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Lauren DiGiovanni

Review: "Pretty Boy" - LÉON




LÉON ushers in a new era with her latest single, “Pretty Boy”, off of her upcoming fourth album. After not releasing new music since October of 2022, LÉON is back and better than ever. LÉON shares that “Pretty Boy” is about, “making up for the time you’ve lost and what kind of future you’re hoping for,” and, “choosing to be happy, in a way, and how you can remain connected to certain people and places without seeing them for the longest time.” Her first verse delves into those themes, and describes a past partner that told her “what are you waiting for?”, but left her waiting forever. She reminisces for a time that they were together, and says she would’ve done anything and gone anywhere to “stay drunk on that face.” But now, they’re strangers at a bar, and LÉON is asking herself who is going to leave first because of the awkward tension between them. She recognizes that she’s gotten older, but her memories are still fresh in her mind. In the chorus, LÉON ties her lyrics back to the first verse, asking her ex “where he’s been for all of this time.” She thought that she had lost him, but she knew that he would live “forever in [her] mind… for all [her] life.” In her second verse, she tells him that he can’t escape growing old and that the sacred place where hope lies is the last to leave. LÉON also says that when nostalgia comes in, you open up your past, and she would never say no to reignite their romance. She repeats the chorus once again, and she takes the bridge back to the first verse again by asking him what he is waiting for. LÉON strikes again with “Pretty Boy” with hard-hitting yet beautiful lyrics.





LÉON, alongside her friend and collaborator Henrik Michelsen, produced a beautiful and grand track for “Pretty Boy”. The song starts with an isolated, reverbed electric guitar. From there, celestial synths fill the backing track, different from most synths seen in pop music. There is a hint of rock influence, specifically from the 1960s and 1980s, with a distorted or crushed electric guitar in the pre-chorus and chorus. But mainly, the song can be described as contemporary or indie pop. Throughout the track, LÉON’s distinct voice fills the space, with a deep instrumentation behind her. Overall, the track is wonderfully produced, which will leave a great impression on new listeners and LÉON fans alike.



LÉON, a Stockholm native and a daughter of musicians, first got her start in fronting a band as a teenager. LÉON first made waves in 2015 with her debut release, “Treasure”. Her two singles from that EP, “Tired of Talking” and “Nobody Cares”, show off her vast versatility in both her lyrics and her sound. However, her first breakout hit was in 2019 with “You and I” after a series of EP releases. Currently, “You and I” has 70 million streams on Spotify alone. Following that release, she embarked on a tour of Europe and North America. Then in 2020, she released her second LP, “Apart”, which showed her growth in her melodic, pop sound. Her third album, “Circles”, showcased more of her vulnerability in her lyrics, accompanied by a synth-laden space. With over 2.3 million monthly listeners on Spotify to date, it’s clear that LÉON will continue to impress listeners over and over again.



Written By Lauren DiGiovanni



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