IN CONVERSATION WITH LESLIE GRACE

interview by JANA LETONJA

Leslie Grace is entering a luminous new era. The Dominican-American singer, songwriter, and actress marks her long-awaited return to music with AYAYAY, a euphoric, tropical-electronic track that signals the start of a forthcoming studio album and a more fearless creative chapter. First known for her musical breakout and later for her commanding turn in In the Heights, Leslie has evolved into a multidimensional artist whose presence moves seamlessly between sound, cinema, and style. With an aesthetic that fuses Latin heritage, modern sensuality, and quiet power, she stands at the intersection that Numéro Netherlands celebrates—where fashion, culture, and artistry converge.

top and bottom MATTERS WORLD
earring PR SOLO’S PRIVATE ARCHIVE
shoe CLAUDIO MERAZZI

Tell us about INMERECIDO and AYAYAY. What moments or feelings sparked these songs?

All of the songs on the album to come are reflections on a certain phase of love, some of them contradictory to each other. AYAYAY reflects on the feeling of infatuation. INMERECIDO reflects on the feeling of deception and the disillusionment one feels when coming into awareness of wasted time. INMERECIDO came out of the first co-writing session I did in Miami when I decided I was working toward an album. I had a few records written already, but still hadn’t dared to take anything to the studio or let anyone know I’d been writing just yet. Daramola, co-writer and producer of INMERECIDO, was one of the first. 

I remember sitting at Neon 16 studios talking to Daramola about the journey I was on with my music. I hadn’t been recording, co-writing, or performing besides my acting roles in the previous 2 years. I’d just finished shooting a film called Stages, where I play singer songwriter, that allowed me to explore music in a way that I had the itch for, but without all the loaded pressures of putting out my own. That had given me the final push toward getting back in the studio. After 3 hours of venting, Daramola started playing some chords, and we started tracking top-line melodies. From the mood, it was clear we were writing a melancholic record about saying bye to a toxic love. By the time  AYAYAY was written with Eydren, Ana Mancebo, and Sobrino, many months later, we were deep in the album songwriting process. I remember Eydren playing a guitar track he had tracked with a friend, Oscar Familia, and it sparked an immediate feeling in the room. Melodies began to flow, and there was a giddiness in the air that felt like the rush you feel when you’ve got a new crush. We riffed on that, and the song was tracked before we knew it.

top and bottom set HAZEL NOIR
bracelet THE ARCHIVE PRIVATE COLLECTION

This is your first major release since 2022. What did the time away from music allow you to rediscover?

The time away from releasing music allowed me to rediscover my love for music again and rediscover myself from a new vantage point. I’d been releasing music professionally since I was 16 and had gotten to a point where my personal relationship with music was suffering from the responsibilities of maintaining a career while learning a new craft, acting. The time away allowed me to go back to basics with music in my private time, without the pressures of releasing recordings while committing to acting in a way that I was really longing to. It also allowed me to live more deeply. The part most people, and sometimes us artists, can forget about art is that the source of all of it is found in a very private place. The commerce of it makes art feel very public, but the making of it is very personal, and sometimes in the swell of a career, you lose more and more of that private time that’s required to live and create from. One must find new ways to protect that intimate space and time at all costs if you intend to create something meaningful. I learned a lot about that in this time.

How important is trust in your creative process?

Trust is one of the utmost, if not the most important, elements in the creative process for any endeavour, I feel. First, trust in yourself and in what you’re making, and it will tell you what it needs. Then, trust in your collaborators and gain their trust in you. That’s something you have to cultivate and nurture. I’ve learned a ton about that on the sets I’ve gotten to work on as an actress, where collaboration is vital, and the variables are very changing. Nothing gets done without trust. It’s knowledge I applied heavily to the creation process of this album. 

dress MANSON
bracelets, socks and shoes SHATORA ADRELL
earrings VERONICA THARMALINGAM
rings RANDA CHOUEIRI

AYAYAY captures the rush of new love. How do you translate emotion into something that works on the dancefloor?

Everything starts with a feeling. If the feeling is there in the creation of the song, that frequency will translate into every decision made in terms of sounds. Even if the sounds you’re working with seem “contradictory” to the emotions. The emotion and the sounds in a track are always playing in relevance to each other if the feeling is true. For AYAYAY, infatuation was the feeling, and it was clear that the track had to feel refreshing like the rush of new love, while also leaving room for some wonder and anticipation in the vocal. That’s a recipe for a groovy rhythmic track.

How does this new music reflect who you are now compared to earlier chapters of your career?

