Leslie Hunt, Fan-Favorite, American Idol Semi-Finalist Makes Comeback
Singer, Songwriter, and Multi-Instrumentalist To Release New Album Ascend June 25
American Idol Semi-Finalist, Leslie Hunt, is not your typical vocalist. The captivating rise of Leslie Hunt, also District 97’s lead-singer, continues with Ascend, her brand new and exquisite solo Album with 7 enchanting tracks.
While exploring meditation, codependency, self-love and self-trust, loving others unconditionally, and many other rites of passage for an adult in constant pursuit of expansion, Leslie tells us that this album was written in a short span of time and greatly inspired by a series of new perspectives she had been cultivating throughout her years in the music industry, and her new guitar, a Gibson 60’s J-45.
On asking about what genre this album fit into, and whether or not it borrows from multiple forms, “I never question the muse when it visits and this body or work required a very natural sounding approach, like something you would hear coming out of Nashville, using rich, warm textures, and not a lot of extra production.” The singer songwriter finds it hard to classify her music, “but this album has a pretty classic rock feel to it, also incorporating some Americana vibes, in addition to the usual vulnerability you can expect from my music.”
- Ascend offers seven superbly crafted songs, each one displaying honesty & grace, mixed with an impassioned beauty. These songs encapsulate life and love while affecting reflections on how we’ve all felt about it throughout our lives.
- This album marks part one of this 2-EP set with another 7-Track EP, titled Descend, to be released on September 3.
- Videos for the tracks Right Here, Down The Road, and There You Are will be released for Ascend. Listen to a preview of There You Are, a fresh, catchy, and memorable song.
- Wolf Cried Boy acoustic video
- From the successes of her three previous solo albums Wait for It, Your Hair is on Fire, and From the Strange to a Stranger, we expect nothing but greatness from these next albums!
- As lyrics and melody are two of Leslie’s favorite aspects of songwriting, she loves to twist words into imagery that could be spun in a number of ways depending on the listener’s perspective.
- Leslie states her upcoming EPs are her best work yet, “I’m very proud of how it came together, and the songs are a time capsule of my mindset in the spring and summer of 2019. I named it Ascend because I recorded it before everything was put on hold. The future seemed limitless, like a plane taking off into the sky with no concrete plan to come back down… Then covid changed everything. We had to land, and we had no idea how long we were going to have to stay on the ground. My second EP is called Descend (coming out September 3) and it is another set of seven songs, all written during the pandemic and very thematically centered around what we were all going through, but through the lens of a person whose entire profession disappeared when people stopped gathering in groups.”
Ascend Track List
- STARTING OVER
- THERE YOU ARE
- YOUR WIND
- WOLF CRIED BOY
- RIGHT HERE
- DOWN THE ROAD
- THE KEY
Available for pre-order NOW
About Leslie Hunt
A multi-talented and multi-instrumentalist since the age of four, Leslie has captivated millions of people with her songs. With three amazing solo albums under her belt and four studio albums and several live albums as a vocalist and songwriter for the progressive rock band District 97, Leslie’s successes from both her solo career as well as District 97’s have led to many tours in North America and Europe. As a result, Leslie has gained a multitude of fans worldwide.
As a solo artist, Hunt holds regular performances, enchanting rooms large and small with nothing but a piano and her voice. She also has a full backing band for shows that are less intimate, yet still wholly riveting.
Throughout her career, Leslie has worked with numerous established talents, including drummer Vinnie Colaiuta (Frank Zappa, Joni Mitchell, and Sting), bassist Vail Johnson (Stevie Nicks and Herbie Hancock), and Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s cellist Katinka Klein. Ultimately, what sets her apart is that she straddles two extremes: a witty, bouncy pop artist in brightly colored dresses who is pitted against her darker self, a sensual and piano-crouched exhibitionist. Whether it is a cheerful, hook-heavy pop tune about love or a dark and insightful ballad of self-discovery, Hunt’s music is a window into her soul for any listener willing to look.
