We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Leslie Powell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Leslie below.

Leslie , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

First off, my parents are the absolute best. They gave us the freedom to try anything and make mistakes, so that we could find out what we were actually passionate about. We were all over the map. We took piano, guitar, violin, viola, saxophone, basketball, volleyball, lacrosse, acting, singing, dancing, and did community service… whatever we had the desire to try, they let us. As long as we stuck to it long enough to give it a fair shot, we were OK to drop it if it wasn’t bringing us joy.

Growing up, and as an adult, this made me want to try new things and test my ability. You never know if you can do something, or be good at it unless you truly try. If you fail… that’s ok. 1, you learn from the failure and how to do it better next time, and 2. given enough time and practice, you might find something you’re really good at!

That approach affected all of us. My dad started his own business after being in the corporate world for his whole life. Even though a change was scary and unpredictable, he knew there was potential for something bigger and better… and there WAS. His business has been thriving for 19 years now and his entrepreneurial attitude and confidence in himself and his work was contagious. My brother has his own business, I have my own business and my sister is in the process of starting her own business. Even though a career in the arts may seem like an impossible feat, my parents believed in us, supported us, and gave us the confidence to pursue our dreams.

I never knew my job existed until someone asked me if I wanted to try it. It was scary to dive into something new… but then I found it to be really fun and I was actually great at it! If you don’t try… you’ll never know your true potential. And by the way, failure comes along with that. You’re not going to be good at everything! But you just might come across something that will change the course of your life… So don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone and try something new!

Leslie , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a songwriter, artist, performer and also license my music to film/TV/ads/sports and trailers. In a nutshell, I write and perform music that helps bring people’s visual dreams to life. My job spans from TV shows to movie trailers, movies to commercials, and sports promos to doing custom pieces for some of the biggest sporting events in history. I LOVE my job.
I write all different genres of music. It brings me joy and makes music not just a job, but a passion. When I lived in Nashville back in the day, I met with a publisher that said I should focus on only writing one style of music because if I didn’t, I’d never get anywhere in the music industry. I felt defeated because I didn’t want to just write one style of music. When I moved to LA, I started meeting with music supervisors and when they heard my catalog, the first thing they said was “Gosh, you know what makes you so special? We could ask you for any type of music, and you could create it.” In that moment, my biggest weakness became my biggest strength.

Fast forward to now…I just had my first stadium performance at the Banc of California Stadium performing a hip hop song that became the walk out song for Angel City FC, and was also featured during Super Bowl LIV. If I had listened to that guy, I would still just be writing country music in Nashville. My life and career would look a LOT different than it does now.

One of my favorite projects I have ever worked on was the Women’s World Cup. I worked closely with the Fox Sports Team to create the USA victory song, and performed it live in front of millions of people. I also worked with the writer and show runner of WB’s Roswell to create a song for the season finale of the show. Fans loved it so much that it ended up hitting #1 on the iTunes Soundtrack charts. One of my recent favorites was working on the latest Kay Jewelers campaign. I reimagined their sting into a viral pop banger. It surpassed 13 BILLION views on Tik Tok and was one of the most successful campaigns they’ve had on the platform.

You’ve heard my music during the Super Bowl, on many TV shows and on commercials of major brands including Verizon, Wendy’s, Maybelline and Clorox. Every day is different, and brings new challenges and excitement. I feel fortunate to have a career doing what I love.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

In 2016, I was playing the SXSW music and film festival. It was SO exciting. I was truly living out my performing dreams and was ready to tour. Unexpectedly during the show, my vocal cords hemorrhaged and by the end of the night, I could no longer speak or talk. My muteness lasted almost 2 months and I was faced with the realization that I might not ever be able to talk or sing again. Everything I knew and loved was suddenly stripped away from me.
I went to speech therapy and vocal lessons, relearning how to sing and talk correctly.
After a hard road, I was back singing and writing…BUT I didn’t have the vocal stamina to sing for two hours a night for months at a time on a tour. I realized me being a touring musician was no longer in the cards.
So, in life, when we get hit with obstacles, we pivot. What I didn’t know is that my pivot would be life changing in the best way possible.
I found the world of music in media (TV/film/ads). I now spend my time in the studio writing many different genres and working with some of the most talented producers in the industry.
I’ve learned that sometimes the biggest challenges or roadblocks in life become the biggest blessings.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding thing about being an artist and a creative, is that through your music, you are able to help other people tap into emotions that they’ve never tapped into before or feel things they haven’t allowed themselves to feel. Several years back, my best friend, my mentor and my grandmother died all within the same 9 months. It was a really tough season for me. Actually, it was the worst year of my life. I wrote a song about loss, missing them and just wanting to talk to them. It is called Message at the Tone. Every time I play this song live, people cry and come up to me afterward to tell me how much the song spoke to them. Music speaks a different language. It is universal and speaks to the heart. It is a medium that through lyrics and melody, can let someone know they are not alone and gives them strength and courage to carry on.
That song was able to turn my grief and pain into something beautiful that has touched the lives of so many others.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lesliepowellmusic.com
• Instagram: @lesliepowellmusic
• Twitter: @leslie610

Image Credits
Mike G Quinn