Leon Bridges on Billie Eilish and playing Governors Ball 2021

It is a good time to be Leon Bridges.

In the final two weeks, the Grammy-successful R&B artist has attended the Satisfied Gala, appeared on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” and performed his song “River” with Jon Batiste throughout the In Memoriam tribute at the Emmys.

And on Friday, Bridges, 32, will take the most important stage all through this weekend’s 10th-anniversary edition of the Governors Ball audio pageant at Citi Discipline. He’ll be showcasing material from his new album “Gold-Diggers Sound” — recorded at Gold-Diggers intricate in East Hollywood — which finds the singer branching out from his retro-soul roots with a much more modern-day model.

In this article, the Fort Worthy of, Texas, troubadour reveals his must-see Gov Ball act, why he brought cowboy couture to the Satisfied Gala and the actors who were being coolest to meet — and hardest to say goodbye to — at the Emmys. 

Who are you most looking ahead to see at Gov Ball?

I definitely want to see Billie Eilish. She’s enjoying on the exact same phase that I’m playing — obviously [she’s] headlining. So I would really like to verify her out. I not too long ago had the opportunity to go to the Achieved Gala, and she was sitting down at my desk with her brother Finneas, but I did not get to have any discussion with her. I was much too nervous to even start off the convo.

You rocked a total cowboy appear at the Fulfilled Gala. How’d that occur collectively?

I was just responding to the whole concept of American vogue, which is a large spectrum of factors. But my interpretation of it is just that entire Western appear. I feel the most important misunderstanding is that that search is unique to white persons, and there’s black folks that rock it as perfectly.

What is your most unforgettable pageant working experience?

The dopest competition I have ever expert was Afropunk. The a single I played was 2019 in Brooklyn. As a black artist, it is just hella-refreshing to enjoy to a group whole of black individuals, because most of these festivals are predominantly white. I adore that Afropunk is a spot the place black men and women can be on their own.

How did the Gold-Diggers complicated inspire your new album?

We wanted to uncover a space in which it was aesthetically inspiring to shell out a whole lot of time in, and Gold-Diggers was that for us. It’s a multifaceted complicated — there is the resort facet of it, there’s the studio factor of it, and then there is the bar. It’s practically like this refuge in the midst of this gritty metropolis. I was living there, which was truly wonderful, due to the fact generally you are acquiring to commute to regardless of what studio and you variety of shed momentum that way. I liked the vibe of literally waking up, strolling downstairs, clocking in and getting to it. The encounter was so considerable, I required to name the album in honor of it.

Who was it hardest to say goodbye to during the In Memoriam tribute at the Emmys?

Michael K. Williams. That a person certainly strike the most. I was capable to cross paths with him at this bar that I repeated in LA called Doheny Home. I was hanging with my homeboys, and Michael K. Williams will come up and was just displaying appreciate. It is incredible when folks that you look up to know you exist and are supporters of the art. It is definitely heartbreaking that he’s not with us any more.

Who was the coolest celeb you met at the Emmys?

As I was leaving, Angela Bassett complimented me on the effectiveness, and she stated that she wished to occur to a present. And I was like, “Of study course! Would adore to have you.” Which is tops for me.