IN CONVERSATION WITH LEON BIRDGES

interview by MAREK BARTEK

Leon Bridges returns with Happiness Anytime, an uplifting new album born from a spontaneous collaboration with Jungle’s Josh Lloyd-Watson and Lydia Kitto. Blending soul, disco, Afrobeat, and Latin rhythms, the record finds Leon embracing groove and movement while staying true to the warmth and emotional depth that have defined his career. Created largely through instinct and live chemistry, Happiness Anytime is an invitation to find joy, dance, and light — even in uncertain times.

⁠Where were you creatively when Happiness Anytime began, and what were you hoping to discover through this album?

When I started this album process, I was just finishing up the touring for my last album “Leon”, and a song on it, Peaceful Place, ultimately became an unexpected north star for this new record. It felt like a reflection of where I was at spiritually. I always loved how that song felt up on stage, so I wanted to bring all that energy into the writing of this new project.

⁠⁠The project grew from an initial four-day session with Josh Lloyd-Watson and Lydia Kitto. What happened in the room that made the collaboration click so quickly?

This process was genuinely the easiest and most free experience of creating music. The sessions felt like making music with friends I’d known forever although we hadn’t met prior, and that is a testament to Josh and Lydia’s character and musical genius. We started every song by vibing to drum samples and would pass the guitar and mic around until we landed on something dope. I’m very proud of it.

blazer NICO DIDONNA
shirt AMIRI
trousers VALENTINO
sunglasses TOM FORD
belt vintage

You completed six songs during those first four days. What did working at that pace bring out in you creatively?

I wanted to completely reinvent myself this time around and being in the room with Josh and Lydia inspired me to bring out my A-game. I feel like my vocals really shine on this album because of that pressure I gave myself. I didn’t want to waste a moment in the studio.

Your Love Is Electric was the first song to emerge from the sessions. How did it come together, and how did it shape the direction of the rest of the album?

When we were building out this song, I was messing around with a chord progression I’d had for a while and subsequently started freestyling some lyrics and the rest of the song came effortlessly. I was going for a yacht R&B vibe on it.

hat STEPHEN JONES
glasses EMMANUELLE KHANH
blazer and trousers VALENTINO
blazer pin DOSISG6C
shirt DRIES VAN NOTEN

Was there a song on the album that surprised you by becoming something very different from what you first imagined?

Take My Hand was a song that almost didn’t make the album, but the homie Pino Palladino came to the studio and put some bass down and the song did a total 180. I love the reggae undertones that came out of it.

The album draws from soul, disco, Afrobeat, Brazilian music and Latin rhythms. How did those different influences enter the sessions, and what excited you about exploring them and mixing them together?

I have so much reverence for those cultures and wanted to pay homage to them whilst also incorporating my own style. There are Latin rhythms and some African beats, but there’s also a classic R&B sound in there too. I hope that when you listen to it you can travel to Lagos, to São Paulo, and to the Jamaican dance halls. Those rhythms and melodies really speak to me, and I felt they were the best outfit to get people moving.

shirt DRÔLE DE MONSIEUR
tie ANNODARE
jewellery DOSISG6C
trousers and shoes VALENTINO

hat WILLY CHAVARRIA
glasses EMMANUELLE KHANH
blazer and trousers LUU DAN
shirt NICO DIDONNA
jewellery DOSISG6C

⁠⁠You’ve spoken about wanting music that gives you more freedom to move onstage. Keeping this in mind, what were you looking for in the music and how did you deem something good to move to onstage?

Honestly, I didn’t know which themes I wanted to explore for this album initially. When I approach writing a song, I always allow the music to dictate what the song becomes about. Let the music tell you where to go with it.

Finding true happiness is forever an up and down battle, and these songs reflect that healing and celebration of finding myself in a space of self-love.

Beyond wanting people to move, what did you find yourself wanting to write about on this album?

This record is all about me finding my rhythm. I wanted this music to embody the feeling of those spontaneous dance parties that I’d experienced and loved out in Brazil and the late night afrobeat parties in Paris. Pure joy.

glasses EMMANUELLE KHANH
top AMIRI
trousers LUU DAN
jewellery DOSISG6C
shoes artist’s own

sunglasses SAINT LAURENT BY ANTHONY VACCARELLO
jacket KARTIK RESEARCH
trousers SIMONE ROCHA
shoes vintage

You’ve now spent more than a decade recording and touring. How has your understanding of what it means to give your life to music changed over that time?

I’ve been given so much these last 10 years, and it’s truly been an out-of-body experience, I cannot put into words. The older I get I’m reminded of how fragile life is and the importance of focusing on what is meaningful. Music is so powerful, and we have a responsibility as artists to use it to help empower and uplift people. We should take that responsibility seriously.

⁠⁠You’ve said that happiness isn’t something you chase. What does Happiness Anytime mean to you, and what do you hope listeners carry away from it?

Happiness Anytime is about letting joy be at the forefront. Celebrating the daily art of joy and the daily art and practice of happiness. Every song reflects that sentiment, but with its own little twist.

full look DRÔLE DE MONSIEUR

full look AMIRI

TEAM CREDITS:

talent LEON BRIDGES
photography DANIEL SARS
styling SHEREEN ASSOPIAH
hair and makeup LINDSAY ROGERS
set design GINI GROOTENBOER
photography assistant and production TIMOTHY HOENSON
styling assistants YOANE LUKULASI, ELLIOT MORPUSS, FLOSSIE DOHERTY, and RABIA RUKIYE
editor TIMOTEJ LETONJA
interview MAREK BARTEK
cover design ARTHUR ROELOFFZEN