Leo Napier is a soul singer and blues pianist born to British parents. His sharp witty lyrics and vocal range are deeply rooted in classic soul and R&B fused with pop.
Born in Los Angeles CA, Leo split time living in LA & London during his childhood. His musical trajectory began shortly after finishing high school in Santa Barbara. Having been surrounded by music all of his life, Leo’s raw and natural abilities prompted the encouragement of his peers, particularly his father and mentor Hugo Napier (actor, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist), who invited a teenage Leo to play piano in his band. While on the road with the quartet, Leo discovered his ability to sing with a bluesy, soulful swagger and soon found his way into local bars and house parties covering his favorite idols Ray Charles and Otis Redding. Soon after Leo found his niche as a songwriter, fronting his own band and touring along the California coast, gaining fans everywhere he went.
In 2014 Leo moved to New York in pursuit of change and artistic growth. Leo soon became part of a burgeoning underground scene, hanging out, writing, and collaborating with pioneering DJ/Producers Gramatik and Griz. Through the cultivation of these relationships, Leo brought several songs to each project; ultimately landing the lead singles on each artist’s 2015 and 2016 releases respectively. ‘A Fine Way to Die’ co-written and featuring Leo Napier was the lead single off Griz’s latest release ‘Say It Out Loud’, garnering millions streams to-date. In March of 2016, Gramatik released his full-length album ‘Epigram’, which includes the single “Native Son” featuring Leo and Wu Tang Clan’s Raekwon. The track which has also amassed millions of plays across streaming platforms resulted in a featured performance with Gramatik & Raekwon at Coachella 2015. The prequel to ‘Native Son’ also appears on the album.
In addition to his collaborations with Griz & Gramatik, Leo has also written, recorded and performed with several other NY-based producers and musicians from acts like Lettuce, Break Science, and Exmag.
Leo is finally stepping into the spotlight as a solo artist . His debut single ‘Dime’ produced by legendary producer and hitmaker, Richard Gotterher will be released on Instant Records in October 2016.