. In middle school, it was the dedicated CD playlist distributor. Before Spotify and Apple Music were a thing, friends would ask me to burn CDs for them to play at home or in their parent’s cars or download to their computers to put on their iPod nanos (do those exist anymore? lol I feel old). Later on, the vocals began when I started freestyling with friends at school or just singing in the car. Finally around when I was 19, I received a paycheck that would allow me to buy recording equipment. It wasn’t until a few years later I decided to post my projects online.
Who are some of your music inspirations?
A lot of my music inspirations stem from when I was younger. Bands like Weezer, Blink 182, Green Day, Slightly Stoopid, Sublime were my childhood songs my dad would play on long road trips. I feel a lot of the music I make tends to be a combination of these bands. Considering new and upcoming artists, I’m looking at Dominic Fike and even Lil Nas – love their sound, and because they’re new to the industry it’s really interesting to watch how they progress.
Do you pull from things that happen in your life for lyric inspiration?
A lot of my song lyrics provide almost a montage of a period of what’s been going on in my life. Other times I’m just vibin to a song and go with the first thing that comes to mind because we feel it smacks.
Your song “Coastal Café” is about overcoming uncertainty. Why was that an important message for you to have in your song?
I felt that during these times, 2020 has brought a lot of uncertainty. We don’t know when things will return back to “normal” or if they will turn back to “normal.” Uncertainty is what makes life so interesting because you just don’t know what will happen next and a lot of the time you don’t have much control over it. With this song, we wanted to provide a reminder that it’s okay to not know all the answers and sometimes it’s necessary to live in the moment and recharge.
Walk us through the process of creating “Coastal Café”. How did you decide on the overall vibe?
When my producer, Charcuterie, sent over the instrumental, I was shocked. It was something I felt I hadn’t heard before, nor have we gone in this direction of slow mellow songs. The beat reminded me of a sunset on the beach. I was standing in my kitchen, downtown Seattle, yet I felt like I was on a beach. Moments later I ran to my room to record and began singing some melodies which I sent over to Charcuterie. We decided slow, yet witty and emotional. This is probably the most emotional song we’ve made together, which left some vulnerabilities for me out there, but what the heck. Those moments you’re most uncomfortable, help you grow right??
What advice do you have for aspiring singers?
I think music works best when you live in the moment. It’s the only time outside of work and other life responsibilities that I’m allowed to really show my creative side and push boundaries. Have fun with it, and make the most of what you got – with technology today, a lot of the music I make is out of my bedroom Lol. If you’re looking to go big, stay up with trends, and learn how other artists are getting recognized. My outlook is to continue making music, and if something along the way catches…great! We’ve got a deal.
