Leon Prince

Leon, you were born in Malawi, spent time in South Africa, and now live in Barcelona. How have these different places shaped your sound and your perspective as an artist?

I would like to say I have gained a lot of experience  perspectively speaking I’ve experienced more life then I could ever imagine it’s been not a pleasant journey but it has been a journey nevertheless in terms of music I’ve had the opportunity to practice various styles of music from hip Hop Pop and  salsa dancehall afrobeats r&b my sound has always been rooted and rhythm and blues and pop music but as soon as I started to explore more sounds I found myself now position where I started liking more of Latin sound like salsa. salsa feels like the best sauce of my soul wear me in the music and me just become one entity in the existence of time I will say the same also with mostly r&b The melodies it’s like the were crafted from heaven radiating through me it’s an amazing experience every time I get lost in music when I’m singing or dancing to it

Your music often focuses on love, strength, resilience, and motivation. Where do those themes come from in your own life?

Well as I said my life hasn’t been a present journey but it’s been a journey nonetheless at some point in my life I decided that even though I’ve experienced a lot of difficult and negative things in life I just don’t want anybody around me or don’t even anybody in the world generally to experience those things when I experience loneliness I learned how to Love More when I experience rejection I learned how to accept more when I experience weakness learned how to be strong when I experience lack of motivation learned how to keep on going not just for me but for everyone who supports me and for everyone who’s been there for me and for everything that I stand for and represent

You describe your heart as rooted in compassion and your music as a way to help the world. When did you realize music could be a form of service for you?

The moment I realize my true voice is rooted in every music note that I’ve ever written a song  in and in  every rhythm connected to it I know it’s very stereotypical for every artist to say this but I’ve always felt like my true voice is in music if I’m going to speak to the world or express myself in any way and it has to be in music I’m not an activist I’m not a politician nor do I pretend to be but I just care enough about the people around me to want to say something in a creative way that may move their heart and possibly make them dance and enjoy  life is too short at the end of the day to not dance to the beat of your own drum

You started recording professionally in Barcelona in 2024, but you have been making music since a very young age. How did that long journey prepare you for this moment?

I would say it give me a chance to learn Express myself fully and also comes into terms with who I am and what my true passion is but it also give me a wide range of music styles that I could express myself in I would say it mostly makes me flexible and more dynamic it’s easier for me to write music now then  it’s ever been before it’s like just part of who I am now  I don’t feel like I have to do a lot to express myself musically because it it has become part of who I am that it doesn’t feel like work at all it’s like part of my personality now I walk and speak music  on a normal day like it’s a normal thing

Songs like Let Me Sing to You, Air, and Tu feel very personal. What do you hope listeners feel or discover about themselves when they hear your music?

To find the light in themselves to discover the truly what are not for what they expected to be by the standard of the world or the pressures that come with it but to find who they are within because if you truly know how to love yourself it’s easier for you to love somebody else if you truly have discovered you yourself it’s easier to discover other people the list goes on and on but the message that I’m trying to communicate is find yourself first before you can start finding anyone else or anything else my music is about self discovery and also of self acceptance we all want the world to accept us but we don’t want to accept ourselves first but not realizing that by accepting ourselves that’s how we truly can get to start to get accepted how is anybody supposed to respect you if you don’t respect yourself

Having diplomas in music and acting, how important has formal training been in helping you express yourself freely as an artist?

It’s always great to learn from other people and to be criticized by other people who are more experienced than you I’m saying I am not enough but I also understand that I’m still learning and I’m not perfect so receiving another viewpoint or state of view for somebody else is helpful it’s my life and my journey nevertheless but I can’t sit here and tell you that everything I know is because of my talent alone I’ve had amazing people who have learned from  I look up to and who have also listened to I’m just a product of many great people before me that’s how I would answer that question

You talk about sharing your art as sharing a part of yourself. Does that vulnerability ever feel scary, or does it feel necessary?

It feels vulnerably terrible and scary because I feel like I’m putting myself on a set of hot fire or positioning myself as a statue for everybody to see it’s terrifying it feels vulnerable but I also found it necessary what’s the point of being an artist if you cannot do the art some goes with everything what’s the point of being a dancer if you can’t dance what’s the point of being an engineer or a scientist if you cannot do what you’re supposed to do it is scary because I feel like I am heading into unknown and anything can happen anybody can say anything bad or good things can happen in terms of experiences it’s a very vulnerable lifestyle but also it’s a lifestyle that helps me create a community and gives me a chance to hear people and be with people help people be one with the pack so the is positive sites to it and negative side but one thing I know is that I can’t stop even if I wanted to it feels beyond me all I can say is it’s All about Love

Your dream has always been to perform and share your music with the world. What does performing live mean to you on a deeper level?

It feels so intimate it feels like the audience are part of me and I’m a part of them it feels alive vibrant passionate in all the right places every time I’m on stage performing it could be music or acting but mostly music it feels like everything is just in the right place in the world like it’s meant to be I can feel every heartbeat every bit of the song on stage as I immerse myself in this magical world that is out of reality when music is the heartbeat  that keeps us all together where problems disappear for a second or a couple of minutes where reality disappears from existence it feels magical it feels like a dream like a necessary fever or addiction like a necessary drug and indulgent and that is the feeling that keeps me  I work at night  the  wanting of the better world than this one where Joy and happiness and self-expression is endless

You believe strongly in true love, truth, strength, and happiness for all. If someone hears your music while going through a hard time, what message do you hope stays with them after the song ends? As I miss myself

Anything is possible and life is worth living it’s not over until it’s over there’s no reason to give up on who you really are or what you really want and I say this strongly because I’ve been in those positions too most of my music is rooted in my experiences in life mostly from negative experiences but one thing I’ve always challenged just giving up life is always going to be complicated so it’s going to be hard but it gets easier as long as you stand firm and who you are and what you believe in and what you want but it’s simple never give up on anything or yourself

What are the three keys to success for an artist today, based on your own journey?

Personally I don’t look too much into Fame I believe it’s necessary for an artist to be famous or to be rich and famous it really helps with  sharing your voice to the world but I wouldn’t focus on that personally the artist is  within I would say focus on yourself and becoming the best version that you can be and everything else would follow because regardless of whatever happens in the world if you become the best version of yourself people always going to need you that’s why self acceptance is very important in my message as an artist people always feel like have to pretend to be somebody else in order to get accepted but the uniqueness authenticity is what makes people interested in you people don’t listen to Michael Jackson song because Michael Jackson is Britney Spears people don’t listen to Beyoncé song because Beyonce’s Rihanna notice  the all have their own way of how they express their music so find your own way to express your music as I said on learn how to move to the beat of your own drum and everything else will follow don’t try to dance to the rhythm of someone else drum you may end up missing a stap looking crazy in front of the whole world move to your own beat your own rhythm.