You’re probably thinking about who Leezy is, or where the namesake came from – otherwise you wouldn’t have clicked on this article. Well, Leezy is a childhood nickname of the artist out of Chicago, that stuck, and she thought it was fun for a stage name. “I am a 22 year old dream pop artist, currently living in Chicago!” she tells CelebMix at the top of our interview feature about the release of her debut album.
Leezy’s ‘Metanoia‘ tells the story of everything that she went through before she ultimately made the decision to seek treatment for substance abuse.
“I was going through a lot internally, so writing these songs ended up being a super cathartic and reflective exercise for me,” Leezy tells CelebMix. “The actual word ‘metanoia’ is about the journey of changing your mind, heart, self, and way of life… and when I was thinking of a title for my album, it just felt like a perfect fit.”
“It is such a major moment for me,” Leezy continues, “to create something so deeply personal, and to have the courage to share it with the world— I’m definitely really proud of myself.”
In saying that though, Leezy has been able to look back on the release and admit to herself that she is glad to be leaving all of that behind.
“It was a dark period of my life, and I feel like I can finally let go of all the hurt that I experienced now that it’s released, and start my new chapter.” — Leezy on the creative process of her album
Leezy didn’t go into this period of her life with the intention of making an album. In fact, she just had a lot of emotions that needed to get out, and everything sort of fell into place. “So because of that, the album isn’t super cohesive — the songs are kind of all over the place — but it ended up working out because that very chaotic back-and-forth of feelings and experiences is spot-on to what I went through,” Leezy continues. “So the feeling of listening to the album from start to finish allows you to join me on that journey.”
As far as debut albums go, this one is an incredible piece of work – and you can tell Leezy put her heart and soul into it by touching on her own experiences – that showcases the Chicago native’s articulate storytelling audibly and lyrically.
“I think the main thing with this album specifically was that it was written during a very transformational period in my life — I worked on the album both before and after getting sober,” Leezy continues in our interview. “It was really interesting to come back to these songs after being in treatment and continuing to work on them while in a completely different headspace.”
“I could probably think of a million things I would change now, but I think that’s a dangerous rabbit hole to go down. I mean, they’re my own songs, so I’ll always listen with a more critical ear. I try to remind myself that nothing will ever be ‘perfect.’” — Leezy on the release of her album.
With 10 songs to choose from on the album, it is hard to pick favourites – personally, I really like ‘Lovesick’, ‘Cocaine Kisses’ and even one of Leezy’s favourites: ‘Monsters Are Waiting. “My personal favourite right now is ‘Monsters Are Waiting’,” Leezy reveals, “because of the specific meaning it has to me. But I don’t want to tell anyone what to do — I want my listeners to draw their own conclusions and choose their own favourites.”
This is a deep, personal and reflective album for Leezy. Obviously she put a lot into it and it shows throughout the songs. With this album, though, Leezy hopes listeners can take what they need from this album.
“I want them to know that they are not alone in what they go through — because everyone goes through shit— and that they can find comfort in these songs when they’re feeling heartbroken, angry, sick in the head, vulnerable, or hopeless,” Leezy explains. “And I hope that in the end, what they can take away is that I’ve been there and I survived! I made it through the darkest moments, and I ‘got well’ — that it IS possible to come out of that space.”