Today we’d like to introduce you to Timothy Léon.
Timothy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started in the church like most Soulful singers. I’m a PK. My parents however were not just pastors; but musicians. My father is a songwriter, pianist, and a singer; my mother was a singer and a dancer. I was born into an artistic household. My older brother is a poet and a dancer; and pretty much, I found myself in the midst of all of that creativity. Being in Camilla, GA; the arts a lot of time go underappreciated, and my mother (being from Trenton, NJ) made sure that I understood that the world around me was way bigger than the small town I lived in. My parents aimed to keep me cultured by introducing me to theater and music beyond “gospel”.
From there, naturally I began performing in school; graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Media & Performing Arts from Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD); and spent majority of my college career building an independent career in the gospel music industry. However, my creative nature began to really stretch; and my sound shifted to a place where creatively; I couldn’t fit what I was creating into the genre of “gospel music” alone; even though it still had the message at its core.
Now, I’m at a place where I’ve taken all of my life experiences; my faith; my college training; theater experience; and my god-given talent and I fuse it all into my artistry. I believe that artists that create good music is a dime-a-dozen nowadays; especially due to social media; however; artists that create an experience for you in their work are rare-finds.
Has it been a smooth road?
Nothing worth having is done easily. My main struggle however would have to be the struggle of fear. Fear is real; and it’s amazing how much we tend to overlook fear when it is the main hindrance in a lot of our lives. I had to get to a place where my passion and belief in my purpose were stronger than my fear. My why has to always be bigger than my what. A lot of the time with a lot of artists, we’re honestly not afraid of failure; we’re honestly afraid of success. We are afraid of what will happen if what we have been working hard for actually worked. What do we do then? What I’ve learned is that you must trust the process. Don’t rush the process; don’t avoid the process; and there’s nothing out there that says that you have to like the process; but you benefit more when you allow yourself to enjoy it. When you make peace with that, you start to learn more about yourself and your industry that takes you higher heights that you realize were in you from the beginning.
This year, at the beginning of 2019; in my community I attended a LOT of funerals. A great number of those funerals were people in my age group; which gave me a serious reality check. I am an indie artist; and working for this dream can be hard and disappointing at times; but I realized through those deaths that time waits for no one! I refuse to leave this earth not fulfilled. I will leave my mark on this world… no excuses. I have to give it my all, and I cannot afford to let fear stop me.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I’m the self-titled “Minstrel of Serenade”. “I provide sweet medication to cure soul vexation”. I’ve been given what I believe is a unique gift of empathy (which may not be a gift at all; because we are all connected in this way). I write songs that relate directly to the human experience; songs that everyone can relate to in some way.
I aim to be the ultimate performer. Inspired by the greats of my generation: Michael & Janet Jackson; Beyonce; Usher; etc… when I perform, I want people to feel better. After a “Timothy Leon” show, you feel like you’ve grown. You’re inspired to live your best life; to be happy; to fall in love; to feel sexy and empowered to be free in your uniqueness and know that there’s nothing wrong with embracing that. As a child, I grew up with a lot of insecurity; so that is very important for me to provide that experience for others.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I honestly believe that the sound of our industry is taking more of a direction of embracing the “trap” sound. It’s a unique sound that has created honestly a different rhythm in our bones; a new cadence in our lyrics; hell, even a new way in which we approach runs, riffs, and musicality. However, whatever new styles of music take the spotlight in trendiness; timeless soul music will forever live. The soul is divine; it never dies; so soul music is going to last forever. I believe that there is going to be a merging of sound that will create something completely different. That; or something that was trendy will resurface again. A lot of the latest trends are only recycled ideas that are slowly transferring to a new vessel. Remember, energy can’t be created nor destroyed.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @iamtimothyleon
- Facebook: facebook.com/iamtimothyleon
- Twitter: twitter.com/iamtimothyleon
- Other: https://song.link/us/i/1466486136
Suggest a story: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