I feel much more expressive in this chapter of my career and life in general. It was a big step for me to decide to put out music again. I feel I have so much I’ve yet to say, explore, and learn as an artist, and the permanence of releasing music always feels a bit daunting. But this time around, I feel I’ve taken enough time to make music in a way I’m proud of. Really connecting with all parts of the process and honouring as much as I could the people who helped me communicate my vision of exploring love in all its phases.

top and bottom MATTERS WORLD
earring PR SOLO’S PRIVATE ARCHIVE
shoe CLAUDIO MERAZZI

Your sound blends tropical rhythms with electronic textures. Was this hybrid direction always part of your vision?

I grew up listening to so many different genres without ever questioning it. Being first-gen Dominican American and the youngest of 7, I was exposed to everything in my household, from traditional Dominican genres like Merengue and Bachata that my parents would play, to top 40 sounds of the 2000s and Reggaeton that my older siblings would play. That formed my musical make-up to be pretty eclectic, and I’ve yet to explore all the sounds that turn me on, but this album gets into fusing a good bit of them.

Fashion has become a strong extension of your artistry. How do you approach style differently on stage versus in daily life?

I’m much more daring as an artist than I am in my daily life. I think mostly because I usually dress for comfort and utility on a day-to-day basis. On stage, on red carpets, and even in characters I get to play, I’m a bit more intentional and enjoy collaborating on mood boards with my stylist to dress up for specific occasions. There’s always some specific creative directions attached to the looks. I love me a good thrift find any day, though.

dress KENNETH BARLIS
earrings PR SOLO’S PRIVATE ARCHIVE
shoes KAUD

You’ve moved fluidly between music and film. How does acting influence your songwriting?

I believe my journey with film and the craft of acting has only heightened my curiosity for stories everywhere I go. I love people. I love observing people and asking them questions. A lot of what stays with me when I do that bleeds into my storytelling as an actor. However, songwriting creates a space where I tell my own story from my point of view. I apply what I learn from other people, characters, and collaborators in film more and more into the process of communicating my own story through my music. And I’d say there are many ways my relationship with music allows me to engage with acting, in terms of listening and pacing, in a way I wouldn’t otherwise. 

How do you balance staying authentic while evolving creatively?

I think evolving requires something within you to change by force of nature. It’s not something you decide to do in a moment, something you can predict, or even prompt. You either surrender to it or you resist it. From my experience, at least, I’ve had the blessing of different opportunities that challenge me to grow and evolve along the way, like ‘In the Heights’ being my introduction into film. It was the opportunity of a lifetime, and saying yes to everything that came with that opportunity every step of the way enabled me to evolve into someone much more aware of the power of collaborative effort, my love for acting, and my need for expression beyond being a recording artist, among many other things. 

That’s just one example, but to sum it up, I’d say saying yes to things that scare me, creatively. That’s always a good way to discover new parts of myself, and as long as I’m staying present with what I’m feeling along the way, the authenticity takes care of itself.

top ARABESQUE BOUDOIR
bottom SHATORA ADRELL
earrings PR SOLO’S PRIVATE ARCHIVE
heels CLAUDIO MERAZZI
ring KYLE CHAN

With a full-length album on the way, what themes are you most excited to explore?

I’m most excited to explore the biggest theme of all, love. In all of its contradictions. I’m so excited to see more art depict love in complicated ways. We, humans, are complicated, and we don’t make sense a lot of the time. I don’t think there are enough sounds in the world to ever be able to fully explore all the layers and colours of love, but I’m excited to have explored a good few in these 14 songs on Amor, Quien Eres?!.

How do you protect your joy and confidence in an industry that constantly demands reinvention?

This one’s a tough one. I’m finding that my approach is different depending on the season. But one thing that is constant, no matter the season, I keep myself grounded in the love of growing in my craft and spending time with loved ones who couldn't care less what I do. I feel so blessed to make art for a living and get to connect with others through it. At the very same time, the business landscape around the art is always changing, which can sometimes feel like you’ve got a new job description every time you face a new project, especially as a multi-hyphenate artist. 

If I’m working on music, it’s usually a season when I’m very porous emotionally and interacting with more people than usual in songwriting sessions, team collaborations, and promoting the music itself. At this time, I try to stay open to new ideas and be malleable while staying in contact with my inner circle for guidance. If I’m working on a film, it’s much more of a private, internal process. I protect my alone time, immerse myself in the work of learning my character, and ground myself in solo activities in my free time, like reading and lots of walking. In the moments in between projects, I live a very simple life as a friend, sister, daughter, titi, and granddaughter. My family and friends do a good job of reminding me of my value outside of what I do.

top KENNETH BARLIS
bottom SHATORA ADRELL
earrings and ring KYLE CHAN
shoes KAUD

TEAM CREDITS

talent LESLIE GRACE
photography DYLAN PERLOT
styling SHATORA ADRELL at A-FRAME AGENCY
makeup PIRCILLA PAE at A-FRAME AGENCY
hair ARBANA DOLLANI at A-FRAME AGENCY
editor TIMI LETONJA
editorial director & interview JANA LETONJA