Leon Bridges, born on July 13, 1989, took the world by surprise with the immediate success of his 2015 debut album, Coming Home, reminiscent of the ‘60s soul sound pioneered by artists such as Sam Cooke. Despite his seemingly-quick rise to fame, the R&B artist comes from humble beginnings.

Raised in Fort Worth, Texas, Bridges grew up listening to gospel and soul music but didn’t form his own interest in the industry until community college. He studied dance for three years and was on his way to making a career out of choreography when a one-off experience singing in the cafeteria shifted his focus to other possibilities. He spent the next four years bussing dishes in a restaurant to financially support his mother while performing at open-mics on the side before he met Austin Jenkins and Josh Block of rock-band White Denim in 2014. The two brought him in to record at their makeshift studio after hearing him sing what would later become his first hit single, “Coming Home.” Shortly thereafter Bridges signed with Columbia Records and released his debut album.

Coming Home was applauded by critics everywhere and led to Leon Bridge’s first Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album as well as two performances at the White House during President Barack Obama’s administration (2009-2017). He secured his first Grammy win with the release of his sophomore album, Good Thing, in 2018 for Best Traditional R&B Performance on single, “Bet Ain’t Worth the Hand.”

Despite his initial popularity stemming from a retro-sound, Leon Bridges refuses to let anyone box in his style. Coming Home was successful, but also resulted in comments claiming his music was only for white people despite black artists pioneering the genre. Keeping this in mind, he determined to make music that was appealing to a more diverse audience and continues to innovate what R&B can be. On Good Thing, he combined ‘80s pop with jazz and modern R&B. When he collaborated with Khruangbin in 2020 on their four-track EP, Texas Sun, he brought the trio’s psychedelic sound into the mix. His third album, Gold-Diggers Sound, pushed his style even more forward by merging elements from his first two albums over orchestral arrangements through the help of producer Ricky Reed.

On top of his musical sound, Bridges innovation lies in the lyrics themselves. Branching out from the typical R&B-love songs and heartbreak anthems, he’s made an effort to cover topics that are relatable to everyone such as religion, one’s roots, love for family, and more vulnerable subjects like feelings of inadequacy. As he shared in a 2020 interview:

I piece together lyrics and beats, trying to create flows that take listeners on a journey — a journey through my own personal experience, as well as a journey through themselves. It’s day to day, mood to mood. I have to work hard to really lay out my personal experiences into songwriting — to be vulnerable — but then have it be broad so people can feel the music for their own lives.