Rhiannon Leonard is a fantastic musician based in the West Midlands, an area well renowned for its musical prowess. Her EP, Ex-Lovers Mixtape, really struck me when I listened to it, so naturally I wanted to find out more! If you somehow missed it, you can listen to it at the bottom of this interview.
By Jane Howkins
You recently released an EP titled Ex-Lovers Mixtape. What can you tell us about the EP?
It’s a fun, all-out pop EP. The songs vary in pace and mood but are all stories of relationships. Songwriting is always very cathartic for me. Sometimes it’s just storytelling, but this EP is made up of songs that have been written over the last 13 years, so they are all based on things that I’ve been through. Some of it is camp and tongue-in-cheek, but I think it’s all relatable. There are definitely different shades between the songs.
How has the reception to the EP been so far, and where can it be purchased?
It’s available pretty much everywhere to stream or download! So far everyone has been really lovely, but I’m an incredibly tiny fish in a very big pond, so I think anonymity keeps me bubble-wrapped pretty comfortably.
Do you plan to release any singles from the EP in the near future?
It’s only 5 songs, so I released the music video for the title track a week ahead of the EP. The whole thing is only 19 minutes long, so I think it’s fine as a total piece!
Do you plan to release a full-length album anytime soon?
I’ve done things in reverse order really – I released a full-length album last year, but I wanted to do something different with some (mostly) older songs this time. An EP felt like a good way to experiment with a different sound.
Did the pandemic hinder your work much?
Actually, it was the complete opposite for me – I wrote an album in half a second, then planned this EP towards the end of it. I also joined a band this year (Prairie), so have been writing loads with them. Having that much free time to be creative was probably the silver lining of the whole thing, to be honest.
Your music contains elements of pop, rock and indie. What/who influences you most as an artist? What have you been listening to recently?
Always Taylor Swift. I don’t think I ever do any kind of interview or say anything about my music without mentioning her! It’s becoming my calling card. Lately I’ve been listening to the Midnights album, but who hasn’t? For this EP I really looked toward inspirational women in pop – we listened to a lot of Taylor Swift, Lorde, Billie Eilish, Little Mix and Olivia Rodrigo in the studio when deciding on the direction for each song. I do feel like there’s a heavy-leaning 90s/00s influence to the EP though, too.
You’re based in Stourbridge. What is the music scene like in your part of the world?
There’s a fair amount of work for covers bands and tributes, but not much going on for new, original music. The Birmingham scene is much better. Not to sound like an old lady, but ‘back in my day’ (the mid-00s), it felt like there was live music everywhere in Stourbridge. There were so many opportunities for new bands to play and grow their network. I do miss that!
Do you have any tour dates lined up for the UK?
Not with the EP, but I gig most weekends playing acoustic sets. I’m hoping that I’ll be starting to gig with the band soon!
What can people expect from one of your shows and why should people come and see you live?
Lots of pop covers! Well-known songs, some quite unexpected. But I really would love to get booked to play the original stuff – I feel like some of these songs definitely need a dance floor!
Any last words for the fans?
Just a massive thank you to anyone who has taken the time to check out the EP. It’s been a total passion project and I’ve had loads of fun with it.