LeoStayTrill: This is the type of sound and flex I need to ignite the week
Low-key? The grind never slows down but sometimes you need an anthem to push you to the 25th hour - so when music crooners like LeoStayTrill deliver with a repeat-friendly ‘Blessing’ audio gem? My goodness.
LeoStayTrill completely bodies it up with ‘Blessing’
Just on one listen and I am hooked. It’s an automatic Top 50 anthem and of course it is getting ample attention over on my curated Attack The OVO Sound playlist - IYKYK. Tap in.
18-year-old rap prodigy LeoStayTrill has blessed fans with his first release of the new year “Blessing”.With soaring vocals on the chorus, Leo starts the year on a grateful and hopeful note. On the verse, Leo’s flow is as impeccable as ever and adds his internal thoughts and additional context to the wider message imparted on the chorus. His first release since his recent EP Last Quarter which dropped at the end of November.
It’s a beautifully vulnerable and well-rounded project that sees Leo expand his Afro-Drill sound. “Blessing” introduces a new anthemic and choral sound that’s proves a new frontier for Leo sonically.
“Blessing” comes after November single, “Patience” ft. R2, a rousing anthem about self-discipline and communicates the feeling of having one goal in mind and making it your one focus. Introspective and honest, Leo is allowing his fans a glimpse into his internal workings. Fresh off the back of two top 20 singles in the French charts, 21-year-old R2 proves the perfect collaborator to match Leo’s melodic delivery.
Leo’s debut EP Home Alone, dropped in May to a huge fan response. With Dave and Ed Sheeran co-signs and incredible stats under his belt, the sky’s the limit for the 18-year-old South Londoner. Taking inspiration from all over the world, Leo aims to make music that appeals to his global fanbase while also staying true to his own musical interests.
Home Alone followed on from “Hands on Knees” featuring Drill superstar K-Trap. Which racked up over 6m views on the teasers and thousands of video creations. Fresh off a showstopping performance at Our Homecoming fest in Nigeria & with 2.1m followers across IG & Tik Tok, Leo has proven himself a force in the UK music industry. In June Leo performed in Manchester, Birmingham and London for his sold-out Home Alone tour.
In late 2024, Leo took the stage for his first ever sold-out headline show at The Camden Assembly, where he wowed fans and brought out ArrDee and Tion Wayne. With over 140m streams on Spotify alone, two MOBO Award nominations (Best Newcomer & Song Of The Year) and an Asake O2 Arena support slot under his belt, Leo’s proving to be a force to be reckoned with.
It’s been an exciting 18 months for the Bromley born rapper. ‘Honeybun’, his second ever single released at the end of 2023, has accumulated an impressive 6M+ streams to date. It’s self-assured and winking in its wordplay and refreshing in its syncopated, metallic production. In two minutes, Leo seamlessly flies through an entire catalogue of flows. ‘Pink Lemonade’ was the unsuspecting freestyle that became his most inescapably viral hit yet dominating social media for the entire summer and leapfrogging him into a truly global breakthrough.
In only a year, Leo crashed onto the scene in a spectacular fashion. In September of last year, Leo shared a plethora of new work: “Cardi” with rising star 163Margs, “Demure” with Brighton rap Titan ArrDee and freestyle ‘Lost in Sardinia”, adding further collaborations this year he also featured on sleeper hit “Crazy Love” by Tion Wayne & MJ Cole, which is one of the year’s biggest rap tracks - Leo is proving that one of his greatest strengths is his work ethic.
More on LeoStayTrill here:
Born in London to Zimbabwean parents and raised in South London, at first his parents didn’t quite get it. But after seeing him performing to huge crowds while still in primary school, it wasn’t long before they understood he was a natural. “Now they’re fully on board,” he smiles.
Leo taught himself how to produce and started collaborating and creating music as soon as he could. And it was his symbiotic collaboration with producer Xeretto since 2019 (when they were 12 or 13) that he credits with bringing his trademark sonics to life in a new way. ‘Honeybun’ came from that and then ‘Pink Lemonade’ as well so I don’t feel like I need to go elsewhere to get something that we created.” Understandably so, when the recipe has already proved so successful. Coining a contagious blend of UK rap’s best bits, his sound has set him apart from the pack on the international stage already. Pairing the fast-paced percussive vocal delivery of drill with the earworm lightness of afro swing melodies. The innate rhythmic flair of African melodies and the effortless charisma and lingua franca of London’s cultural melting pot.
