Singer-songwriter Leah Marlene released the single “Feel Like” last week, her first new music post-American Idol. Today, she shares the inspiration behind the song along with a new music video.
“I am in such a beautiful time in my life,” Leah told People as she discusses the inspiration for her new song. “This song is really about the feeling of that infatuation when somebody makes you feel so free that you just want to dance around and drive with the windows down and dance in the rain,” explains the American Idol 2022 Top 3 contestant.
Leah wrote the song early in her relationship with her girlfriend
Leah wrote the song alongside Megan Redmond and Brett Truitt early on in her relationship with her girlfriend. “It really encapsulates all of that.”
Leah Marlene Reveals Love Song”Feel Like” and New Girlfriend!
“I don’t even feel like it necessarily has to be a romantic relationship song,” she says. “I think it just celebrates relationships in your life that just make you feel safe and free.”
“I had never been in a relationship before, so I was kind of a mess,” she shared with People about the romance that began last September. “I had so many anxieties and I was just so unsure of how it all worked and whether I should get into a relationship. We were long-distance at first, so there was just a lot to sort out. But it always came back to her being that safe place.” She added, “My girlfriend gave me that safe place to learn who I am in a relationship.”
‘Feel Like’ marks the beginning of a new era of music
As far as her songwriting style is concerned, Leah says in a press statement: “I love to move through genres, sounds and various influences from all the music I’ve absorbed over the years, and choices we made in the writing and production of ‘Feel Like’ deeply mirror this approach. It’s a bit of a different direction than other things I’ve released, but at the same time, everything I release is going to vary from the last. I will never create music that fits in a box. ‘Feel Like’ marks the beginning of a new era of music to come, and I could not be more ecstatic to share it with you all!”
She calls the song “pure musical serotonin; the perfect summer tune.” Adding, “It sounds like my personality in sonic form.”
Leah is in the midst of a headlining tour
Leah is currently in the midst of a headlining tour joined by her band that includes Matthew Pittman (lead electric guitar), Cory Hale Williams (drums, harmony vocals), and Derry Grehan Leah’s dad (bass, harmony vocals), a Canadian guitarist best known as a member of the rock band Honeymoon Suite.
“I’m working toward an album, but this year, I’m mostly building up the foundation for what’s to
come. I’m touring a bit and releasing a few singles, but the real push is coming in 2024. I’m
writing a lot of music and taking my time. The art is too important to rush.”
Leah already has two self-produced albums; The Space Between and Many Colors, which she released right before she went on Idol. Many Colors picked up over half a million plays while she was on the show.
