Lesley Roy
Ask Lesley Roy to reflect on the motivation behind her music, and it becomes clear why the 21-year-old Dublin, Ireland, native has a voice and a songwriting presence that belie her relatively short time on this planet. “I’m a pretty simple, down-to-earth person, in that I live for my music,” she begins, brogue well intact despite the fact that she’s called New York City home for much of the past year. “When I think about the musicians who’ve inspired me, they have the same philosophy: I’m talking about people who’ve been able to create something meaningful for 20-plus years – artists with real longevity.”
On her Religion Music/Jive/Zomba debut, Unbeautiful, Lesley Roy proves herself part of that rarified club. Nearly two years in the making, the album runs the gamut from hook-saturated power pop (the breakout lead single, “I’m Gone I’m Going”) to stratosphere-climbing ballads (“Slow Goodbye,” “Thinking Out Loud”), all the while reflecting Lesley’s ability to express a lifetime’s worth of emotion with a voice that’s equally powerful at both ends of the scale. And while she doesn’t discount the chance Unbeautiful afforded her to work with a host of name producers and songwriters – primarily executive-producer Max Martin (Kelly Clarkson, Britney Spears), whom she credits with “pushing my writing ahead at least 10 years” – Lesley’s heart, soul and skill ring clear through each of the album’s 12 hits-in-waiting.
It should come as no surprise that songwriting and performing are quite literally in Lesley Roy’s DNA. Lesley’s mother, herself an accomplished musician who made her name performing in wedding bands, introduced her daughter to a lifelong love of music (especially classic Motown) and the stage. “I’m still very close to my mother, even though we live so far away from each other,” she says. “She gave me a great foundation—first of all, just with how to approach the music side of things, and second, just with the morals and responsibilities and hard work that come from doing things right. I come from a working-class family, and that drive, that persistence, will always be part of my nature.”
Learning the rudiments on trumpet and saxophone before ultimately falling in love with the guitar (on which she still writes most of her songs) at age 10, Lesley caught the rock bug not soon afterward. She was exposed to the same one-hit wonders afforded to any teen with radio access, but it was legendary artists like Stevie Nicks, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and Melissa Etheridge who inspired Lesley to make the jump into music herself. Even as her own songwriting expanded beyond these giants’ influence, Lesley retained her respect for their career paths and their individual brilliance as lyricists – and indeed, as she proves on Unbeautiful’s title track (a huge ballad about a relationship’s dysfunctional ending) or the dark, crunching “Misfit” (an instant anthem for anyone who’s never fit in), Lesley is also addressing the proverbial Big Picture through her own lyrics.
As she explains it, “For me, it’s always been about the big questions: ‘Where are you going to be in 20 years with these songs?’ or, “What does this song you’re writing ultimately mean to people?’ When I look at some of the other singers out there, the ones who are just in it for the short term or the party aspect of this whole experience, I suppose my only response would be, ‘I’m not like those other girls.’”
It was just that sort of gut-level honesty that found Lesley’s songs catching the ear of the Irish independent label Religion Music, with whom she recorded a demo and ultimately signed a six-album recording and publishing deal. After Jive/Zomba took notice of Lesley’s extraordinary potential, the result was a worldwide licensing contract and the kickoff of the songwriting and production process to prime Unbeautiful for its international debut. Before the album was complete, Lesley already saw her profile rising via a U.S. radio tour and exposure (for “Thinking Out Loud”) on MTV’s hit reality series The Hills: “By far the most surreal experience I’ve ever had,” she says, laughing. “I watch that show all the time, and the next thing I know, I’m hearing my song on it!”
Demanding as the writing process for Unbeautiful may have been, it’s the next step in her journey – the process of touring with her band, connecting with fans, and getting to relive these songs nightly onstage – that has Lesley most excited about the future. “Writing is great, but I live for performing,” she explains. “When you’re holed up in the studio for months at a time, there’s always that sense of self-doubt – that worry that no one will hear this stuff, and you’ll fade away – but when you get back onstage, it all comes together, and you finally get the chance to see the impact you’re making.”
For more information contact:
Gina Orr
Jive Records
Tel. 310-449-2650
