Track By Track: Leon Power on his Blind EP

Blind

I was taking a musical hiatus after an intense time living and writing in London. I’d done a couple of tours but was more interested in partying than working hard on the music. I thought that was part of the lifestyle, you know, for inspiration or something. But actually, it can wreak havoc on your focus and self-belief. So, I ran away to Glasgow and tried to rekindle some creativity by studying at the art school there. "Blind" is written like a break-up song, but it’s actually about reflecting on my relationship with the music industry. It can be a fickle world if you’re not sure who you are.

Open Up

I think pretty much all my songs are in some way about people’s personalities having contradictory beliefs and values. Especially in relationships; we hide a lot of our depths and curiosities to maintain normative ideals. "Open Up" is both about longing for someone to be open about these internal thoughts, and being fearful of opening up about your own. It is like how the most jealous people are usually the ones who trust themselves the least.

You’ll Be Fine

This was the first track I wrote on the EP, and it was an important moment in a sparse year for songwriting. As far as I know, there was no particular cause; I just unleashed a lot of pent up emotion in a few hours in the studio. Like so many creative things, it was all made in a single moment and I found it difficult to capture that passion again. More and more I find it harder to go back to things I have started and not finished, and most of these songs are all written and produced in a single day of temporary conviction.

Follow

I suppose I’ve always wanted a mentor, in music and in life, and never really felt like I found one. This track is the most recent, and was written at a time of dealing with some difficult news in my family. It’s amazing how certain things can really switch your perspective; I think it forced me to grow up suddenly. Maybe if I had the kind of mentor I wanted, I would have stopped swirling around in youthful ignorance earlier. I’m still swirling. Maybe most people are.

It Could Be Us

You can feel something so certainly in one moment, and then the most minuscule change can make you feel the opposite. Maybe things never play out as expected because we’ve all watched too many fabricated narratives that start and finish in 90 minutes. Lifelong love and lifelong goals are easy to imagine, but hard to live out in practice. This song is about those hesitations that ensure their failure.