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10 Questions with ... David Leonard
February 4, 2019
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. I've felt in the past that everything I did had to be so serious. Now I've given myself the permission to just be me. Worship is serious but worship is also laughing hysterically with my daughters or sitting with my friends as they are walking through tough stuff. It's not just one thing or the other. It's throughout our entire day. It was hard for me to understand that. It seems like we have focused on just the response time on Sundays and forgot about what happens outside of that
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
It's never an easy road to "make it" in the music industry. So, imagine the psychological hurdles an artist must navigate when, after years of grinding and establishing himself as part of a successful music act, that act disbands and he's in the position of starting over as a solo entity. Integrity artist David Leonard shares a little of what it's like to walk in those shoes after his Grammy-nominated band All Sons & Daughters called it quits in 2017.
1. Your artistic career has taken a fair share of twists and turns; how would you best summarize this part of your life journey in just a couple of paragraphs?
It feels like a season of births. It's hard to describe but I really feel like God has been planting in me, my family, and my friends a new thing. It's continually shaped by where I've been and really is a culmination of all of my past endeavors. But it feels brand new. My heart for the church is still the same. I desire for people to connect with God in a brand new way. And the hope for what we have been working on is that this is a new language for worship music. One that's filled with honesty.
2. At what point in your life did you first begin to realize you had gift for artistry? How did you and the people around you foster that gift? Did you expect from the start that it would be used for ministry purposes?
I grew up in a small town in Arkansas and Music was always just a hobby for everyone. I had never met anyone that did it for a living. But I do remember thinking I could change that. I remember being pressured by family and friends to pick a different path, honestly for good reason. I was awful. But there was something in me that wouldn't let it go. People ask me all the time how I knew this was the way I should go and honestly I can't say I did. I just hoped that if I kept loving God and loving people it would reveal its self to me. That is what I continue to do, and I'm thrilled that I've gotten to do that through music as well.
3. What and/or who served as the most important artistic and philosophical influences early on as you emerged as a singer-songwriter/musician?
I was such a fan of the storyteller. I grew up on James Taylor. He's one of the best. I felt like I learned the art of taking people on a journey through words. It's one thing to do it with music but it's another level when you can paint it with words. That's the part of songwriting that I struggle with the most, but find great inspiration from it.
4. For those who don't know the story, what's the Cliff's Notes version of why the All Sons & Daughter era came to a close? Was this a tough or easy decision when the "moment of truth" came for you both?
At the end of 2016, we made the decision to take a year off to figure out what was next for us. At the end of 2017, we decided to end AS&D. It was the easiest and hardest decision I had ever made. Easiest being, that we had so much respect for each other and who we were becoming, that we knew that it was time. Hardest being, that I carried so much fear about what was next. As much as I didn't want it to, my identity was wrapped up in being David from All Sons & Daughters. If it was over who am I? I'm continually working through that, but I feel like God has continued to whisper a new identity into my ear.
5. How does the ethos of your solo career mirror that of All Sons & Daughters? How do you see it differentiating?
I've felt in the past that everything I did had to be so serious. Now I've given myself the permission to just be me. Worship is serious but worship is also laughing hysterically with my daughters or sitting with my friends as they are walking through tough stuff. It's not just one thing or the other. It's throughout our entire day. It was hard for me to understand that. It seems like we have focused on just the response time on Sundays and forgot about what happens outside of that. This record was made for the weekdays. To sit in your car, to play with your family. It's to hover over your life and hopefully bring peace and joy.
6. What is the vision of your solo debut The Wait? Is there a running theme throughout the project?
This record came out of a season of waiting and disappointment. Me and my wife have an amazing seven year-old and we were trying to add to our family for close to five years after that. Every month was a giant let down. At the end of 2016 we ended up getting pregnant and we were stoked!! It was perfect timing. We were taking a year off the road, he couldn't have planned it any better. Nine weeks into the pregnancy, my wife had a miscarriage. We were devastated. How could this happen. Through time and a lot of love from our community we were able to push through. Most of these songs came during that time. I am thrilled to say that we did get pregnant and we have an incredible eight month old. The beauty that has come from all of this is unbelievable.
7. Were there any psychological hurdles to overcome, creating a solo album when your previous projects have been the product of a team output?
There were, but honestly it was just fear. I had surrounded myself with an amazing team to make this record. Seth Talley and Brad King locked arm to arm with me in this. And honestly, I can't imagine doing this without them. I always find life in community and this project was no different.
8. Who-if any-were the artists and sounds you drew from influentially while making The Wait?
This record was inspired by so many genres, but was heavily influenced by hip hop. I've always been a fan of the beat. It's hypnotic. You don't have to think, your just moved. "808's & Heartbreak" was definitely on repeat while we were making this. The way Kanye created soundscapes was mind blowing. It inspired us to think out of the box and to actually create a world for these songs to live in.
9. This is never an easy question to answer, but what are three of the biggest can't-miss moments of the album?
If I had to pick three I'd have to start at the beginning. "Wanderer" is my confession of who I think I am. The good and the bad. It's the daily reminder that I am a child of God. And that all that matters is, I am loved.
Second is the "I Will Wait." This is my moment of remembrance. God has brought me and my family through some tough moments, but he has been faithful through it all. Meeting us in moments we did not deserve.
Last would be "The Little That I Know." This, to me, sums up how I've felt about God and, honestly, Christianity. The fact is I know very little about all of these things, but it's okay. That was a freeing place to land. I didn't have to have it figured out. I just needed to love Him.
10. What do the next eleven months of 2019 look like for you? (Touring? Collab'ing? Producing?)
Really excited about taking these songs on the road! It's a clean slate. Which makes it really exciting. We at The Creak are getting to work on some really great records. Always love creating with others and see what we can dream up. Should be a fun year!
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