Unveiling Insights: An Interview with Leah Marie Mason
Interview by Breanne Gill and Photos by Preemo.
Your newest track, “YOUR BOYFRIEND SUCKS,” has an emotional intensity that feels very intimate. I was wondering if you gained inspiration from personal experiences and could take us through the process of how this song came to be.
For the past year I've been listening to my best friend complain about the same guy and how badly he treats her. She was still choosing to stay with him and it was driving me absolutely insane. Sometimes the best thing you can do for your friends is show them tough love, and that’s what this song is… tough love.
In previous releases, you leaned more into your country and bluegrass roots, but “YOUR BOYFRIEND SUCKS” is an exciting new step as you branch out into the pop genre. How do you think your experiences with the country and folk genres will influence and inspire you as you move forward with your growing music career?
I think the songwriting and lyricism of those genres will always be something I carry with me throughout my career. I love songwriting, and country and folk music taught me so much about the craft. I think now I have the tools to make the kind of music that feels authentic to me while still maintaining the integrity of the songwriting, which is something that’s so important to me.
Your newest single explores feelings of female rage and issues of toxic relationships. If you could give advice to anyone out there struggling through these emotions and situations, what would you say?
I would say LISTEN TO YOUR FRIENDS!!! I know the truth can be hard to hear but, trust me, the people closest to you that love you are the ones who have your best interests at heart.
TikTok has been an amazing tool for you to spread your music to vast audiences with your debut single “Far Boy” exploding on the app with 13M views. I was wondering how social media and TikTok have impacted your approach to creating music and connecting with your audience.
I think TikTok has been both a blessing and a curse to a lot of artists. On one hand, it takes away the gatekeeping of major labels and radio, but on the other hand, it puts a lot of pressure on the artist to essentially be an influencer and get things to go viral without much support. It's definitely a weird time that we're in and all I can do is try to make the best of it! Negatives aside, I do think it is a great platform to connect directly with your audience and allows people to pull back the curtain and get to know artists on a more personal level.
Since you’re releasing your new single on Galentine’s Day, I was wondering what an ideal Galentine’s Day would look like for you!
In my mind, the ideal Galentine’s Day would be getting all the girls together at my house, having a few bottles of wine, eating snacks and takeout, and laughing about all of our worst ex stories (between my friends and me… there’s a lot, lol).
What does music-making mean to you and how did you decide that this was the path you wanted to take?
Making music has always just been a thing that I've done before I even really knew what I was doing. From a young age, I was always just fascinated by the process of making music and performing. I think no matter what happens with my career, I will always make music just because it's something I have to do. It's a part of who I am.
Since you are Nashville-based, I was wondering how being in the Nashville community and music scene has influenced or inspired your music creation.
Being in Nashville has been so inspiring, I just love being surrounded by so many other creatives and like-minded people. It's been very motivating for me and I think surrounding yourself with people you think are better than you only makes you better. I've learned so much from my peers and I wouldn't be the writer or artist I am today without them!
You’ve said that you wanted your music to reach audiences ranging from small towns to big cities. What are key components in your music creation process that allow your music to resonate with such a broad audience?
I think a lot of what I've been writing about, although they are personal experiences to me, have a universal feeling to them that I think are relatable on a larger scale to people from all walks of life. As excited as I am for these songs to be out, I'm just as excited to see people relate to them and tell me their own stories!
What are your goals and aspirations for 2024, either musically or in your personal life?
My only goal for this year is to just be unapologetically myself. I feel like in the past I've put other people's thoughts and opinions above my own. From now on, I don't want anyone dictating the trajectory of my career besides myself because at the end of the day, it's my name and my music and I'm the one that has to stand behind it when it's all said and done.
